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A bit about how I work
At the centre of the therapy is our relationship together and this is where I would start…with getting to know you and spending time listening to your worries and feelings. Being able to talk to someone in an accepting, non-judgemental and confidential place can feel liberating and safe, allowing you to acknowledge and explore parts of yourself that may not have felt safe enough to be present before. We can make space for all of these parts and welcome them.
I work in a way that not only helps you to pay attention to how your mind is feeling, but also sensing in your body, increasing your awareness of the whole of you. Our bodies are continually giving us information (for example, feeling tense and anxious) that we so often try to ignore. When we appreciate that these feelings are our body’s way of trying to get our attention and we listen to this deeper knowing, we can start to see what we are struggling with in new ways, allowing change to follow naturally.
Being in therapy can often highlight patterns that we may have started in order to protect ourselves or to help us cope, but that no longer serve us or are causing us suffering. Having time to explore these patterns can build a greater sense of understanding of ourselves. When we are able to notice these patterns, we can make new choices that serve us better.
Creating time for yourself
So many of us live in a near constant state of stress and worry, feeling overwhelmed and drained. It can be hard to know how to change things and to start to feel more at peace and in touch with your relaxed self.
When we experience overwhelming and difficult emotions, our natural response can be to criticise ourselves for having them, avoid them or try to push them away. However, when we practice turning towards these difficult feelings, with curiosity and openness, we can often find relief and change and a greater understanding of ourselves.
Choosing to talk about your fears and worries and paying full attention to them, really acknowledging and listening to them with kindness, can be a powerful way of changing and releasing them.
About me
Having originally trained and worked as a mental health nurse in the NHS, I went on to train in Person-centred counselling. I discovered that by moving the focus away from illness and towards self-awareness, self-understanding and self-acceptance, we are empowered to make the changes we are seeking.
I then discovered Focusing and went on to train as a Focusing Practitioner and I use Focusing as a way of helping you access your inner experience. Focusing is a gentle, creative and often profound way of listening to your body, hearing whatever is within you and being with what you find kindly, allowing forward movement and change.
Much of the time our attention is directed outward. When we are Focusing, we are turning that attention inward, listening to what our subtle inner feelings are telling us, noticing and being curious. We can often feel there is inner discomfort and that there's more to know about something, but it can be hard to know what that is. We go round and round in the same mental ruts. At first, it may feel a little tricky to feel or to trust that what is there is important and valuable. But by us staying with what feels unclear and something we would often ignore, in a curious way, what comes is usually fresh, new, surprising, and deeply satisfying: being with even our most difficult feelings in a Focusing way can actually feel good. Focusing can allow you to get past what has been making you stuck, using the body-mind’s inherent ability to heal and live forward into new possibilities. When we are Focusing with something we experience as being stuck, a problem or difficulty may start to shift of its own accord in a direction that we haven’t expected.
I have a passion for continual learning and discovering new ideas. I feel it is an honour to be a counsellor, to connect deeply with people, share their inner worlds and help them bring about lasting change.
I am a member of the BACP (British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists) and work to their ethical guidelines.
Counselling Outdoors
The calming effect of being out in the open air can help us gain a new perspective on our worries and allow new thoughts and feelings to arise.
Walking Counselling
The healing powers of talking and nature combined
I offer walking counselling on the edge of Stroud, in beautiful natural surroundings where the healing power of talking in nature can help you to reflect on what is troubling you. When you walk, you have time and space to process your emotions, reflect on your feelings and listen to your inner voice. It's often easier to talk about difficult issues while walking outside.
I usually suggest that we meet on Minchinhampton Common, where there is plenty of space to walk, places to sit and beautiful views.
When the weather is wet, we can either agree to wrap up and walk in the rain or we can meet on Zoom for that week or we can try to rearrange the session. It continually surprises me how few sessions are disrupted by the weather and often walking in different weather can bring new opportunities inside us.
Relaxation is the key
During a counselling session, difficult feelings may arise. If you would like, I am able to end sessions with a variety of grounding and relaxation techniques which help you to go away from each session feeling safe and held. This allows you to re calibrate in the new found space you have created in your life.
My commitment to you is to ensure that you feel emotionally fit to go about the rest of your day when you leave the session. These techniques take a few minutes which is why I offer 60 minutes for each counselling session rather than the usual 50 minutes. I feel it is important to take our time and not feel rushed.
Prices:
£50 for each 60 minute session
All or some of your counselling sessions can stay indoors if you prefer it that way.
.... High up on tops of hills with far reaching views .... or in hidden forested valleys.....
....reflections by a beautiful lake....
Some of my favourite walks....
"The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change"
Carl Rogers
"Every bad feeling is potential energy toward a more right way of being if you give it space to move toward it's rightness"
Eugene Gendlin
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You might be here, looking at this website, because you’re feeling anxious, stressed or stuck. Maybe you're finding your mood is low and you're feeling overwhelmed a lot of the time. I help people who are feeling like this to find new ways to be with their experiences, bringing clarity, a fresh feel to repetitive emotions and change. I work in a gentle, supportive way, helping you to explore what you are finding difficult and find new ways forward.
Counselling is a space you give to yourself, allowing you the time to explore your inner world within a safe, empathic and supported relationship. When we give ourselves this opportunity, relief, healing, change and a greater understanding of ourselves can occur.
As well as in person (in a room) or Zoom counselling, I also offer walking counselling, in beautiful natural surroundings. It’s often easier to talk about difficult issues outside.