My Approach
As a Humanistic therapist I help you to recognise your strengths, creativity and choices in the 'here and now'. This means I focus on the whole of your experience including your thoughts, feelings and actions, to promote self-awareness and development. Past events, experiences and relationships are still of great importance but are explored in relation to their influence on how they impact you in the present.
I believe we all have the capacity to break free from negative behavioural or thinking patterns to bring about positive change to help us feel better within ourselves and to foster healthier and happier relationships.
I work with both adults and young people from the age of 16 upwards on both a short or long term basis depending on the needs of the individual.
Whilst the reasons people come to counselling can be similar, each individual’s experience is unique. My integrative approach is based upon the Humanistic values of counselling and psychotherapy and allows flexibility to work in a way best suited for each individual by drawing from the harmonious theories of:
The relationship between a counsellor and client is created on a foundation of trust, confidentiality and respect. These foundations allow me to offer you a safe space where you can express feelings, attitudes and beliefs openly and freely without fear of judgement, so they may be explored fully to bring about understanding and acceptance.
Area of Special Interest
I currently work for Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care as a Counsellor working with patients and their families coping with the effects of chronic or terminal illness and bereavement. Navigating our way towards death or through grief can be challenging and hard to talk about, especially with those closest to us. I have a special interest in this area, helping individuals to explore their multifaceted and complex spectrum of emotional, physical, cognitive and behavioural responses to loss and change.
I have a particular interest on the impact of stress on both the mind and body, and deliver stress management workshops to teams in business. Clients include HSBC, Farebrother, and Quin-Essence Ltd.
I spent a number of years working for the NHS (Surrey Youth Counselling Service) as a youth counsellor. I have a special interest in working with this age group who increasingly suffer with anxiety and depression due to the pressures and experiences they face. My work included working with those who have experienced domestic abuse, neglect, bereavement, self-harm or are affected by long-term illness, as well as issues at school and within the family.
