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Life can sometimes feel overwhelming, things happen and cause difficult thoughts, feelings and emotions. Knowing how and where to share and process these may feel hard, creating a sense of loneliness. I offer a confidential space, where I aim to build a trusting and non-judgemental relationship with you. Together, I hope we can explore how you feel and understand things from your point of view.

I have been working as an Integrative Counsellor for over a decade. I am also a qualified Person Centred Experiential Counselling for Depression Practitioner. I strongly believe in offering a therapeutic approach to suit the individual person, taking into account physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs.

As a counsellor in the NHS I have a broad experience and understanding of circumstances that impact self-esteem, mental health and wellbeing. Whilst my background in the charitable sector has given me insight and understanding into the issues affecting families with young children, and the challenges that parents face. This includes working with postnatal-depression, attachment issues, disabilities, childhood trauma, addictions and isolation.

My areas of interest include:

Parenting (including pregnancy): my work at the charity Home-Start gave me insight and understanding about the impact of becoming a parent. I feel passionate about offering a space to parents to reflect and discover how they can be 'good enough' for their children.

Depression: recognising your emotional responses and find a deeper understanding of the meaning behind these.

Anxiety: finding coping strategies to manage anxious thoughts and feelings.

Bereavement: offering support and understanding about your grief experience.

Relationships: offering support when relationships feel difficult and challenging. This could include understanding how attachments were formed in early life. I also have experience and knowledge of working with issues around domestic abuse.

At the heart of the work I do is building a trusting relationship between myself and the person I am seeing, with a focus on seeing you as a whole person and your experience of the world, rather than symptoms.

Difficult life experiences can cause low mood or depression for a number of reasons. This might be due to bereavement/loss, adjustment to life events, being overly critical of yourself, feeling worthless, having unresolved feelings from difficult relationships or experiencing relationship difficulties. These events could have happened in the past or more recently.

My approach focuses on exploring underlying emotions which could be the cause of the depression. It encourages you to express and make sense of your emotions (thoughts and behavioural responses), to develop new ways of relating to yourself and the world around you.

Whilst my expertise and background relates to early childhood experiences and parenting, I also have knowledge and understanding of a broad range of issues affecting mental health and wellbeing.

I can offer face-to-face sessions at a consulting room in Bushey.  Or sessions via Zoom.

My qualifications include:-

Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling (Integrative)

PCE-Cfd Practitioner Certificate of Competence

Level 2 Understanding Substance Misuse

How to do counselling online: a coronavirus primer

Infant Mental Health Online training

If you would like to find out more, I invite you to arrange an introductory phone call for 15 minutes, free of charge, during which I would be pleased to gain an understanding of what you are seeking from therapy, and for us to decide if we would like to work together.

We will then arrange an ongoing, weekly appointment, either face-to-face or online, at a time convenient to both of us, for either short-term (up to 20 weeks) or longer-term therapy.

I am recognised by the following private medical insurance companies:-

Aviva

Vitality

WPA

Our first session will focus on getting to know each other and I will invite you to share some background information about yourself and the circumstances that have led to seeking therapy.