Why did I choose to become a Counsellor?
My passion for helping others began at just 16, volunteering at a summer holiday club for children with severe learning disabilities. For the past 40 years, I have dedicated myself to various paid and unpaid support roles, assisting people of all ages with learning difficulties, physical difficulties, and mental health challenges. I often credit my Mum, the most modest and selfless person I know, for passing on this "helping gene."
For decades I struggled with anxiety and low self-worth; I was that person who accepts the party invitation, then cancels at the last minute. This of course affected how I felt about myself, resulting in many self-critical thoughts and put-downs. Anxiety pushed me into a corner, setting low expectations for myself and stopped me from trying to achieve things in my life.
A big part of my Counselling training involved reflective practice, meaning I had to look at my own thought patterns and behaviours. I recognised my tendency to avoid when things got difficult or uncomfortable for me, how I would tell myself "I can't do this" and give up, and learned that the only way to move forwards was to change my behaviours and my limited view of myself.
Having personally experienced anxiety and low self-worth, I deeply resonate with clients facing similar challenges. This personal insight allows me to provide a unique level of empathy and understanding, helping you navigate these feelings with proven strategies.
My Counselling style is informal and relaxed; you won't find me using jargon in our sessions, and there are no "power suits" here!
If you, as the client, don't feel relaxed and comfortable with me, you're unlikely to feel you can open up and be yourself . My priority is to connect with you, ensuring you feel understood and supported throughout our work together.
Menopause is another area I have plenty of personal experience in! Because of this I have further trained as a Menopause Wellbeing Practitioner. This dual perspective allows me to offer comprehensive support to women experiencing the physical and emotional challenges of menopause, helping them manage symptoms and improve their overall well-being.
When you work with me, you can expect to feel truly heard. I don't just listen; I genuinely hear what you share. My aim is for you to feel how I would want to feel .
I accept you as you are and do not judge you for your past actions, your feelings about others, or your current life situation. I believe everyone's story is unique, and I am not here to judge. You can expect to leave each session feeling equipped to face challenges, validated, and truly understood.
Qualifications & Training
Diploma in Counselling Skills (Level 3)
Diploma in REBT/CBT
Advanced Diploma in REBT/CBT
Advanced Integrative Diploma in REBT/CBT
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Certificate
Somatic Healing
Menopause and Wellbeing Practitioner training
What is CBT?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy which explores the link between thoughts, actions and feelings. Our negative thoughts about something cause us to act in a particular way, leading to us feeling a range of negative emotions; such as anxious, depressed, hurt, self-critical, angry, etc.
CBT is particularly helpful for individuals experiencing the following mental health challenges:
Anxiety
Depression
PTSD
OCD
Eating Disorders
Often we are unaware of what we are thinking, particularly in the humdrum of our day to day lives, when we are carrying out familiar routines, and interacting with familiar people. For many people because these thoughts go unnoticed, they become automatic - responses become habitual and predictable - negative emotions become bigger - and there comes a point where we find ourselves struggling to cope with what is going on.
This is where CBT can really help
By looking at your thought patterns and your behavioural responses to this, we can identify any unhelpful thoughts that might be keeping you stuck, and explore how you could reframe and change these. Similarly by looking at your current behaviours in response to your thoughts, we can gently explore and identify any that might be unhelpful, and create more helpful constructive ones.
CBT is a collaborative and structured therapy; this means that we work together, and apply the CBT framework to your unique and personal problems; in this way each session will be individually tailored and formatted so that it follows on from the session beforehand. This ensures that you as the client knows what is happening and why we are doing what we are doing.
CBT mainly focuses on what you are experiencing now, and does not dig around too much in the past – having said that it can be helpful for some clients to revisit experiences from the past that may be impacting on how they are feeling in the present.
This is YOUR therapy, and for you to use as you wish, with the aim of moving you forwards towards the life you want.
How is CBT different to other therapies?
CBT is different to other talking therapies in several ways.
- It tends to be short-term (average 8-16 sessions)
- It’s focused on specific problems rather than how you feel more generally
- The structured approach involving talking about your problems and setting goals for therapy, ensures that you are always moving in a forward direction.
- It’s much more about the present than about the past. You’ll look more at how you think and act now than about your past experiences.
- There will be "work" to do between sessions. This could be keeping a diary of your thoughts and feelings or practising the skills you’ve learned in therapy.
CBT can help you find coping strategies and techniques to address these challenges and regain control of your life.
When life already feels overwhelming, it can be hard to reach out for therapy. Sessions will run at a pace that feels comfortable for you. Our first session will be a chance for me to gather some information from you and discuss what you want from therapy and how therapy works. My goal is for you to feel supported, understood, and equipped with the knowledge and practical tools to manage your mental health effectively.