What I can help with
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- Sleep
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Stress
- Body Dysmorphic Disorder
- Perfectionism
- Self-esteem
- Social Anxiety
- Panic
- Health Anxiety
- Addiction
- Personality disorders
- Relationships
- Anger
- ADHD
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Adjustment Disorder
- Acute Health Conditions
- Long term health conditions
- Medically Unexplained Symptoms
- Women's Health
- Perinatal mental health
- Parenting
- Grief and Bereavement
- Chronic Pain
Therapies offered
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Mindfulness Stress Reduction
- Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytic Therapy
- Interpersonal Psychotherapy
- Compassion Focused Therapy
- Person Centred Therapy
- Systemic Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Mindfulness Based Interventions
- Solution Focused Therapy
Approach
Deciding to seek help and enter into psychological therapy is often a brave move; the process can be challenging but life changing and enhancing. It can also be grounded in the need to make life more fulfilling, and for us to grow in every way possible. My philosophy as a counselling psychologist is a humanistic one where considering the human struggle of suffering is essentially responses to life experiences, and internal conflict rather than located within the medical framework; working with mind and body. My approach is fundamentally working relationally with clients in a collaborative and compassionate way using evidence based clinical interventions together with drawing upon the clients’ strengths and resilience to work with what is important to them and reach their goals As I work with the client to move forward, I use an integrative approach that would be appropriate tailored to them personally. I often draw upon many theoretical frameworks including psychodynamic, cognitive behavioural, and compassion focused therapies
Experience
I am a counselling psychologist with over 16 years of clinical experience. A greater proportion of this has been within the national health service (NHS) working with adults and older adults. I have also worked clinically within primary (IAPT), secondary, (Community Mental Health), and acute mental health settings with mild through to more severe enduring presentations. My work experience has included personal issues associated with, relationship difficulties, long term health problems including living with chronic pain, adverse childhood experiences and survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Women’s issues, domestic violence, loss and trauma. Difficult life issues include work related stress, for example, redundancy, retirement, burn out and carers fatigue. Presentations such as anxiety and depression go hand in hand with difficult life challenges and therefore my work often includes having an open and safe environment to reflect upon and explore ways of considering what is most helpful. I completed my doctoral training at the University of Surrey where I focused my research on the psychological impact of chronic physical health problems. I am registered with the Health Care Professions Council as a practitioner Psychologist. I have additional qualifications in Trauma focused DBT and further postgraduate training in CBT, ACT and mindfulness.