The Process
How we work together is something we agree on our first session. We work to stabilize the crisis situation you may find yourself in. I work in two ways, short-term therapy focused on one specific area or we work longer-term and cover all bases. I will always listen first and foremost and as we progress I will ask more questions to help guide you onto a path you feel works better for you. The choice is yours!
I believe that we all have choices, we can all change, we can all make meaningful connections with others and we are all ok. I work with you, not as an expert, but a ‘fellow traveller ‘on your journey to feeling good again. As a humanistic therapist, I look at childhood patterns, your life story (told by you, for you) and how all of these affects you in the present. There is no judgement in our sessions, but there will be openness, honesty and confidentiality. Our relationship & connection will reflect on how relationships work in the outside world for you.
Therapy sessions with me are warm and empathic, allowing you to be free to express yourself in the way you want to. I use creativity, colour, music, literature, media and laughter to help with exploration of areas that may be difficult to verbalize. By observation, challenge and joint investigation of meaning we can open new areas of growth, change and choice for you.
Each client brings something new to therapy and I treat everyone as an individual as I know one size does not fit all. I learn from every client’s experiences and I am not a blank screen, I won’t simply repeat back what I hear if something you say affects me, and it’s appropriate I will share my emotions with you, perhaps part of my journey if and when it’s helpful.
Who I work with
I work with adults, (18+) and I work closely with other agencies if needed and am a fully trained & DBS checked Safeguarding designate.
I also provide counselling for insurance companies and EAPs.
My working pattern is;
Tuesday 2.00pm to 7.30pm,
Wednesday 11.00am -8.00pm
Thursday 3.00pm to 8.00pm,
Friday 10.00am to 6.00pm
Saturday 9.00am to 2.30pm
What to expect
You can contact me for a free 15-minute consultation session by telephone and we can talk about what you want to achieve and how you feel about counselling. There will be no pressure, but just an open and non-judgmental conversation where I will be completely honest with you and if I feel I can’t help you I will let you know and help you find someone who can.
In our first session, we will discuss confidentiality and agree on our boundaries. Then we will start to talk about issues at your pace and get to know each other and building trust. But if you have an overwhelming urge to let out your feelings in that first session we will go with that.
I run sessions from a quiet peaceful location in Carlton that is close to all public transport routes and a 15-minute drive from Nottingham city centre.
I work with many issues some of which I have listed below but I specialise in four areas –
I work with the survivors of trauma, no matter what that trauma may be – sexual, physical or emotional abuse, childhood issues, military service, domestic violence, controlling relationships or witnessing trauma. So, this means I work with the symptoms of being a survivor – disassociation, personality disorders like emotionally unstable PD (borderline) and narcissism, flashbacks, self-harm, suicidal ideation, PTSD anxiety and depression to name a few.
Anxiety and depression have become common in our culture today and I work with all forms of either issue (postnatal depression & seasonal affective disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, stress, panic disorder) using a combination of identifying triggers, developing coping skills and looking at the root cause.
I have lived experience of late diagnosis ADHD and how living with this has impacted myself and my clients. I work using a variety of methods including CBT and ACT to find ways to work with our brains that may not be how we are used to having to fit in to our worlds. So, looking at masking and it creates so much shame and anxiety, in case we get caught out...and of course embraces our differences and not hiding away from getting our needs met.
Finally, I have personal experience of eating disorders and have supported several people through the whole bariatric surgery process. So, this means I am able to offer a knowledgeable and experienced service to anyone at any age who has issues with food, no matter what those issues are. (Anorexia, Bulimia, binge eating and Orthorexia) I use a Health at Every Size (HAES) methodology and Intuitive Eating. These are now updated here. I have a large body and I know that can be a trigger for some people so please be aware of that.
- Relationships
- Hoarding
- Family issues
- Work-related issues
- OCD
- Unexplained emotions
- Personality Disorders - Narcissism, emotionally unstable PD (Borderline) etc
- Self-esteem/confidence
- Phobias
- Grief & loss
- Critical interjects
- Stress at work
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