About me

After a semi-professional sporting career in my youth, and then breaking off a civil service career to have children at the age of 30, I retrained and gained a first class degree in Psychology, followed by counselling certifications, and a Diploma in Psychotherapy and Hypnotherapy. With this, and a personal passion to help others, I entered the world of mental health. For over 16 years I have worked in a variety of settings: in children’s mental health, in private practice, and in the NHS treating clients with different types of anxiety and depression, as well as treating more long-term serious and enduring mental health problems. I also have a Postgraduate Certificate in Psychological Studies from the Metanoia Institute.

During recent years, I have worked consulting with businesses and their employees’ mental health and wellbeing, writing psycho-educational learning programmes, videos and blogs. This also allowed me to focus on other important aspects of wellbeing and growth, such as building resilience, grit, and a growth mindset.

I was studying for a Doctorate in Counselling Psychology when head and neck cancer struck me in 2018. Despite this intense life experience, I have gained enormous personal growth that has only helped me in my practice helping others. Self-disclosure is something many therapists are discouraged from, and on the whole I subscribe to this, but this is something I do share because cancer is such a taboo, as is death, and I want to change that so that people can talk more openly and frankly about their experiences. As a result of the chemo-radiation treatment I have a facial paralysis (no movement) on the right side of my face. Initially, I was concerned this might limit me in my practice, but I now believe it is something that helps me understand and connect to those with life difficulties, especially facial differences, and I chose to continue in this privileged work.

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