Areas of work

I am a Doctor of Counselling Psychology trained in a variety of therapeutic approaches including person-centred, psychodynamic (sometimes called ‘relational’) and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). I tend to work ‘integratively’, which means that I adapt my approach to suit your specific needs, focus, timescale and personal preferences. I would discuss these choices openly with you.

My approach

I like to work in an active, engaged and enquiring manner – I do not sit silently! I am fascinated by the meanings within our words and our stories, and like to support my clients to make sense of their experiences and selves. I see my work as a truly collaborative exercise: You bring your story and self-awareness, and I help to organise your insights into a coherent and lucid narrative, drawing on research, theory and my professional experience. Together we can disentangle your problems, working to identify areas where awareness and intervention might help reduce your distress or interrupt a problematic cycle.

It is incredibly important to me that my counselling clients feel accepted, heard and respected. I understand that people will not talk freely where they don’t feel safe, and rightly so. It’s important to me that you feel safe to unashamedly bring your whole self, including those bits that you might usually hide, and therapy is so much more helpful where we can drop our defences. I like to work in a very honest and transparent way, letting you know my thought processes and checking that we’re on the same page. I want you to feel in control of how, what and when you share, and I want you to know that I am listening carefully.

My training as a Counselling Psychologist has given me an expansive and critical foundation in psychological theory and evidence-based therapeutic practice. I use my background in psychology and my training in Counselling Psychology to ensure my approach is responsive to the individual, ethically sound, critically considered and grounded in contemporary research.

My training and practice mean that I am familiar with ‘diagnosis driven’ approaches, and I often incorporate diagnosis-specific interventions in my work where they might be useful. However, I do not work with diagnoses in an absolute way; I find it far more useful to work towards understanding my clients’ distress within the wider context of their lives. Incorporating this context into therapy can be a demanding and thought-provoking process but I believe it to be a critical part of understanding people as the complex, adaptive, relational beings that we are. It also sheds light on the roots of our distress, which can give rise to effective and long-lasting interventions.

I receive regular supervision by a Counselling Psychologist. I am a chartered member of the British Psychological Society and I have professional liability insurance. I regularly attend training and workshops to ensure my professional development and keep my practice up to date. I like to be open to learning from a wide range of sources, and have recently attended training in the following areas:

• non-pathologising approaches to suicidal feelings
• Compassion Focused Therapy
• Internal Family Systems
• ideas of synchronicity
• working with depression/low mood
• psychological work and autism
• neurodiversity and sensory dysregulation
• community psychology

I appreciate that the process of choosing a psychotherapist can feel daunting and confusing, and it can be difficult to know which therapist suits you best. I’d be very happy to answer any questions that you have – please send me a message using the form here. If you’d rather talk on the phone I’d be happy to schedule a time for a chat.

Previous work

Alongside my private counselling and psychotherapy work I have worked in various public and third sector services. These include:

• Working in Bristol for the NHS’ IAPT service (now know as NHS Talking Therapies) delivering both low and high intensity therapy with a focus on CBT
• Offering psychologically informed counselling within a drug and alcohol service
• Counselling women affected by pregnancy or fertility related issues
• Offering psychologically informed counselling and inclusion support in a Bristol secondary school
• Conducting assessments and psychological formulations for an NHS service working alongside Bristol University, supporting students who struggle with emotional regulation, impulsivity, self-injury and suicidal thoughts.

Previous to my counselling work, my career was focused on supporting individuals disadvantaged by their circumstances to access employment and training opportunities. I worked primarily with families impacted by homelessness, individuals facing unexpected redundancy and ex-offenders. I am passionate about issues of social justice and feel this strongly influences my perspective on psychology and distress.

Chartered Member (CPsychol) of the British Psychological Society (BPS): 329390
Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC): PYL043589

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