I am a person centred counsellor, which means we talk about whatever you choose, at a pace that feels right for you. Sometimes it can be very clear to you what you want to talk about and at other times, you may just have a general sense of something that feels quite unclear. Either way is absolutely fine. You don’t have to know what to say. In fact, often not knowing can be really good - I can help you sense into it and together we can find out more about it. As we talk, I am there with you to help you sense more of what is there, how you feel about it all, helping you explore. I am there with you, closely, gently guiding the exploring process, helping bring awareness and enquiring about feelings that may be helpful to notice, encouraging you to notice and stay with these feelings longer, whilst also keeping awareness of the impact of staying with these feelings longer, allowing 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!
About me and how I work
I strongly believe that we naturally have the power to heal and grow given the right conditions to do so. Just as our body knows how to heal a cut on the skin, our bodies also know how to heal emotional pain. I am there to help you receive these conditions and help you create these conditions within yourself.
I value helping you make sense of what is going on for you. I trust that all of our emotions and emotional patterns are there for really good reasons, even if we don’t know what those reasons are yet and with kind curiosity, we can sense more into what is happening, allowing those reasons to become more apparent.
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. I use Focusing as a way of helping you to explore your inner world and 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. It is a proven method to bring about lasting change.
[Read more here]
I have a passion for continual learning and discovering new ideas. I feel it is such 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.
