About Me
My counselling approach builds on the whole of me as a person, to include my own personal background, experiences & beliefs, as well as my professional training & experience. I don’t work to diagnose, dispense pills, or work overnight miracles; my work centres on collaboration, within a supportive environment, where you are guided to develop & blossom into the person you are truly capable of being.
Though my working life now involves supporting others, I still have my dark days, and I am still developing too – I wouldn’t want you to think I would be some finished product, or an image of perfection! I too have flaws, weaknesses, fears & challenges – it seems this is an essential part of the making of a human being. The question is not what difficulties do you have, the question is what you might do with those? Counselling showed me a way to not only work with my difficulties, but to create meaning out of them, turning something overwhelmingly difficult in my life, into the meaning of my life. It would be an honour to join you in working towards a lighter existence, with more meaning and more freedom.
My journey to becoming a counsellor is a very personal one as it builds on my own experiences of my own difficulties & challenges throughout my life. It began as a teenager, when I struggled with racing anxious thoughts, negative self destructive voices and depressive lows. I struggled to understand why I felt this way, who I was, and how to change any of this – I felt powerless.
Counselling showed me a path to a lighter way of being, it was not easy and it had many sharp turns, dead ends and complexities. It begun with simply being accepted, heard, listened to and seen – though it took me a while to truly feel comfortable in this space, and I regularly found myself hiding from my counsellor or not offering the whole story. With time, and a few different professionals, I began to feel comfortable in the counselling environment; allowing me to expand and grow into a much healthier, mature and more developed human being. As I stripped back the layers of the person I had become, I was able to understand who I was, and why I was this way. Accepting my story looking backwards, offered me the superpower to make changes looking forwards; deciding who I wanted to be, rather than running away from something I didn’t want to be.
Counselling helped me out of my darkness, allowing much more light into my life; though it is also my work as a counsellor today which offers so much light into my life. I find no greater meaning in life than in supporting others through their struggles, darkness, and difficulties.
Training & Experience
Level 4 CPCAB Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling
Level 3 CPCAB Counselling studies Certificate
Level 2 CPCAB Counselling skills Certificate
I am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP). This means I am bound by & adhere to the BACP’s ethical framework and values.
I regularly undertake certificates & training in continuing professional development to ensure my work remains up to date and meets the industry standard.
The core of my experience comes from a background of working with trauma. Specifically survivors of rape & sexual abuse. I do not work exclusively with trauma, however I do feel my trauma-informed & experienced approach provides great benefit to all of my work.