About me

Something beautiful can grow out of darkness if we allow it and give it a chance. I have realised that we have to make space in our life in order to heal from our hurt and we can begin to thrive and find our passions. When your head is so busy being unhappy, you just can’t get to that point. So, finding my passion and working to help others who find themselves in need of support, is something I am so grateful to be doing.

Before my training as a counsellor, I trained as a Chartered Management Accountant and embarked on a career as a management consultant, dealing with change. While I was always drawn to the benefits of taking a logical approach, there has always been a side of myself that’s passionate about engaging with people, their experiences and supporting them to be their best. My experience informs me that a suitable environment can help people thrive.

My career in the corporate world allowed me the opportunity to live and work abroad, which provided me with very good experience and exposure to a variety of people and cultures. I saw how other people struggled with challenges in their life. Coupled by the experience of my own challenges which allowed me the space that ignited my passion for helping and supporting others. I decided to embark on an introductory counselling course to explore if I'm suited to helping others with their emotional difficulties. At this stage I also engaged in personal therapy for myself. What better way to learn about therapy than to experience it myself? My own experience of talk therapy was transformative.

I progressed to a further few years of study and this course also included taking on placements to start to put some of my learning into practice. My training and experience further helped me with the understanding of people and their feelings; and a desire to help them work through issues to come to an understanding of themselves; and why they might act and react in certain ways.

I've been privileged to have been selected by clients from all walks of life to help them and I have gained over a thousand hours of supervised clinical practice. You can find some of their feedback on the "testimonial page".

I consider it a special privilege to walk alongside my counselling clients as they are working through difficult situations, changes, and personal challenges.

My qualifications include:

• Graduate certificate in Systemic approaches to working with individuals, families and organisations  - validated by the University of Essex and accredited by the Association of Family Therapy (AFT).
• Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling/ Foundation Degree
• EMDR qualified - Training fully Accredited by EMDR Europe Association.
• Certificate in CBT
• Certificate in Counselling Skills
• Certificate of Proficiency  - British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
• Certificate in Transactional Analysis 101
• Certificate in online counselling and telephone counselling (approved by BACP and ACTO)
• Certificate in Counselling Children and Young People - I have training and experience in counselling young people and I hold an enhanced DBS certificate.
• Cruse bereavement care is the leading national charity for bereaved people. I have had Cruse training to work with issues relating to bereavement, loss and grief.
• Anxiety UK - I have undergone Anxiety UK's training and work as an Anxiety UK approved counsellor for adults and young people.
• I have had training and experience in various modalities which enables me to use various approaches, such as Person-centred approach, Transactional Analysis, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Neuroscience for Effective Clinical Practice. I invite clients to work creatively to aid deeper exploration of their issues.
• I am passionate about about enhancing emotional wellbeing in workplaces and in 2018, I carried out primary research in this area.

My professional development and training includes:

• Trauma training - Babeth Rothschild
• Janina Fisher Trauma Treatment Certification Training The Latest Advances and Proven Techniques to Resolve Deeply Held Trauma 
• The Impact of Trauma at Different Developmental Stages A PCA Perspective
• Intensive Trauma Treatment Certification Workshop by Arielle Schwartz 
• Trauma Healing Through the Senses with Bessel van der Kolk
• Sensorimotor Psychotherapy in Action harness the wisdom of the body to treat trauma and relational wounds (Online Course) with Pat Ogden 
• Healing trauma with the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model Jan Winhall 
• Internal Family Systems To Heal Trauma by Cece Sykes
• Postgraduate Certificate in Systemic Approaches to working with Individuals, Families and Organisations, Tavistock and Portman NHS training: Intermediate Level accreditation with the Association for Family Therapy (AFT) - ongoing
• Personalising psychotherapy
• Understanding and working with survivors of sexual abuse by Chrissie Sanderson
• Working with socially anxious clients
• Counselling Young People
• A Pluralistic Approach to Therapy
• Working using creative techniques
• Children & Young People Safeguarding
• Polyvagal Theory and Neuroscience in therapeutic practice
• Transactional Analysis and the Brain
• Certificate in CBT With Heart
• Procrastination and imposter syndrome
• Resilience Training, Philadelphia University – Ongoing
• Certification Course Integrate CBT and Exposure & Response Prevention for Treatment with Kimberley Morrow & Elizabeth DuPont Spencer 
• Science of Wellbeing, Yale university – Ongoing
• The Inner Critic
• The Psychotherapy of Shame
• Cultural Awareness, Human diversity and Power in the therapy room
• Our Experience of Transference in the Therapy Room
• Working with bullying
• Working with complex PTSD
• Working creatively with inner child
• Menopause matters
• Working with Co-dependency in Psychotherapeutic Practice
• I'm a holder of Safeguarding Level 3 certificate - This training helps me assess and evaluate safeguarding concerns of young people and adult
  
  My work experience:
• Link is a young people’s counselling service for ages 13 to 25, which is part of the Hillingdon Council's Social Care Directorate's Children and Young People's Services division. I worked here as a counsellor providing 1 to 1 counselling, facilitating groups and mental health workshops for teenagers and young people.
• Signpost - a charity in Hertfordshire which provides counselling, coaching and other support to help young people and families. I have provided parent support and coaching, helping to develop a plan to address any challenges they maybe facing, offering tools and guidance. I also work as a counsellor here, providing therapy to young people (13 - 25years of age).
• 6th Form Counsellor at a private school
• I'm currently working as a trainee systemic family therapist at CAHMS NHS 
• My clients come from abroad as well as the UK. I've worked with clients from all walks of life and vary from professionals such as lawyers, solicitors, business owners, those working in finance (accountants, conultants etc) and also worked with public sector workers such as NHS staff, medics (including GPs, surgeons etc), Police, fire service, teachers and universities.
  
  It can feel scary to take the first step to reach out but learning to cope in healthier ways can make doing so more than worthwhile.
  
  I have a special interest in working with:
  
  Those who have gone through or are going through major life changes such as change at work or career, illness, personal loss, bereavement and grief, environmental shifts, menopause, loss of purpose, status or responsibility and challenges that come with relocation. We all face difficult life changing events at times like retirement, the loss of a job, a divorce, or the loss of a loved one. When difficulties such as these arise a short period of counselling can be helpful. Talking with a counsellor can be an effective way to process your feelings and work through any lingering unprocessed thoughts and emotions.
  
  Work related issues such as stress, career change, redundancy, conflict, dealing with retirement, burnout, illness and bullying. In our fast-paced society, more and more people find it challenging to juggle unrealistic work and home life demands. We frequently have to deal with high levels of daily stress, which negatively affects our physical and mental health. Many of our most common physical ailments, such as headaches, digestive problems, high blood pressure, insomnia, and an impaired immune system, can be attributed to stress. The same is true for many of our psychological issues, including anger, irritability, depression, and anxiety. Finding ways to lower our stress levels is therefore extremely important for our overall health.
  
  Personal Development – If you have concerns about how you feel about yourself, are feeling unworthy or ashamed for not being like how you imagined yourself, is this preventing you from living a more fulfilled life? Perhaps you may be doubting yourself which is hindering your capabilities and would like to feel more empowered to achieve your full potential. Would you like to simply explore ways to take better care of yourself and live a happy and fulfilled life? I can provide support so you are able to achieve your goals.
  
  Culture related issues - Expatriate & Multicultural Counselling
  
  Infertility – fertility treatment
  
  Stress, anxiety and panic attacks - The fight, flight or freeze response can be useful for our survival as the stress this induces within us, motivates us to keep ourselves safe. When we get stuck in the stress response too long due to feeling unsafe in our environment, it can potentially consume us to the point that we don’t see a way out and we feel engulfed in our anxiety response. At times this can manifest as a panic attack. If these issues are affecting your life there are things you can try that may help. Support is also available if you're finding it hard to cope with stress, anxiety or panic.
  
  Depression, loneliness and sleep issues – Are your feelings of sadness and low mood stopping you from leading your normal life and making everything harder to do and seem less worthwhile? Do you feel numb, empty and that you can't see a way forward? Perhaps you feel isolated, alone and trapped in your head and unable to talk about how you are feeling to anyone around you. Loneliness interferes with sound, plentiful sleep and can be connected to feeling depressed. Depression is a very lonely and scary place to be stuck in. I want to support you in finding your way out of this dark place.
  
  Relationship difficulties – romantic, friendships, colleagues, marriage, children. If your child or children have been misbehaving and you are at your wit’s end trying to figure out what to do, talking with a professional who has experience with children’s issues can be helpful. A counsellor can frequently provide you with some additional parenting tools to make your life easier.
  Whatever issues you are facing, I will strive to work with you, to help you find a way forward. If you are interested in finding out more about what I offer, please take a look at my service and fees page. If you have any questions about how counselling and therapy could work for you, please do contact me.