My Approach

Humanistic; Integrative; Gestalt

About Me

Please note my practice and waiting list are currently both at capacity.

Therapy can provide a space for you to explore whatever it is that has led you to look for a therapist. I know how daunting it can be to choose a therapist but I also know that despite the range of challenges that you may encounter in therapy it is possible to emerge feeling better equipped to deal with the realities of life. I think of psychotherapy as a process that should lead to lasting benefits in everyday life and relationships beyond the therapy room. This can be achieved in many different ways. However, in my experience it does always involve compassion and support from the therapist towards the client.

A useful starting point for any potential work together might be an exploration of your motivation to seek therapy at this time in your life and what it is you are looking for help with and/or what it is you may wish to make sense of. Together we can explore whether I am able to provide you with what you and the situation requires. In other words: Are we a good match?

If you are drawn to my profile below please feel free to contact me with the option to arrange an initial no-obligation session free of charge. This will allow you to meet me face to face and to get a feel for how we might work together. 

How I work as a therapist:

I view the uniqueness of each relationship as a potential force for healing and growth; hence I place the quality of the relationship at the heart of what I do. Therapy for me is something that we create together making my style as a therapist a collaborative one. I enjoy the unique quality of each relationship and therefore the therapy I offer is highly individualised with its own pace and characteristics. I work from the assumption that all people are lifelong learners and teachers and make no exception for the client therapist relationship.

I understand how difficult it can be to risk revealing your innermost thoughts and feelings to another person. And there may be times when there are no words; perhaps a feeling of emptiness and/or a sense that “not all is well” without knowing what it is all about. As a therapist I might feel the intensity of thoughts, and/or emotions with you, appreciating how life is for you. This is when I have witnessed change on many levels. It can open up the possibilities to experience the choices that are available to us more fully.

How I have been trained:

As an Integrative psychotherapist I have studied a variety of theories that fit a "humanistic relational developmental approach". This means that particular attention is paid to relationships, past and present. Early life experiences which may link with current distress and behaviour are viewed as potential sources of information that can help us to understand the relationships that shape our current lives. You might choose to look at events in your past so that together we can consider what relevance they may have to your current situation.

Particular interests and experiences I bring as a therapist:

My background includes working in the voluntary sector with people with learning difficulties going back more than 35 years. I actively welcome this client group to access counselling and psychotherapy.
I have significant experience in working with people who have experienced sexual assault/abuse and rape, including working as a therapist in this field.

I have engaged in depth with organisational change and in the issues carers and professionals have to face in adult social care (mostly around adults with learning difficulties). I have played an active role in creating safe environments that offer opportunities for people to live the fullest lives possible.

My work in adult social care combined with my lifelong interest in difference, diversity, exclusion, inequality and the mechanisms that feed oppression has led me to psychotherapy, as a client and eventually as a therapist.

Experience and qualifications:

• MSc Integrative Psychotherapy (SPTI distinction) 2014 - 2018
• Equine Facilitated Coaching’. 2014
• Level 5 Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring in Management
(Leeds Metropolitan University) 2013
• Diploma in handloom weaving and design in Bradford.
• BA in Music at York University 2001-2004
• Resident member at a Camphill Community (The Sheiling School) (1998-1999)

I am a part time employee at a local charity working with people with learning disabilities since 1992.
I have been a counsellor for a charity dedicated to supporting survivors of sexual abuse, assault and rape for over four years.
I co-founded and run a community drama and dance group

I work with

• Individuals

Types of Therapies Offered

• Integrative Psychotherapist

What I can help with

• Abuse
• Adoption
• Age-related Issues
• Anger Management
• Anxiety
• Autism
• Bereavement
• Bullying
• Cancer
• Chronic Illness
• Cultural Issues
• Depression
• Disability
• Domestic Violence
• Employment Difficulties
• Gender
• Health-related Issues
• Identity Problems
• Mental Health Issues
• Obsessions
• Parents
• Phobias
• Physical Abuse
• Post-Traumatic Stress
• Race Issues
• Relationships
• Sex Problems
• Sexual Abuse
• Sexuality
• Spirituality
• Stress
• Suicide
• Terminal Illness
• Training
• Transgender
• Trauma
• Workplace Counselling