I have over 10 years experience of successfully working with people with a wide range of issues including, depression, bullying, workplace conflict, low self-esteem, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, anger, sexuality, loss of identity, substance misuse, childhood & adult sexual abuse (including incest & rape), bereavement, relationship difficulties, childhood emotional neglect, family conflict, boundary difficulties, shame, midlife crisis and spiritual crisis.

Special areas of interest include-

• Anxiety, depression and resilience to life challenges – As we go through life we inevitably encounter suffering no matter how hard we my try to remain positive and be in control. By exploring our emotions, the choices we make, how we interact with others, our expectations, and our disappointments we can learn new ways to take care of ourselves, build confidence, and learn from our experiences.
• Family life can be a source of great joy but for many of us it is also the cause of hurt and wounding. By looking at our family relationships we can start to change how we get drawn into unsatisfactory interactions, heal our past and begin finding ways that honour ourselves while recognising our connectedness to others.
• Alcohol and substance misuse – For many people with compulsive behaviour their lives can become increasingly unmanageable through trying to “fix” painful feelings, unwanted thoughts or memories. By exploring the feelings and emotions that drive your addiction you can learn to work more effectively with your cravings, break the cycle of dependency and lead a more rewarding life. In addition to my work with private clients I have over 5 years experience of working in NHS addiction services, taught about substance misuse to doctors and nurses, and sat on an NHS advisory panel.
• Masculinity & men’s issues – The modern world teaches men to be driven and success orientated but this has a negative impact on partners, family, friendships, health and enjoyment of life. By connecting with a deeper sense of who we are, our relationships and what really matters to us we can inhabit a more positive male identity full of confidence, courage and tenderness.
• Midlife crisis – as we get older past certainties give way to new questions. A call to live life differently emerges. Developing a greater clarity of what has been left unattended and the need for belonging and autonomy can reveal a more authentic way of living.
• Spirituality and crisis of faith – there are times when our deepest beliefs no longer seem to hold true. Difficulties arise out of the depths of our practice, not in spite of it, and gives us the opportunity to examine our experiences and find new understandings. Our sense of disappointment and hopelessness can become part of a deeper movement within us to find wholeness.

I have been working with clients for nearly 10 years, in private practice, the NHS and the charity sector. I have been practicing Buddhism and meditation since 1992. I integrate mindfulness and somatic (bodily) awareness into my approach to help you connect more fully with your body, feelings and emotions and so develop greater awareness of who you are and what’s calling for attention.

In order to qualify as a counsellor and psychotherapist I have undergone a 5 year training course that had been accredited by the BACP and UKCP – two of the main professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy. This ensures that I have been trained to a high standard, my theoretical and clinical capacity has been thoroughly assessed and my competency to practice has been validated by registered professional bodies.

In addition, I undertake regular study and training to keep in touch with new developments, to expand my knowledge and understanding, and to exchange ideas with other therapists. Over the years I have been fortunate to have been mentored by some very experienced and talented psychotherapists and trainers.

• PTSD – Making Trauma Therapy Safer (with Babette Rothschild)
• The Nature of Trauma and Dissociation – Relational Healing and Therapeutic Connection
• Somatisation – The Physical Expression of Our Unspoken Story
• Motivational Interviewing – Evoking Change and Autonomy
• Mindfulness Meditation – Training Our Mind to be Aware, Open and Focused
• Group Facilitation – The Creative Potential of Groups
• The River of Soul – Psychotherapy using Myth, Folk-tales, Poetry, Art and Dreams
• Working with the Dreaming Mind – A Guide to Meaning and Fulfilment
• A Buddhist Approach to Death and Dying
• Buddhist Philosophy and Psychology – The Nature of Mind and How It Functions
• The Meaning of Anger – Setting Boundaries and Speaking Our Emotions
• Coping with Grief and Loss – Physical, Emotional and Psychological Reactions to Grief
• Addiction: Alcohol & Substance Misuse – including Club Drugs & New Psychoactive Substances
• Working with Families of Alcoholics and Substance Misusers

Those who will not slip beneath
    the still surface on the well of grief,

turning down through its black water
    to the place we cannot breathe,

will never know the source from which we drink,
    the secret water, cold and clear,

nor find in the darkness glimmering,
    the small round coins,
          thrown by those who wished for something else

David Whyte, Anglo-Irish poet and writer

I am a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), a professional register approved by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care. This ensures that I continue to meet a set standard after qualifying, such as, having my work professionally supervised and being committed to ongoing professional development. I adhere to the BACP ethical and professional framework.