Welcome to my website!

Welcome to my website! I know how hard this might be trying to find the right person for you. I undertake personal therapy as part of my ongoing development and therefore I understand what it is like to be a client. I am a qualified Integrative Psychotherapist/Counsellor, a registered member of the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP) and practice within their  Ethical Framework. The most important thing is that you have taken the first step to resolving whatever it is that you feel is troubling you. I offer a free 15minutes consultation. Please scroll down to book an appointment, alternatively, you could click here to make a booking.

Services Offered

About Me!

My approach is individually tailored to how we work effectively together for your specific personal needs. My core modality is person centred which puts you at the centre of your journey. This way, the whole of my attention is on you as a person and what your needs may be at that moment. As an Integrative Psychotherapist/Counsellor I draw from a range of theoretical approaches.

You are are driving the car at every stage of the therapeutic process. As your therapist, I am like a map. I am there to offer gentle guidance and support along your journey.

I am a firm believer that “the relationship is the therapy”, which is part of the way I work which enables me to establish and maintain successful and effective working alliances. As part of the therapeutic process, I consider a good working relationship vital in our work together, for a successful outcome to be achieved. It is my aim to provide a safe space where I can listen to you in a non- judgemental, trusting and understanding environment. I work collaboratively with clients rather than acting as an expert as I believe each person knows themselves best. 

What Happens In the 1st Session
  • During our first session, we will explore why you are looking for therapy; what you want to achieve from the therapy, and agree on how we will work together.
  • The 1st session is considered an initial assessment. This will be the time for you and I to get to know each other.
  • Counselling sessions usually include exploring what you are hoping to achieve by the time you finish our sessions, and exploring a plan we can work towards for you to achieve your desired outcome.
  • Therapy is a very personal process and sometimes it is necessary to talk about painful feelings or difficult decisions, so you may go through a period of feeling worse than when you started before feeling better, but, that will also depend on your situation and circumstances.

BACP has produced some helpful information sheets which give a fuller explanation of what might be expected during therapy and these may be
found on the website at: bacp-what-happens-in-your-first-session-kf3.pdf

How We Will Work Together

We will work together by engaging in the here-and-now therapeutic relationship between us as an opportunity to understand how you relate to yourself and others in your life, and we can explore how your past might be affecting your present life. I will never push you to talk about anything you are not ready to explore, there will be times when I will challenge you gently to explore how your thoughts affect your emotions and experiences. It’s important for both of us that I understand your full experience and what is important to you to help accomplish the changes you want to make. Some of the areas we discuss will have to do with your identity and cultural influences in your life. 

How To Get The Most Out Of Therapy

You’ll get the best results from your therapy if you’re open and honest with me and say how you’re really feeling.

Your relationship with me is very important. If we’re to work effectively together, you should feel safe and able to take risks by disclosing and discussing sensitive issues. That includes being able to give them honest feedback on how you feel about your therapy and how we’re working together.

I offer a free 15minutes consultation. This is the time for you and I to get to know each other. Please feel free to ask me any questions you might have and I will explain the way I work. This way, we wouldn't have to go back and forth via emails to arrange time and dates

What I can help with

Relationship Therapy

Relationship Therapy offers a safe space in which individuals can explore to understand their patters, and it allows you to unload the baggage safely.I offer guidance in which you could figure out better ways of communicating and understand those around you in the process.

Once you understand your patterns of relating, you can then apply what you have learnt from our sessions into your relationships. Most of the time you will find out that communication in relationships is the problem, that it has broken down, there is withdrawal and individuals barely speak to one another.

Counselling can help you to improve the way you relate to others to break free from unhelpful patterns or behaviours. Therapy can help with relationship issues ranging from small to major problems troubling you and therapy can prevent those issues from growing. It can help you to explore these problems and find ways to work through them or move on from them.

 

Triggers

With insight gained from our therapy sessions, you can develop self-awareness to be able to notice when you are triggered or when your buttons are pressed, and find positive ways of managing them. Usually a trigger is a reply of an early experience. The situation we are in, may be that another person has brought back the memory, but may not be responsible for the feeling.

We re-live unressolved situations, but this usually goes outside of our unconscious awareness. The trigger is the experience instigated by someone else, however, our reaction is our responsibility which is based on our past experiences, and the trigger alerts us to say to us that, the issue is an unfinished business that needs to be addressed, processed and resolved.

Effective communication is needed to manage triggers. Recognising and thinking about what triggered you can help manage situation which have the potential to produce conflict.

Relationship with Self

Self-relationship is the connection you have with yourself. Your relationship with yourself involves self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-care. When you are in a healthy relationship with yourself, you embrace your strengths and opportunities. You value who you are and what you’ve experienced. How you view and treat yourself will affect how you relate to everyone. The kind of relationship you have with yourself has an influence on those around you. When you have a healthy relationship with yourself, you’re more likely to know how capable you are and understand how to care for yourself during tough times. You may develop a sense you can handle obstacles and challenges.

The relationship we have with our self-concept can prevent our ability to achieve our overall desired level of satisfaction and happiness in our lives. Your relationship with yourself is often overlooked, it impacts every part of you and how you see yourself, how you treat yourself, and how you feel about yourself. It also influences every aspect of your life, including how you interact with the world and how you see the world, and what you believe to be possible for you in your life.

Alone time spending time with yourself may help you create space for self-assessment and inner work. Loving yourself is essential to have a healthy relationship with yourself and others. You may want to start by engaging in self-care.

Counselling For Relationship & Family Issues for Individuals

The relationships we have throughout our lives deeply inform personality, behaviour, and emotions. Without secure and healthy relationships, individuals are more likely to experience anxiety and depression, and other mental illnesses as well as to feel lonely. The attachment pattern we form in our childhood tends to shape the emotional and behavioural reactions we have with others throughout our lives.

In order to change negative patterns of attachment, it is necessary to understand and feel the full pain of our story. I can help you work through past and current relationships in order to better understand how they affect you. Together, we can develop goals for forming healthier relationships in the future. The way individuals interact with one another can significantly impact on an individual’s mental health. Exploring dynamics, roles, and patterns within the relationships can help to uncover underlying issues that contribute to mental health challenges.

Family or relationships conflict is normal. What truly matters is how we navigate those moments, repair connections, and learn from them. Things that happened in the past can have a lasting effect on family and other forms of relationships. Unresolved issues can often crop up. Despite your best efforts and intentions, sometimes you'll find that you simply can't get along with an individual. Perhaps someone continues to hold a grudge against you or refuses to change their behaviour.

Individual therapy offers you a safe and confidential space to process your emotions, gain insights into your role in the conflict, and develop coping strategies. It can help you set healthy boundaries, improve communication, and build resilience amidst the challenges. Individuals can gain insights into their own roles and contributions to family conflicts. Therapy provides an opportunity to explore feelings of anger, hurt, frustration, or sadness without the presence of other family members.

What are Family dynamics?

Family dynamics impact our development and how we see ourselves in later life, influence the relationships we form, how we interact with the world, and how we behave and interact with others. Given the dynamic quality of any family, each one will operate differently, contain its own culture, rules, beliefs, and values.

Roles and responsibilities

It is not uncommon for issues, or pain to be absorbed by the family, or lodged in one individual in particular. Often, different family members are assigned roles whether they choose these or not. For example, the eldest may be known as the strong one, the youngest as the emotional one, a parent as stoic, or a grandparent as resilient. Whatever role we choose or are assigned, it will have an impact on us, and can often feel difficult to resign or respond to.

What are family issues?

Families will have different cultures; therefore their experiences and difficulties will differ. Below is a list of some common family issues.

  • a change to the familial structure due to death or illness
  • difficult behaviours with teenagers or older children
  • feeling of loss when children leave home
  • an unwanted pregnancy or abortion
  • discovery of an infidelity or affair

It is useful to note that there will be issues or experiences causing difficulties, and that it might not always be possible to fix or stop these. However, what is possible is to find a way to adjust our thinking, feelings, or attitudes, and look for solutions or responses that may make these familial strains and pressures easier to manage.

Managing family issues

It can be very difficult to manage family issues, particularly so if relationships are strained. It can be helpful to talk about these difficulties with someone you trust and feel comfortable sharing things with, perhaps your partner, a close friend, or a family member with whom you have a good relationship. Talking about difficulties allows space to identify the challenges faced by your family, to address and understand these problems, and to consider the next steps you might take.

How psychotherapy can help

There are several talking therapy options available if you are experiencing familial difficulties, including family therapy, couples counselling, or individual psychotherapy. The difficulty in resolving issues within families can stem from the closeness, history, and familial shared experiences. Psychotherapy offers you the chance to explore your thoughts, feelings, and experiences in an impartial and non-judgemental way, and allows for all opinions to be heard and valued, providing a space to plan, think, and negotiate difficulties together.

Role of Culture in Mental Health

When it comes to mental health, the culture of the society that surrounds us influences our attitudes about seeking help, the type of support we need, and whether or not we decide to seek help at all. Every culture has a different way of looking at mental health and, for many, there is a stigma. Some cultures see mental health challenges as a sign of weakness; others do not view it as a healthcare problem or believe it is within each person’s control. These inaccurate views can make it harder for those struggling to talk about a mental health issue openly and will negatively affect their decision to seek help. Understanding the harmful impact of this cultural stigma is essential to providing mental health services to members of racial and ethnic minorities, as well as to members of the majority culture. When looking for mental health treatment, most people feel more comfortable talking to someone who can relate to their experiences and situation. For some minorities, it can be challenging to find resources that address their particular cultural factors and needs. It’s essential to recognize that cultural context significantly influences our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. I welcome explorations regarding culture in the therapy space. There are no judgements, but absolute understanding. Sometimes loss and grief can influence how we grieve and deal with loss, we have to also take that into consideration.

Please click here to read reviews from my previous clients regarding my services they have previously used.