Professional Qualifications
I am an experienced qualified and BACP registered and accredited psychotherapist and counsellor working in private practice from my own therapy space.
I am an accredited BACP member, which means that I have met the BACP's higher and rigorous standards of training, competence and experience and have demonstrated and evidenced my knowledge and development as an experienced and ethical practitioner.
I have completed significant additional training, including extensive training with SIRPA (Stress Illness Recovery Practitioners' Association) as well as Cyber Therapist training with the Online Therapy Institute, and am an accredited and professional member of the Association of Counsellors and Therapists Online.
I facilitate the SIRPA (Stress Illness Recovery Practitioners' Association) Psychotherapists and Counsellors Group, supporting members in my profession, as SIRPA is a multidisciplinary group of practitioners working with chronic pain and illness, including physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths and GPs.
I previously worked as a psychotherapist in private practice in Bishops Stortford and as a volunteer counsellor for Mind.
I have a Post-Graduate Diploma and Master's Degree in Psychotherapy and Counselling from Regents University London.
I undertook a two-year research project on the lived experience of chronic pain and the implications for psychotherapy.
I am especially interested in the inextricable link between our mental and physical health, for example, the connection between conditions such as migraines, ME, fibormyalgia and IBS and trauma, stress, depression and anxiety.
My background and why I became a psychotherapist
I studied English literature, and later law, at university. I worked in law publishing in both the United States and in London, and for four years at a law firm in Amsterdam. I have experience of working in the corporate world, as well as within the charitable sector.
My experience at Citizens Advice, both a volunteer and an employee, eventually lead me to psychotherapy and counselling. In my role as an employed money adviser, my clients were not just struggling with debt, they were suffering with anxiety, depression and mental health issues.
I realised that negotiating with creditors, and developing financial statements and debt management plans was not enough. I found that in order to best assist my clients, it was necessary to understand, non-judgmentally their journey before taking the step to come and see me.
Most often, they felt totally overwhelmed; they were dealing with issues including mental illness, depression, suicide attempts, addiction and abuse. In some cases, my clients had never spoken to anyone about these difficulties before. I took the time to listen to their stories, which they often found healing in itself – to be heard, empathically and non-judgmentally.
So, that is what led me to train as a counsellor and psychotherapist. I find my work incredibly rewarding and it is a privilege to share in clients' innermost struggles and to support and empower them to take their next steps in the journey of life.