About

I’m a psychotherapist with 15 years’ experience working in both the NHS and private practice.

My training and experience matter, of course, but when you’re choosing a therapist, you’re also choosing a person. You want to have some sense of who you’ll be sitting opposite and whether you might feel comfortable talking to them.

So here’s a little more about me and why I do this work.

There’s something I often find myself wishing I could say to people who are struggling:

If only you knew how different life could feel when your inner struggles begin to lose their hold over you and you start to feel more in control.

When you’ve lived for years with a harsh inner critic or the feeling that you’re somehow not good enough, it can become difficult to imagine feeling any other way.

But I’ve seen what can happen when people begin to understand themselves differently. That critical voice can become less powerful. People can begin to speak up, set boundaries, make different choices and stop being quite so hard on themselves.

That’s why I feel so strongly about this work.

I believe people can change.

Understanding why you feel the way you do

I’m interested in understanding what’s underneath the way you feel today.

Perhaps you’ve learned to put other people first, avoid conflict, hide how you really feel or expect far more from yourself than you would from anybody else.

Rather than seeing these things as something ‘wrong’ with you, we’ll be curious about how they came to be there.

For me, therapy isn’t about blaming anyone for the past. It’s about understanding how your experiences have shaped you and loosening the hold they may still have on your life today.

What is it like to work with me?

I’ve experienced therapy myself, so I know something of what it’s like to sit in the other chair. I don’t expect you to arrive knowing exactly what to say or to trust me immediately; trust develops over time.

You don’t need to pretend you’re okay with me, and you don’t need to do therapy ‘properly’.

We can start with where you are, and we’ll work together to help you get to a better place.

My training and experience

I trained as a psychotherapist at WPF Therapy and have worked for many years within the NHS and in private practice.

Over that time, I have worked with people experiencing a wide range of difficulties, including anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction, eating difficulties and the effects of sexual abuse.

Although these problems can look very different, I have often found that low self-esteem is part of the picture, shaping the way people see themselves, cope with distress and relate to others.

Alongside my clinical work, I also supervise other therapists, supporting them in thinking carefully about their work with clients.

I remain committed to ongoing professional development and regular supervision, and I work within professional ethical guidelines.

I have also volunteered with the Samaritans, supporting people experiencing distress, despair and suicidal thoughts.

Shall we talk?

If something you’ve read here resonates with you, you’re welcome to get in touch. You can ask any questions you have and we can talk about whether working together feels right for you.