Initial Consultation
I understand the importance of finding the right counsellor for you, which is why I offer a free 30-minute initial consultation to all potential clients. This session is an opportunity for us to meet, either in person or online, and discuss what brings you to counselling. You can ask any questions you may have, and we'll explore how we might work together. It's a chance for you to get a sense of my approach and for us both to decide if we're a good fit. There's no obligation to continue after this consultation – it's all about finding the right support for you.
My primary approach is Humanistic Counselling, which focuses on your unique experiences and potential for growth. This way of working emphasises your inherent capacity for autonomy, self-understanding and positive change. I draw on a wide range of theoretical teachings including Gestalt, Focusing, Existential Psychotherapy, Attachment Theory and Transactional Analysis. This means that I take a holistic, person-centred view of the human being that considers the mental and physical as well as the emotional.
In the therapy room, I create a safe, non-judgmental space where you can explore your thoughts and feelings freely and at your pace. I will work alongside you with compassion, attentiveness, acceptance and honesty to explore and make sense of your thoughts, feelings and experiences. You may want to use this space to navigate through a difficult time, seek emotional healing, set yourself goals or simply see what comes up. You might want to find new ways to manage trauma and distress, increase self-compassion or replace old patterns of behaviour and relationship dynamics that are no longer working for you.
I will support you in experimenting with new ways of approaching situations and relationships that have previously caused distress, in a safe, non-judgemental environment.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is a powerful psychotherapy approach for processing distressing or traumatic memories. EMDR can help alleviate symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and other issues rooted in distressing past events.
Many psychological difficulties are the result of distressing life experiences. Often, when something traumatic happens, it gets locked in the nervous system with the original picture, sounds, thoughts, feelings, and so on. Since the experience is locked there, it continues to be triggered whenever a reminder comes up. This forms the basis for a lot of distress and negative feelings.
EMDR works by helping your brain reprocess the unconscious material to become desensitised to difficult memories, reducing their emotional impact. The important thing to remember is that it is your own brain that will be doing the healing and that you are the one in control.
EMDR is a recommended treatment for PTSD by The World Health Organisation and NICE Guidelines, who advise the NHS.
Please ask me for more details about this process and how it works. You may also like to read the EMDR association website for further details.
Many of the challenges we face in life have roots in past traumatic experiences, even if we don't immediately recognise them as such. As a trauma-informed therapist, I understand how these experiences can impact your present-day thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. This approach means I'm sensitive to the wide-ranging effects of trauma and create a safe, supportive environment for healing. We'll work at your pace, always putting your comfort and sense of safety first as we navigate your path to recovery and growth.