About Me
I have worked in the adult helping professions for some 20 years spending a significant amount of this time working with people who became involved in the Criminal Justice System.
My experience is vast, but I have specialised in mental health, domestic abuse, sexual violence, substance misuse and health psychology within an individual and group setting. A lot of my work has been located within inner city London and has afforded me an opportunity to work with diverse communities.
I have a passion and interest in working with trauma, particularly post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complicated grief and long term health conditions. I have extensive experience of working within oncology supporting individuals who have endured a cancer diagnosis and am currently undertaking a doctorate in relation to this area of work.
I am currently work within a health psychology service within the NHS as a lead counsellor for critical care allowing me to support individuals and their relatives (including couples) who have experienced their stay as distressing or traumatic.
I qualified in 2011 and I currently offer counselling to adults and couples. In addition, I am a qualified and experienced group work facilitator, trainer and associate lecturer. I currently facilitate training to health care professionals and lecture regularly for the Open University on their Psychology and Counselling undergraduate degree.
The core of my philosophy is underpinned by relational theory, humanism and psychodynamic approaches. As a relational counsellor, I believe in the importance of the therapeutic relationship and see this as a the vehicle for change for the client. I have, what I refer to as, specific interventions I am able to offer.
For example, if there is a specific need such as trauma related to a single incident, I will be able to offer a trauma focused intervention such as EMDR. I use specific interventions in a relational integrative way and seek to help you wonder about the origins of the problem, not just focus on management.
Within my philosophy I do not just work with the mind, but the whole self. This means I work therapeutically with the mind and body, focusing on the communication and messages that we hold. Our bodies can communicate the difficulties that we sometimes encounter in life and in many ways tells our story and the aspects that are not always known to us consciously.
I consider myself to be a warm, authentic, down to earth person who has a passion for helping others to discover the aspects of themselves that can facilitate growth and change.