Over the last 18 years I have worked in a diverse range of mental health services across the NHS and private sector. My early experience included working in mental health inpatient settings, forensic services including Broadmoor Hospital, and conducting research at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, investigating and assessing undiagnosed ASD and ADHD in adults.

 

I then went on to complete my doctoral training in counselling psychology at the University of East London.  I was drawn to counselling psychology because of its approach to therapy and the therapeutic relationship, which is grounded in humanistic values and a sense of shared humanity. During the doctorate, I was trained to work integratively, which means thoughtfully drawing upon different aspects of different models of therapy to suit the unique needs of each individual. I had year-long clinical placements in Newham Talking Therapies (East London NHS Foundation Trust) where I trained in cognitive behavioural therapies (CBT), and the Integrated Psychological Therapy Team (South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust) where I trained in psychodynamic therapy.  I integrated this learning into my practice, and also had specialist placements with Place2Be, providing talking and play therapy for primary school children, and the Parent-Infant Perinatal Mental Health Service (North East London NHS Foundation Trust) working therapeutically with parents during pregnancy and in the early years of their children’s lives.

 

It was here that I developed a special interest in thinking about how our own childhood experiences can be stirred up by becoming a parent. I’m passionate about supporting mothers and fathers with the transition to parenthood, and helping them make sense of, cope with, and navigate difficult and complex emotions in relation to the different stages of parenthood.

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Since qualifying in 2016, I have worked in NHS adult community mental health teams, specialising in working with people who have had painful and traumatic experiences. This can manifest as PTSD or Complex PTSD, but also as depression, anxiety, eating issues, phobias, and relationship difficulties with partners, parents, and children. I feel passionate about helping people to work through these experiences, strengthen their sense of self, and find ways to live more fulfilling and meaningful lives. I have also supervised the practice of trainee clinical psychologists placed in our team. 

 

Over the years, my thinking and clinical work have evolved. In more recent years, I have also been influenced by the work of Kristin Neff and Paul Gilbert on compassion, Brene Brown on shame, vulnerability, and belonging, and Russ Harris on giving life more meaning. I have also engaged in further training to provide specialised trauma focused work using EMDR.

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I naturally adopt a relational, compassionate approach to therapy. The therapeutic relationship is central to my practice as a counselling psychologist, so I not only bring my own professional viewpoint but I also honour your own personal sense of your experiences. My approach is therefore tailored to the individual, rather than attempting a one-size-fits-all approach to therapy.

 

This approach to the therapeutic relationship is one of the priorities of counselling psychology and it is this that distinguishes it from other fields of psychology. In counselling psychology, there is an emphasis on personal therapy as well as supervision throughout the therapist’s career. It requires us to have a willingness to explore our own histories, attitudes, and emotional defences so that I can sit along side you with compassion and humanness. This also enables me to remain solid, emotionally present, non-judgemental, and attuned, no matter what emerges in the therapeutic work.

 

So I want you to also know, that like you, I’m human.

 

We all have messy parts, angry parts, and parts that we don’t want others to see. The failings, the bad choices, and the painful stories. We all have anxious parts, secret parts, and all that sits in between.  I’ve sat both sides of the couch and I’m constantly learning, evolving, and resourcing myself, finding ways to navigate the complexities of life and what it is to be human.

 

I’m also a mother. Riding the parenting rollercoaster of this sometimes joyful, sometimes difficult and complex period of life; trying to navigate motherhood in all its fullness. 

 

I like swimming, reading, drinking tea, and exploring new places.