Individual Counselling, EMDR, Coaching and Supervision
My Experience
I have 17 years’ counselling experience and 14 years’ supervision experience, gained in Private Practice and in a large voluntary counselling agency in Bristol. I have also practised EMDR trauma therapy since 2011 and psychologically-informed coaching since 2023.
My Therapeutic Approach
As a humanistic counsellor and coach, I believe that we all have the desire and capacity to fulfil our true potential. I believe that you are the expert on your own life and that you know what is best for you, even if at the moment that doesn’t feel true.
As human beings, we all had “conditions of worth” imposed on us by others early in life, which led us to believe that we are only acceptable if we think, feel and behave in particular ways. These beliefs often continue, unchallenged, into adulthood, holding us back from fulfilling our potential.
Because we have a deep need to feel loved and valued, we may repress or distort aspects of our inner experience that we believe are not acceptable to others. For example, if we believe it is unacceptable to express anger, we may suppress or distort this perfectly normal emotion for fear of being negatively judged or rejected. Suppression of emotion, if used habitually, can negatively affect our wellbeing over time.
My aim as a therapist is to provide an environment in which you will feel safe to access and express the full range of your inner experience. My hope is that in this environment, you will come to accept and trust yourself more fully and make constructive changes from a much freer place. You will be challenged to reconsider some of your beliefs that once served a purpose, but which are no longer helpful to you.
I have recently completed a MSc in Psychology, which has brought an evidence-based way of thinking to my therapy and coaching practice. Where appropriate, I may offer psychoeducation or evidence-based strategies to help you manage your thoughts, behaviour and emotions. The basis of our work, however, will remain relational and collaborative, in line with my person-centred values.
If you have experienced traumatic or distressing life events which still affect you today, you may want to ask about EMDR, a therapy which is very effective in resolving post-traumatic stress. To further enhance my skills in working with clients who have experienced trauma, I have studied Somatic Trauma Therapy under Babette Rothschild and have trained in the Rewind Technique with David Muss.
I offer supervision to qualified and student counsellors and other professionals on an individual or group basis.
Qualifications and Memberships
Education
MSc Psychology (Distinction) (University of Roehampton)
BA (Hons) French Language and Literature (Uni. Leeds)
Professional qualifications
Dip HE Counselling (Uni. Gloucestershire)
PGDip Consultative Supervision (Uni. Wales, Newport)
EMDR Level 3 of 3
Professional memberships
Graduate Member of the British Psychological Society (GMBPsS)
Senior Accredited member of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (SNCPS (Acc))
Member of EMDR UK
I adhere to the National Counselling Society’s Code of Ethical Practice and am subject to its complaints procedure.
