I have been a psychotherapeutic counsellor for the past 18 years. Over this time I have worked with a variety of organisations. I am passionate about the benefits of therapeutic relationships and how this can empower individuals to feel happy and contented in their lives. My aim is to provide a gold standard of therapy to every client I work with.
Anxiety, stress and panic
I use helpful and easily accessible CBT (Cognitive behavioural therapy) tools to help alleviate quickly and affectively these difficult and sometimes debilitating symptoms. Also working with the Fight flight or freeze response reaction to determine which state you may be defaulting to is another way of helping shift and reduce the symptoms.
Complex grief
Sometimes this happens following a death associated to early years or childhood, through suicide or illness which may have left a profound impact on the survivor. Shock can cause the body and mind to close down and to become stuck, not allowing for acceptance and change. In turn, this leaves an individual to deal with difficult feelings and emotions such as anger, envy, sadness and a sense of hopelessness.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ('PTSD')
PTSD can be defined as a normal reaction to an abnormal event. A lot can happen when we experience PTSD; most commonly but not exclusively, this can include fear and anxiety, re- experiencing the trauma through flashbacks, triggers that are both conscious and unconscious, avoidance, switching off or blanking out the memory as well as fight, flight or freeze.
Interpersonal relationship difficulties
Unable to relate to others and not knowing why, this may be due to depression or learned behaviours, lack of self esteem and confidence, loss of trust for others following a crisis or generally not knowing why you have started to feel differently about yourself and others.
I am an Interpersonal psychotherapist IPT trained at Anna Freud institute which comes under NICE guidelines for depression.
Not recent abuse
This can lead to loss of trust, low self image, low self esteem, inability to have an intimate relationship. It can be very important to learn strategies for intrusive thoughts and images when the triggers to the trauma arrive uninvited. It is very important to process through therapy the feelings that you are carrying In order to feel recovered, happy and live your life to the fullest.
EMDR eye movement and desensitisation and reprocessing
This is one of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence ('NICE') guideline protocols used for trauma. It can be used for a single event, such as a road traffic accident, or multiple traumas, difficult and traumatic births, childhood abuse, physical injury or attacks. It is particularly effective for anyone who does not wish to talk through the traumatic event as eye movements are used to stimulate the traumatic memory. This allows for adaptive memory, which in turn reduces the level of disturbance associated with the trauma.
Through assessment and early exploration a treatment plan is established.
I am AXAPPP approved BUPA Superuser status, Aviva, WPA affiliate. Please request I become approved with your healthcare provider if not on my list. Enhanced DBS check for Child and adult workforce, renewed in July 2023 AXAPPP.
