What I Offer
I offer a safe, collaborative and accepting space for you to work through whatever it is that has brought you to therapy.
As a person-centred practitioner, I believe that each individual is the expert when it comes to their 'self'. My role in therapy is to provide a space and opportunity for exploration and to help you make sense of your experiences, thoughts, and feelings. I work in an integrative way, adapting my approach and style to suit the needs of each client and I will work at a pace that feels safe and manageable for you.
How I work
I consider myself to be a person-centred practitioner at my core. Person-centred counselling is a humanistic approach to talking therapy. It is interested in the whole person, with an emphasis on the positive aspects of being human. Person-centred therapy is based on a belief that all humans have the capacity for personal growth, as long as the right environment or conditions are present. I aim to provide these conditions through the therapeutic environment and relationship. It is also important that the client is willing to engage in the therapeutic process, which requires openness and collaboration.
I also recognise that therapy is not a 'one size fits all' experience. I aim to adapt my style and approach, integrating other therapeutic models and techniques, to best suit each individual client. I will work with each client on establishing their goals for counselling, understanding why these goals are important and the best way of working together to achieve them.
My Values
I work within an anti-oppressive and trauma-informed framework. I aim to build therapeutic relationships that are inclusive, affirming and responsive to the individual. I am critical of some practices within our mental health system, including the use of labels and diagnoses that are potentially harmful. I don't place value on terms such as 'disorder' but recognise that for some clients, labels and diagnoses can be helpful in framing their experience. It is important that my work with clients focuses on their individual experience and meaning-making.
Ultimately, I am a work-in-progress and am committed to my own personal and professional development. I welcome the opportunity to learn and be challenged from each of my clients.
You might have heard the term 'lived experience' being used quite a lot.
Think of two people, with their feet in the same water at the same time. Both people will describe the experience differently. One might focus on the way that the water feels between their toes, the temperature, and how it feels as the waves move back and forth. The other might describe the feeling of the sand beneath their feet, and how it feels to sink slowly into the softness of the ground.
As a person-centred practitioner, I aim to understand your experiences from your position and not as if I was experiencing the same thing myself. I may have waded in the same water as you, but I can only try and understand how you experienced the water if I listen with empathy.
This is how I aim to work with you in therapy.
My Teaching & Research
Alongside my counselling practice, I am a tutor in psychology and counselling. I have also been involved in a number of research projects. I advocate for evidence-based practice and have a special interest in trauma-informed approaches, practitioner wellbeing, posttraumatic growth, and vicarious resilience. You can read more about my research and publications here.
I have limited spaces for 1-1 tutoring and exam or coursework support with psychology and counselling students. If you are interested in my teaching or research, or if you are an organisation looking for a speaker in any of these areas, please contact me.