Me
I have been counselling since 2006. I currently run a private practice having previously worked within a mental health organisation.
Prior to counselling I worked in different business sectors. I had always enjoyed working with people and felt that I would like to do something that could make a real difference to the lives of individual people. At this point I started my counselling training and knew that this was the right path for me. I believe passionately that counselling is enormously helpful and feel privileged to build unique counselling relationships with my clients.
Qualifications
BACP Accreditation
BACP Certificate of Proficiency
Diploma in the Theory and Practice of Counselling
Certificate in Counselling Skills
Other CPD Training/Workshops in
Relational Mindfulness
Relational Trauma; Attachment & Healthy Relationships
The Link Between Rage & Shame
Taking, Holding & Letting Go
Transactional Analysis
Trauma & The Body (Dissociation & Somatisation)
Dissociation/DID
Relationally Focused Integrative Psychotherapy
Relational Living Body Psychotherapy
Anger
Clinical applications of the Healing Tasks (for working with adult survivors of childhood abuse)
Attachment
Mental Health Awareness
Prior to counselling I worked in different business sectors. I had always enjoyed working with people and felt that I would like to do something that could make a real difference to the lives of individual people. At this point I started my counselling training and knew that this was the right path for me. I believe passionately that counselling is enormously helpful and feel privileged to build unique counselling relationships with my clients.
Qualifications
BACP Accreditation
BACP Certificate of Proficiency
Diploma in the Theory and Practice of Counselling
Certificate in Counselling Skills
Other CPD Training/Workshops in
Relational Mindfulness
Relational Trauma; Attachment & Healthy Relationships
The Link Between Rage & Shame
Taking, Holding & Letting Go
Transactional Analysis
Trauma & The Body (Dissociation & Somatisation)
Dissociation/DID
Relationally Focused Integrative Psychotherapy
Relational Living Body Psychotherapy
Anger
Clinical applications of the Healing Tasks (for working with adult survivors of childhood abuse)
Attachment
Mental Health Awareness
How I work
In your search for a counsellor you may well be discovering that there are many different approaches. My approach is predominantly Gestalt although my training also incorporated Person Centred Counselling. You don't need to know about Gestalt in order to work with me. I believe the most important thing is that, if you meet me and feel you would like to work with me, this would indicate that my approach is right for you. However, should you wish to know more, please read on!
A concept that is central to the Gestalt way of working is that of "wholeness". "For example, one could analyse a root, stem, leaf, petal, stamen and pistil, but this would not capture the totality of the flower growing in the garden. (Sills, Fish & Lapworth 1995)
How I would work with you
I would be working with the "whole" of you, being interested in, and valuing the whole of your experience, feelings, thoughts and body sensations. In our work I would see all of these things as relevant and important.
Working in the "here and now"
I focus on working in the "here and now", staying with your present experience. Increasing awareness of how you think, feel and respond in the present can help highlight fixed ways of being that may have been developed in the past. You may become aware of things in your history that feel unfinished. Attending to these things could help you feel more free and allow you to function more fully, perhaps accessing a wider range of unexpressed emotions.
The therapeutic relationship
As our work together continues we would also explore what happens in our working relationship, how we impact on each other. This can be really helpful as it may provide insight into how you are in other relationships.
Creativity and Individuality
I do not work in a rigid way as I enjoy and respect the fact that each person comes with different needs and ways of expressing themselves. I am happy to work creatively with dreams, poetry, imagery, art, photos, toys etc.
A concept that is central to the Gestalt way of working is that of "wholeness". "For example, one could analyse a root, stem, leaf, petal, stamen and pistil, but this would not capture the totality of the flower growing in the garden. (Sills, Fish & Lapworth 1995)
How I would work with you
I would be working with the "whole" of you, being interested in, and valuing the whole of your experience, feelings, thoughts and body sensations. In our work I would see all of these things as relevant and important.
Working in the "here and now"
I focus on working in the "here and now", staying with your present experience. Increasing awareness of how you think, feel and respond in the present can help highlight fixed ways of being that may have been developed in the past. You may become aware of things in your history that feel unfinished. Attending to these things could help you feel more free and allow you to function more fully, perhaps accessing a wider range of unexpressed emotions.
The therapeutic relationship
As our work together continues we would also explore what happens in our working relationship, how we impact on each other. This can be really helpful as it may provide insight into how you are in other relationships.
Creativity and Individuality
I do not work in a rigid way as I enjoy and respect the fact that each person comes with different needs and ways of expressing themselves. I am happy to work creatively with dreams, poetry, imagery, art, photos, toys etc.