ABOUT ME
About Me
My Background & Qualifications
I came to counselling and psychotherapy as a second career after spending 20 years in the corporate sector. My own experiences there of therapy led me to pursue this as a career for myself.
I trained in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy at the Metanoia Institute in London and during that time worked for a general counselling service where I saw clients from a diverse range of social, cultural and ethnic communities. I now work solely in private practice in Twickenham, South West London.
I work with a range of presentations including depression, anxiety, bereavement, work-related stress and relationship difficulties. I am particularly interested in working with clients through periods of transition, where questions of self-identity are prominent, for example adjusting to parenthood, redundancy or relationship loss.
I work with couples at various stages of difficulty in their relationship, helping them to communicate more effectively, identify narratives in the relationship which may be getting in the way of how they relate to each other and finding new ways to connecting more intimately and authentically.
I hold an MSc in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy and a Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling. I am also trained in the Rewind Technique, an evidence based, effective approach for treating trauma.
I am a member of the UK Council of Psychotherapy and abide by their Ethical Code, which guides the values and principles at the heart of my practice: confidentiality, respect, equality. Like all registered therapists I am in regular professional supervision, which provides me with the support I need to work with my clients’ difficult material.
My Approach
I am trained in Transactional Analysis, part of the humanistic tradition of counselling and psychotherapy Its philosophy is very much centred on the value of each individual and a belief in their capacity to grow and change. It offers a number of powerful frameworks for understanding people's distress but uses a language that is non-theoretical and readily accessible.
In my work I draw on not only the humanistic traditions such as Gestalt and Person Centred therapies but also psychoanalytic ideas and attachment theories as a way of understanding how our early experiences and relationships can shape how we view ourselves and the world around us.
I believe that therapy is a collaborative process; my role is not to “fix” but to facilitate understanding and awareness and to empower clients to make new choices. I work relationally, which means that the relationship between us is a powerful vehicle for change; it provides both a context for understanding more about how you relate to others and they relate to you and a framework for developing healthier relationships. I believe we are both hurt and healed in relationships.
