About Me

 

Whether you are coming to me for Counselling, Coaching or Supervision, I fully understand it is important to find someone to work with who you can trust, feel safe and click with. I aim to be as transparent and straightforward as possible so that you can make an informed decision about whether working with me is right for you.  

 

  I will:

• Offer a grounded and compassionate approach to our work together

• Work with you in the spirit of empathy, care, kindness and trust

• Encourage collaboration & honest communication

• Work alongside you to reach your goals

• Work ethically, self reflect and own up if I do make a mistake!

 

  I won't:

• Offer a quick fix- change can take time!

• Tell you what to do or judge you

• Offer diagnosis for mental health conditions

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​After over 20 years working with children, young people and adults across the charity, NHS, Public, Education and Private sector I have developed in an in depth understanding of shared challenges and barriers that we all face as human beings. I grew up in an era where mental health was way more taboo that it is now. After seeking support for my own issues earlier in life, I wanted to pursue a meaningful vocation where I could challenge out dated societal narratives and put something back in.

 

I entered the Helping Professions in my mid 20s and built many years experience working directly with people in youth and community work, counselling & mental health services, drug and alcohol support, schools and domestic and sexual violence services amongst many others.  Over the course of my career, I progressed into Managerial and Senior leadership positions, overseeing regional and national teams.

 

This driven & heart centred approach served me well for many years but as with many professionals in the helping sector, the increased demand to deliver more for less in a system under pressure, began to have an impact on me.  Even with experience and self-care in place, stress and fatigue took a toll on my health. Enter burnout!

 

You can't pour from an empty cup

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No matter how resilient or accomplished we are, nobody is immune from the pressures of life. My body found ways of telling me to stop and eventually I listened. I recognised that work on a deeper level was needed, to untangle myself from coping strategies and mechanisms which had built up over the years 

 

I started to turn towards difficulty and address it head on. This was not easy! I worked on slowing down, listening to my body, asking for help, creating better boundaries and attending to unresolved issues. I leant into better self care, self-compassion and mindful approaches whilst making more radical changes in my work and personal life. I don't believe in perfection but I do believe change is possible with the right support at the right time.

 

'I don't have the answers but you do.  My biggest wish is to support you to find these however that looks. My combined lived and professional experience have been invaluable in shaping my transparent, practical, yet gentle approach to working people from all walks of life to work towards living in a more authentic way'

 

​I work as a 1:1 Therapist, Coach and Supervisor both short and long term- face to face and online, predominantly with people aged 18+  However as I have extensive professional experience and background in working in young people's mental health, if you are a parent/carer visiting today, please do ask me about this. 

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Qualifications

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I take part in regular CPD to ensure that my learning journey is continuous. I  engage with regular therapy & coaching and hold appropriate indemnity insurance and an Enhanced DBS certificate. I work with the BACP code of ethics and my work is supervised by a suitably qualified professional.

 

Mindfulness Teacher Training for Chronic Fatigue and Pain (ongoing)

Neurodiversity in Coaching (currently studying) (Animas Coach Academy)

Professional Certificate in Transpersonal Therapy (Iron Mill College)

ACC in Coaching (ICF Accredited) (Optimus Coaching Academy)

Advanced Diploma in Integrative Counselling (Iron Mill College)

Diploma in Supervision (Advanced training status with NCPS)

Certificate in Counselling (University of the West of England)

PG (Dip) Youth and Community work (The University of St Mark and St John)

BA (Hons) Drama and Education studies (The University of St Mark and St John)

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