My journey into counselling was inspired by many sources in my life, including philosophy which I studied at university. I felt that philosophy gave me a voice and reawakened within me a passionate interest about life when asking questions like “What is the good life - a life that we admire or would wish to live?”, “What is morality and why be moral?” and “What does it mean to exist, to be human?” I also love the bits of ancient history and literature when they capture human characters, both fictional and non-fictional, battling the fates and to me speak to what it is to be human, including both life’s tragedies and joys.

Being moved and fascinated by what it means to be human probably drew me to the helping professions and counselling because it was a way of meeting people in a way that can be so real or true to them and being permitted to share and hear their life stories with love and despair. I have had the great opportunity and privilege to meet and be moved by real people, often faced with life’s struggles and frailties. So, my work in end of life care, volunteering for the NHS, for Mind and community counselling have all shaped how I choose to be with others and listen in a curious, compassionate way as to who they are and how they find themselves. Its my privilege to always be learning and understanding what other people experience in their lives and how they live.

No doubt my influences of finding a voice is reflected in what I wish to offer you in my counselling service, by offering a space so that you can be heard and speak to your lived experiences, I hope that together we can find who you wish to be, whatever difficulty you may be facing in life. This could be allowing your feelings of despair, anxiety, loss and joy be felt in the room with me and explored together. This seems especially important to me when in life we don’t always get the chance to give privilege to our thoughts or feelings which may be troubling you. We can all live in a world that can be both a terrifying place to reveal our vulnerability and a busy one that preoccupies and prevents us from speaking from our soul, body and mind. Honestly, I’m always trying to find my voice - even right now communicating who I am with you, it can be hard to resist projecting a tendency of intellectualising to cover up a shame of not being good enough and youthful so that I appear to be who “should” be. By speaking to what distresses you, your blocks to connection and finding your own voice can allow you to speak to your life experiences with freedom and power and find connection with yourself, others close to you and your world in a meaningful, fulfilling way. It’s my hope that in our therapy that by creating a space together where you could have the opportunity to be heard and allow your thoughts and experiences - whatever they may be, to be felt and experienced that you can continue to lead a flourishing life that is your own.

My approach to psychotherapeutic counselling is grounded in my humanistic training which is focused on your current lived experiences. I am also trained and open to working creatively which I believe can allow other non-verbal parts of self to be experienced in the room. This could be through colouring, using cards, dream work and other creative experiments if you so wish to engage in this together. For me, this is inspired to give you a voice, with the freedom and power over your destiny. The philosophy I share with my training is the belief that as individuals we are always experiencing life and by attending to the here-and-now we can attend to what you are experiencing so that you can continue becoming who you wish to be and live a more fulfilling life, through greater self-awareness and self-understanding.