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I see clients from anywhere in the UK online and in person in Oxford. After a few sessions I offer outdoor options for some clients. Current availability: in-person slots Monday/Tuesday mornings and early afternoons, online slots only on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings.

I will bring both counselling and coaching skills to our work, which will begin with careful attention to whatever experiences you want to focus on. We’ll allow time for you to hear your own voice and to feel seen, heard, understood and appreciated. Sometimes, that is enough. But if you so choose, we can follow this with a more structured period with a livelier energy to make some real changes in your life.

A little bit about my background:

I have a PGDip in Integrative Counselling and Coaching from University of East London and MPhil and BA(Hons) in Philosophy from University of London (Birkbeck College).

I am a counsellor at No5 Young People and a Director at Freelearners CIC, as well as a Woodcraft Folk leader.

Before I became a therapist I had a career in mental health research specialising in first person experience of suicide and self-harm. I have also worked with home educators and in alternative education contexts.

Put simply,  our work will have two stages: an initial calming and contemplative period, followed by a period focused on change. How many sessions we spend at each stage is entirely up to you, though I will bring my views on this into the discussion. Whether you are in the midst of your darkest time and struggling with debilitating anxiety or suicidal feelings, or you are experiencing a nameless sense of dissatisfaction with your life, I’ll meet you where you are. We’ll go from there wherever you need to go, always at your pace.

My hope for the first stage is that you will learn to understand and accept yourself and your situation well enough to feel some calm and steady energy and a sense freedom returning to your life. If you then find in yourself an appetite for life change, we can move onto the second stage. During this I will use coaching techniques to help you explore your potential, perhaps to set some goals and address any barriers to achieving them. And when you are ready to put the changes into action, I can be there to support your motivation and self-belief through any set-backs.

As well as exploring the ‘problems’ that may have brought you to counselling, we’ll discover what really matters to you; what gives your life meaning. We’ll get clear about what stands in the way of your ability to live life the way you want to live. Maybe you feel stuck in a mood, a mind-set, a situation, a relationship, a family dynamic, a career or a body that’s letting you down? Are you repeating behaviours that you know aren’t good for you, or finding it hard to follow through on those that would help you thrive? Together, we’ll look for new perspectives and ways to be you. We’ll cultivate an attitude of curiosity about your past, present and future and build on your courage to live creatively within the limits life sets you.

In our first session I'll learn about you and how you like to work. You can let me know whether you prefer to talk under your own steam or whether you’d like me to ask questions and help you to focus on a chosen topic, for example. We’ll agree on confidentiality, explore how you like to give feedback, discuss your hopes for what counselling might achieve for you – that sort of thing. I’ll explain in more detail what you can expect from a counsellor who has coaching skills and you can ask as many questions as you need to. 

Please contact me to arrange a free 10-minute online video call or a telephone call so that we can meet and you can ask questions. Or just send me your questions to see if you’d like to book.