About Me

I trained at the Iron Mill Institute, Exeter, and gained the Advanced Diploma in Integrative Counselling. This is a course, which is recognized and accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). As a member of the BACP, I am bound by their Ethical Framework for Good Practice, and subject to their complaints procedure. In addition, I receive regular supervision, which is also a BACP requirement. I have been working at the Margaret Jackson Centre in Exeter for over 3 years, and I frequently undertake Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

I am also a qualified linguist and am attuned to the power and rhythm of language, which serves both as a diversion from distress and as an expression of painful thoughts; it carries the seeds of the healing process. I encourage you to express your thoughts and feelings through metaphor, simile and symbol, or alternatively through visualisation or art.

My therapeutic approach

There are times in our lives when we experience emotional difficulties and our path seems blocked by unwelcome barriers, so that we feel trapped. The process of sharing our concerns within the safety of the therapeutic relationship can help us to see the wider picture and recognise that we do have choices.

As a Humanistic counsellor, I work with you holistically to help you realise your potential, and achieve personal growth and beneficial change in an atmosphere of acceptance, trust, and empathy. In our work together, I invite you to focus on your immediate awareness, but I also recognise that the past is often important and can have a bearing on your present issues and difficulties. In my role as your counsellor, I use an integrative approach which broadly means that I offer a variety of techniques and therapeutic interventions in a coherent way, to suit your individual needs, at a pace which feels comfortable for you, including poetry therapy/reflective writing, art, Sand Play, Gestalt therapy, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. I also draw inspiration from aspects of Mindfulness and Eastern psychology. Whatever issues you bring to our sessions, I support you emotionally and practically to try and find a way forward and achieve a clearer sense of self, balance, and well-being, and to involve your whole body as well as your mind, creatively and experientially. However, I would highlight the importance of recognising that counselling can affect other relationships in your life.

Take that first step:

Please telephone for a confidential, informal, no obligation chat to see if counselling is for you or if you prefer, please email me and I will contact you as soon as possible.