​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. 

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I then discovered Focusing and went on to train as a Focusing Practitioner. I use Focusing as a way of helping you build a kinder relationship with yourself. 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.

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In our lives, we often feel inner discomfort and a sense that there's more to know about something, but it can be hard to know what that is and what to do differently. We go round and round in the same mental ruts, feeling stuck. Much of the time our attention is directed outward. When we are Focusing, we are turning that attention inward, listening with curiosity to what our inner feelings are telling us, noticing together. At first, it may feel a little tricky to feel or to trust that what is there is important and valuable. But when we stay with what feels unclear and something we would often ignore or want to push away, in a curious way, what comes is usually fresh, new, surprising, and deeply satisfying. Being with our most difficult feelings in a Focusing way can actually feel good, 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.

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In our sessions, I am there with you, listening kindly and closely, gently guiding, suggesting, pointing to and enquiring about feelings that may be helpful to notice, guiding the exploring process, encouraging you to notice and stay with and be curious with these feelings longer which allows new things to emerge. I make gentle suggestions and invitations, helping you to pause as you talk, getting a sense of your whole body in that moment to help you notice the sometimes subtle and sometimes not so subtle feelings in your body, inviting the wider picture, broadening your awareness, finding places of calm inside for us to be able to explore from. This can bring about a fresh feel to something that feels overwhelming, stuck or repetitive, allowing clarity and change. A lot can be noticed in a pause!

 

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.

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I am a member of the BACP (British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists) and work to their ethical guidelines.