About Me
I have over 25 years’ experience working in social care & counselling settings. I have run my own private counselling practice since 2008 and I have worked as a counselling supervisor since 2012.
Becoming a counsellor felt like a natural progression after I experienced the life-changing impacts of counselling myself. I started my training in 1996 and qualified as a Person-Centred counsellor in 1998. I am a registered member of BACP & have been accredited since 2010. Although the focus of counselling is on the experience of the individual client, my personal values, which centre on the importance of community, equality, social, environmental and political justice, also inform my practice.
I like the Person-Centred approach because it is based on the fundamental belief that all human beings have the potential to grow and heal given the right conditions. This means that people can call on inner-resources that they perhaps did not realise they had and tackle all-kinds of seemingly impossible situations, often coming out the other side clearer and stronger. In my relationship with clients I work on creating the conditions for that growth to take place, and people can find themselves moving to greater self-acceptance and confidence.
Originally from the Midlands I have been settled in Merseyside for over twenty years. When I am not working I enjoy reading, yoga and meditation, art-making, gardening, and cycling and walking in places of nature. I am one of the founding members of my local community group which provides mutual support and tackles important local issues such as protecting our natural habitat from developers.
My Experience
- 1996-2000 - Support Worker - Imagine Community Mental Health Services
- 1997-1998 - Counsellor (trainee) - Victim Support (Wigan Metro)
- 1997-1998 - Counsellor (trainee) - Edgehill University Student Services
- 2000-2005 - Service Manager - Imagine Community Mental Health Services
- 2003-2004 - Counsellor - RASA (Rape Crisis)
- 2005-2010 - Counsellor - Action on Addiction
- 2012-2013 - Support Group Facilitator - Breast Cancer Care
- 2012-2017 - Staff Counsellor - Merseycare NHS Trust
- 2008 - present - Private Counselling & Supervision Practice
My Qualifications
- BA (Honours) Degree in English (1992)
- Advanced Certificate in Counselling (1996)
- Advanced Diploma in Counselling (1998)
- Post Graduate Certificate in Counselling Supervision (2013)
Other Relevant Training
- Interpersonal Group Therapy (2007)
- Twelve Step Facilitation (2008)
- Essential Gestalt (2009)
- Mindfulness & Stress (Breathworks) (2010)
- Transactional Analysis (2012)
- Group Therapy - Nick Totton - (2015-16)
- Counselling on-line (2020)
- Art therapy (large group experiential) (2021)