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I am:
Qualifications:

  • BA(Hons) Integrative Counselling, University of Worcester / Iron Mill College

  •  Additional training in: Suicide and self-harm awareness, Relational trauma, Working from a non-pathologising perspective, Somatic-based interventions, Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Sexual Violence with Sex and Intimacy.

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Experience:
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  • 2 yrs teaching FdA Integrative Counselling (Iron Mill College)

  • Private practice (4 yrs)

  • Devon Mind

  • Sunflower Women's Centre

  • Short-term experience with organisations such as 'the advocacy people' (formerly SEAP) and the Samaritans

Specialisms:

I have knowledge and experience of working with women impacted by trauma. A large part of my studies have focused on the impact of sexual violence against women and girls and how the #metoo movement changed the way we thought about supporting women and girls after this experience. I am hugely interested in the work of Jessica Taylor who continues to focus her work on de-medicalising how women and girls respond to sexual violence and highlights how victim blaming compounds the often far-reaching consequences of this experience.

Similarly, it is known that 1 in 4 women registered with the charity Salute Her have reported to have been sexually assaulted while serving in the UK military. As an ex-servicewoman myself, this is something I have knowledge of and can support with.
How I Practice:

If you're considering accessing therapy for the first time (or your experience is limited), it can feel daunting. You may have a number of questions about what it might be like, what might be covered, or how a therapist might be able to help. Often clients come to me after accessing a limited number of CBT sessions via the NHS. Sometimes this is helpful, sometimes it was helpful at the time, and sometimes it wasn't right for them. In my own practice, I tend to work long - term with clients and the shape of the work we do together is very different from typical CBT therapy. First of all, there isn't a vast amount of paperwork to fill in. I ask all new clients for some basic details including contact information, next of kin, and whether there are any medical conditions I should know about. That's it. I don't ask you to fill out any measurement or monitoring questionnaires. I will however make some brief notes during our first session. Again, mostly basic information on what's troubling you, what you're hoping to achieve in our work together, what support you currently have in place etc. I will also talk about our counselling agreement. This sets out how we will work together and what we can expect from each other. I do have a document that covers aspects of our work such as my qualifications and experience, fees, limitations to confidentiality, etc though this is by no means a one - way agreement. It's important to me that we discuss your expectations of our work including how often you're prepared to meet and what might prevent you from attending (physically and psychologically). Following this, i'll ask you about what's bringing you to therapy at this time. There won't be time to go into too much depth at this point, but it's a chance for you to get what's bothering you out. Before we end the initial session, we'll talk about how you felt the session went, and whether you'd like to move forward with sessions. It's okay to take some time to think about this. If you would like to move forward, we'll make an arangement for our next session, and the rest of the journey starts there.

The Process:

At the point we enter therapy, we have some awareness that something doesn't feel quite right in our life. It may be that we have reached a crisis point. Either way, we show up because we want to feel better... ideally as soon as possible. It may be that we need some support making difficult life choices, or just want someone to hear what's happening for us at the moment. Often though, things are a little more complicated, and take a little while longer to unpick. It's important to understand that sometimes, during the process of therapy, things start to feel worse before they start to feel better. It may be that this is the first time that we have really looked out from behind our habits or coping strategies that have kept us going, but no longer really work for us. It may be the first time that we have acknowledged our own pain at all. We may have done all we could to avoid it. This can feel overwhelming. At this point, it is my job to sit with you whilst you feel these difficult feelings and to help you to understand that these feelings are acceptable, valid, and will pass. We may talk about replacing what isn't working for you with coping strategies that feel healthier. We'll definitely talk about what your needs are, and we'll probably talk about where you have learned to cope in the ways you have up until now. Through the journey of unpicking your life experiences, processing and understanding them within the context of your life, feeling what needs to be felt, and developing kindness and compassion towards yourself and others, you may begin to approach life from a new perspective. Lastly, whilst this is a generic outline of a therapeutic journey. I must emphasise that every persons journey will be unique to them. This journey isn't about ticking boxes, completing homework, or completing steps. Our journey together is led by you. I am there to support your choices, not to make them for you.

As you start to walk on the way, the way appears - Rumi

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