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I try to work around my clients and have availability six days a week.  I have my own place for face to face working, although I am also available to work online if this suits you.  We could always have a hybrid arrangement depending on our availability and other commitments.  I really try to flex.

My place is easy to access by car, bus and train.  Happy to provide directions/what three words etc. 

I have wheelchair access, although we will need to discuss your wheelchair - size etc and the ramp needed for the back door. 

I work in a person centred way, using Person Centred Therapy, Gestalt and Transactional Analysis.  I work intuitively and follow your needs.  Every person is different and their journeys are too.  Some carry pain, others, grief, and others confusion to my door. 

I follow your lead but will challenge you to work on your pain and its origins where appropriate.  Sometimes though you may just need a safe space to talk and have the peace to let out your feelings.

I work with young people aged 11 and upwards, in or out of school and towards a better and safer future for each of them.  This is such varied work.  Many young people have had traumatic experiences at school/home.  These affect their access to education.  I work with each child differently - they are all unique. 

I have varied experience with young people in many different roles, and have many years of experience with young people on the spectrum.  I have also worked with adults on the spectrum, newly diagnosed and trying to understand a way forwards.

LGBTQIA+ - i have lived with a young person through medical transition and understand the extreme emotions which go with the mismatch between biological sex and gender identity.  Our sense of who we are is so important, and this is central to my work.  You may not even know the words to describe your pain, but discovering them is a part of healing and acceptance. 

I have worked with grieving clients needing to rationalise the loss they feel without a loved one.  Processing loss means re-living pain, and we all grieve in different ways and at different rates.  Grief may even start when your loved one is still living, such as when there is a terminal illness to manage - I can work long term through these painful periods. 

Anxiety, stress or depression are present for most of us at some time and I work with you to find a way to manage this

All people are welcome to talk, although referral is needed for some to more specialised services and I will talk this through with you. 

You can expect honesty from me, and a safe space to unload.  I will be kind and respectful.  YOU are my client and you are at the heart of my work.

My practice is varied so that I am always learning and I learn every day about my clients and about myself.  If I feel that I need support in my work with you I have a Supervisor with whom I am able to talk about aspects of my work which are challenging.  This allows me to hold you in my work safely, and to comply with my ethical standards as a Counsellor.  Anything I say to her will never reveal your name, and in fact she will not know where I see you or whether we are online. 

I provide a small but safe space for face to face counselling, and my practice is centred around accessibility, both physically and emotionally.  I want you to be able to access the painful thoughts which are affecting your life, maybe your work, study, or relationships.  In this way we are able to address ways of managing this pain. 

In our first session I will begin by outlining the need for confidentiality and any exceptions to my duty of confidentiality to you.   There are legal and ethical exceptions. 

I will talk about our contract, and our responsibilities to each other, such as honest, good time-keeping and letting each other know about sessions we cannot make and holidays etc..  At this time I will ask more about what you are expecting or needing from counselling and the areas which you believe are at the heart of your difficulties or pain. 

I will let you know about my governing body, the Íø±¬ÃÅ, and also how to make a complaint if you are not happy with my work.  I will always do my best for you. 

There will be a couple of surveys which we do generally as counsellors to help flag up concerns or worries, or areas we might start with or concentrate on.  You may feel that these are not helpful, but bear with me - sometimes these surveys throw up things neither of us expect!  Occasionally just answering a question can provoke emotions which are hidden and just having a safe space to let them out could be the beginning of our work. 

The session starts when you enter the room/online space with me, and our first session may seem a quite structured.  It is the same as any first appointment though - we are just starting to get to know each other and this will need time and curiosity.  I will ask about you and I will care about your needs.  Healing comes from within you, and whilst I may help you and guide you, healing is not a gift from me to you, but a gift you may recognise in yourself at some point in our time together.