About me
Like many of the people I have supported over the years, I can trace my own troubles back to the challenges faced by my family of origin. Ever since then I have made it my life’s work to better understand why we hurt, and how we can heal.
Early in my career I supported homeless families in emergency accommodation and managed a homeless drop in. Here I saw for myself the multitude of ways that human lives can come to crisis and I learned my first lessons about what people need to heal. Most importantly, people need a safe, secure base, and to have their basic needs reliably met. Once stable, they then need help from someone who believes in them, who can empower them to make their own decisions and thrive on their own terms.
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Latterly I have supported people living with long term mental and physical health conditions. I have facilitated peer support groups where I came to see for myself that people were indeed experts in their own lives. That their troubles could be worked through when they realised that they were not alone. That even the most painful of human experiences, like self-loathing, guilt and shame can be eased when alongside fellow travellers who genuinely listen and try to understand.
More recently
Importantly I have done my own work in relation to psychotherapy and healing. I have experienced multiple approaches to helping including Person Centred Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). I am currently engaged with a relational psychodynamic therapist. At the time of writing we have met 60 times over a two year period. In addition, I meet with an experienced supervisor regularly.
You may be wondering why I raise my own personal development work, and why these things should matter to you. I would say that there are at least three important reasons your therapist is in therapy, or has experienced long term therapy for themselves. Firstly it demonstrates that they believe in the process, and that belief can be leveraged to help you too. Secondly, it is essential for any good therapist to have first hand experience of the healing process from within. There are things you simply can not learn from a book or even from the therapist chair. Finally, it is unlikely that a therapist will be able to maintain an unconditional positive regard for you, if they have not faced their own daemons in a sustained way. My own counselling and supervision help me to maintain the open acceptance and flexibility of mind I will bring to our work together.
I have supported clients facing a wide variety of challenges. In particular I have accrued significant experience supporting people through later life challenges, bereavements, anxiety, low-self esteem, social anxiety, relational trauma and shame. I work in a holistic way, by treating all your parts as important. I adopt a humanistic, person-centred approach, that places you in the driving seat of your therapy. My place is alongside you, steadfast and supportive, as you face up to the challenges of the road.
Arrange an initial conversation
In our initial telephone consultation I seek to help you decide if working with me is right for you. We can then schedule your first appointment.