FEEL UNDERSTOOD.
BE SEEN FOR WHO YOU ARE. FEEL TRULY HEARD.
Assessment sessions last 90 minutes. They are as much your chance to assess me as it is mine to assess you.
Specialising in
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Two years of postgraduate education in addiction has taught me it needs to be dealt with as a triage priority; but I also consider it a symptom of something else, something about your inner world. In therapy we will explore what that may be. My rule for quitting addiction: “Only you can do it, but you can’t do it alone”.
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We are not all alike: diversity matters. People experience the world in different ways: how they feel, who they are and who they love. Unfortunately, some people experience misunderstanding and discrimination – even by some therapists – for their gender, sexuality and relationship style. Not here you won’t.
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One-in-four people will have experienced sexual abuse by the age of 18. It’s a truly shocking statistic. Within it, sibling sexual abuse is mostly hidden. Survivors experience dissociation, disorientation and shame, as if it were their fault. It wasn’t and it isn’t.
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More and more people are distressed by what’s happening in the world – whether it’s the climate crisis or one of the many ongoing conflicts. Complex feelings need airing. As for the climate, I take comfort in a quiet certainty: no matter the denials, the voice of Mother Earth won’t be silenced.
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I’m very comfortable working remotely. I only work in the English language but I have personal and professional connections to Sweden, Ireland, Austria, Turkey, Pakistan, Sudan, Malaysia, Kuwait and China. For the best cross-cultural understanding I’ll be guided by you.
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Trained by the British Psychological Society, I am an experienced supervisor. I have run many peer supervision groups and mentored training therapists. As with any reflective practice, we richly draw upon different perspectives. It’s nourishing, or it’s not supervision.
Specialisms
I work with adults who are experiencing distress from any of the following: addictions, anxiety, bereavement, child abuse, depression, dyspraxia, end-of-life planning, long covid, OCD, polyamory, relationship problems, self-esteem, sibling sexual abuse, trauma and work issues.
Qualifications
I’m an accredited psychotherapist and supervisor with qualifications in psychology and creative health. I studied law at Cambridge University and became a barrister but I had a growing desire to help people better, to help them understand themselves. Choosing to retrain in 2010 was daunting but one of the best decisions of my life.
BIOGRAPHY
I like to say my life only makes sense when viewed in the rear-view mirror. Perhaps that’s true for all of us. As well as the health sector, I’ve worked in the creative arts, the voluntary sector, the legal sector and the statutory sector but the transitions were not always smooth or comfortable. Often, therapists are wounded healers and I’ve had my share of lumps and bumps, of resentments and regrets but now, I’m where I want to be in oh so many ways. I’m grateful for the opportunities and advantages I’ve had.
My BACKGROUND
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Being so close to Hampstead Heath is a luxury and an opportunity not to be missed. What began as a practical solution in lockdown has become my preferred way of working. Time in nature – especially walking in green spaces and by water – is proven to be additionally therapeutic (see Good Nature)
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In recent times, I’ve performed for the Donmar Warehouse, Hampstead Theatre and the Southbank Centre. Although I’m untrained as an actor, dancer or singer, good enough is good enough. Improv theatre has taught me an opportunistic life-hack: say ‘Yes, and…
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As an integrative psychotherapist, I put all of myself into the therapy and these terms help describe it: my practice is trauma-informed, relational and humanist.
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For me, the single-most important ingredient for the therapeutic relationship to flourish is authenticity. I try to be an open book.
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I will share with you what I know because to teach someone to fish is to teach them for life. Like the theory of evolution, Attachment Theory is based on finding safety and I consider it to have surpassed the level of proof. Neuroscience reveals more each day about the workings of the brain and I will encourage you to make friends with Amy, your amygdala. She’s an amazing piece of kit.
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I’m opposed to the medicalisation of ordinary distress because it is not a disorder, it’s entirely appropriate: we all have mental health. I am not qualified to give medical advice but agree with those who oppose the over-use of medication. My focus is on what’s happened to you, not what’s wrong with you.
THERAPY IS A RELATIONSHIP
You know yourself best: my role is to listen. But to remain authentic, please know that I will engage with you in the matters you raise. If you’ve had therapy before, you may find me more active and involved than you’re used to.
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We are shaped by experience and everyone’s experience is different.
Testimonials
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UNDERSTANDING
It all starts by learning how to focus on what you want.
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PSYCHOLOGY
Next, you’ll reflect on what may be blocking you, and learn how to overcome these obstacles.
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CHANGE
The last step? We learn how to continually refine what we’ve learned. Think of this as your new beginning.