About me
I have worked in the therapeutic field for over 10 years as a Schools Therapist, Mental Health Practitioner and as a Counsellor in private practice. Prior to my therapeutic career, I worked in recruitment for the creative industries and as a Targeted Youth Worker – specifically working with a 16+ age range helping them overcome barriers to achievement. My career has always involved building rapport and trust, exploring areas of strength as well as difficulty in order to help individuals navigate the complexities of their world, nurture independence and develop self-awareness.
I hold BACP accreditation
Ways of Working
As an integrative practitioner trained in the relational approach, I draw on a range of therapeutic modalities and ideas to help clients build their self-knowledge and toolkit of coping strategies. I am interested in how an individuals’ experience intersects within family, cultural and societal influences and consider how individuals wish to think about their identity in terms of gender, sexuality, race, abilities and disabilities.
I am particularly interested in parts work, and will often use this approach with many clients – helping them to understand, accept and have compassion towards their many different ‘sub-personalities’ or ‘parts’. I enjoy supporting clients to access and use creative skills within sessions.
I use the Imago Dialogue Technique with couples. This process is taught to couples in order to help couples connect and heal. The technique can be easily adapted to meet different cultural, social and neurotype needs. Couples lead the agenda and are free to practice this in their own time.
‘Imago’ (from the latin for mirror) assumes that all couples are trying to resolve unmet childhood needs through the relationship and are likely to choose partners’ qualities based on their early experiences. Conflict in relationship is a normal process of attempting to resolve those needs and is seen as an opportunity for growth. The dialogue process helps couples to move out of defensive adapted patterns of behaviour into conscious cooperation in order to heal and grow.
I will be your guide through this process and aim to provide a safe space for you and your partner to be able to really communicate with one another and feel heard and understood.
I can work with clients in a short-term goal focussed way or open-ended long term work, regularly reviewing and monitoring progress to bring our work together to a safe ending.
The Types of Issues I Support Neurodivergent Clients With
- Exploring neurodiversity issues (what is me and what is autism / ADHD?? Pros and cons of diagnosis) and to be able to understand past experiences through a neurodiverse lens.
- Coaching around managing ADHD – such as impulsivity, disorganisation, emotional regulation, burn-out; social skills education and practice; anxiety management.
- Somatic issues – whether this is how trauma affects the body, issues of interoception, nervous system functioning and building awareness of how and where emotions are located in the body to reduce overwhelm and meltdowns.
- Making links between past events, relationships and current issues.
- Advice and guidance to parents on supporting their child.
- I also offer one-off psychoeducation sessions with partners of clients with neurodiversity to facilitate greater understanding and communication.
Qualifications
Diploma in Supervision. Leeds Centre for Psychological Development
Therapeutic Counselling – Relational Approach (Dip HE)
Psychology BSc (hons) York University
Getting Started in Couples Therapy- Imago Foundations Course
Additional CPD Specific to Neurodiversity
I undertake regular CPD activities focussing on topics such as Autism, ADHD, self-harm, working with trauma, working creatively, attachment issues, mental health, safeguarding and impact of domestic violence.
I attend a monthly peer supervision group specialising in issues relating to Autism and Neurodiversity, so I am continually updating my knowledge.