I believe there are times in our lives when we can all do with some support. I myself experienced counselling when I went through some difficult events in my life and it was this experience which helped me to recognise the life changing benefits that counselling can have. Following this experience, I went on to train as a counsellor so that I could support others when they needed it.

As your counsellor, I will help you by providing support without judgement. I commit to fully listening to you so that I understand what you are experiencing from your perspective and to help you to identify any changes you wish to make whilst also supporting you to implement those changes.

I have a love of nature and believe it to be healing when we take the opportunity to connect to our natural surroundings. I also find exercise (walking, cycling and yoga are my favourites) and meditation help keep me healthy both emotionally and physically. However, I’ve been on quite a journey to get to the point where I know what works for me and I’ve definitely had times when I’ve needed the encouragement of others to keep me motivated. If you feel you need support to find ways of introducing and managing your own self-care routine, we can include this within our counselling sessions.

Experience

I have previously worked for a number of local charities and community interest companies.  This has enabled me to enhance my skills so that I can confidently and effectively support a varied range of issues within my independent practice.

After qualifying as a counsellor in 2012, I worked in a local branch of the mental health charity MIND as a co-manager, later moving to become the Director of Counselling and Support Services. Here I introduced and managed a counselling service whilst also writing, planning and facilitating wellbeing courses. I also introduced and facilitated a community allotment which allowed participants to connect with nature whilst receiving emotional support in a natural environment.

Later, I undertook a role as Project Manager and Lead Counsellor for an organisation offering emotional support to young people.  I chose to leave this role in 2019 to allow me to fully concentrate on my independent practice and to enable me to lead support groups, to facilitate wellbeing courses and to work with organisations to offer bespoke emotional support packages to their employees.

In addition to this, I have experience of working with domestic abuse survivors, providing counselling in a refuge to those who had escaped physical, psychological, emotional, financial and sexual abuse,  I have also previously volunteered for the bereavement charity CRUSE, providing support to people who were experiencing pain and distress after losing a loved one.

Professional Commitments

I am an accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and agree to adhere to their ethical framework.  Achieving accreditation status means that my work has met the BACP’s higher standard as a competent, ethical and independent practitioner.

I undertake clinical supervision regularly to ensure that I work in a safe, ethical and professional manner.

I continue to update my skills and knowledge base by committing to an ongoing professional development plan.

Qualifications

CPCAB Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills
CPCAB Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies
CPCAB Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling
CPCAB Level 5 Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling

If you think that counselling can help you or you would like to find out more, please contact me:

Header photo by Sean Paul Kinnear on Unsplash