About me
I am a qualified counsellor, with a BACP-accredited degree in Integrative Counselling. This allows me to draw from different counselling theories, including Person-Centred/Humanistic, Existential, Psychodynamic and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), depending on your needs, goals and preferences, to create a truly personalised approach to your unique problem or issue.
If you want to know about the different counselling modalities in a little more detail, there is a wealth of information on the BACP website.
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I have also undertaken further training in Solution Focused Therapy & Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), and I hold a Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Autism. More recently, I trained to work with some more creative counselling tools and techniques, incorporating these in sessions where clients feel they might be a helpful way to express themselves or as a way to view a problem or issue differently.
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I am committed to ongoing professional development, and continuously strive to maintain and expand my knowledge and skills via workshops and conferences, through professional research and literature, as well as via my regular clinical supervision. I am fully insured and hold an enhanced DBS check.
BACP
I am registered with the British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy and I work within their ethical code and follow best practice guidelines. It also means I am committed to regular supervision and ongoing personal and professional development.
NCPS
I am also registered with the National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society (NCPS).
ACTO
As a member of the Association for Counselling and Therapy Online (ACTO), I am committed to maintaining the highest standards when offering counselling online.
Creative Counsellors
Having completed the Creative Counsellors fellowship training I am passionate about learning and bringing creative interventions into the counselling room where clients may find this helpful.
Incorporating creative tools
Exploring a problem or issue creatively through symbols, pictures or art, can reach parts of us that otherwise remain unconscious. I sometimes invite clients to incorporate creative tools into sessions where they might be helpful, but this is always a choice.
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Here are just some examples of how creative tools might be used.
Using therapy cards to explore how 'core needs' were, or were not met in childhood and adulthood
Working together
Ultimately I am a human being, just like you, who has struggled.
I know how hard it can be to ask for help, so I do my best to reassure my clients that we will always work together in a way, and at a pace that feels right for them and I truly want my clients to get what they need from our time together.
I have experience working with a wide range of difficulties but as every client and every problem is unique to them I offer a free informal chat which allows me to work out whether I feel I have the rights skills to best support you, and gives you a chance to decide whether you feel like I am a good fit for what you need. Should we decide to work together, our sessions will either be held Online via Zoom, or in-person at The Willow Herbal Centre in Romford RM3, depending on your preference and we would usually meet on the same day and time each week as this allows me to reserve that space specifically for you. I do also offer sessions bi-weekly.
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Our first session will usually be a consultation, which simply means I will ask you quite a few questions to learn more about you and what has happened to you - the pieces of your puzzle.
Counselling is a collaborative process and I will work with you from the start to identify what you want, or hope for, from your sessions and to agree on how we can best work together to achieve this, with regular reviews to check how we are doing. The number of sessions will depend on your needs and goals, and I usually allow the first few sessions for us to explore these as we get to know each other.
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I will ask you to sign and return a counselling contract, and a client information form prior to our first session. The contract outlines the mutual responsibilities and terms of our therapeutic relationship, whilst the information form collects medical information and emergency contact details to help me to keep you safe.
Please read my Privacy Policy, which outlines your rights and my obligations with regard to collecting, using, sharing and storing your personal information.
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My approach
I believe we all have within us the power to find our way forward when life knocks us off our feet, but we can’t always see it, we don’t always believe it and sometimes we can become stuck and lose sight of it.
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I can’t give you all the answers to your problems, as I believe that only you know what the right answer for you is. But I will come with you on that journey of exploration as you learn more about yourself. I will help you to look at your problem or situation more clearly, offering different perspectives and deepening understanding, and together we can explore all of the possible solutions. I will support you to make the right decisions for yourself but not by yourself.
Image by Mel Poole on Unsplash