I have been qualified as a Counsellor for over ten years, but have been working in the field for longer. I started out as a Breastfeeding Counsellor, and then decided that I wanted to expand my knowledge, and so I studied for my degree in Psychology at UWE, Bristol and gained my Honours degree. I had previously gained a BSc Hons in Building Surveying and worked as a Building Surveyor and Project Manager for the MOD, local authorities and in the private sector.

My early experiences in counselling was working with pregnant and new mothers, and although I was primarily a Breastfeeding Counsellor, I found that I was spending a lot of my time debriefing new parents over the birthing process and what it meant to them to be new parents, along with the changes and challenges that this new journey in your life brings you. These experiences made me want to become more involved in working with new families and from there I progressed on to working with individuals and young people.

I have worked in the NHS at LIFT Swindon as a Psychology Practitioner and in the voluntary sector for the last few years. A few years ago I decided that I wanted to gain a further qualification; a Professional Doctorate (DCounsPsych) in Counselling Psychology, and I have finished the taught part of the Doctorate, with only my thesis left to finish, which is why my professional title is now Counselling Psychologist in Training.

I am a working mother and so I can empathise as to the struggles involved in having a family and balancing work/life commitments, especially as I run my own private practice. As a teenager I had a turbulent time; I found it difficult during my teens to know what I wanted or how I would achieve it and so became quite frustrated and rebellious a lot of the time. Due to the difficulties I experienced during this time, I often find that this has helped enable me to quickly develop a strong rapport with young people.

I am fully qualified and I work with a Supervisor who ensures that all my work is conducted ethically and under best practice. My governing body is the British Psychological Society, where I am a registered Graduate Member of the Division of Counselling Psychology, and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, where I am a registered Member.

The title’s after my name are my qualifications- BSc Hons, as I have a BSc Hons in Psychology and Building Surveying; DipHE, as I hold a Diploma of Higher Education in Counselling; MBPsS signifies that I am a Member of the British Psychological Society (BPS); MBACP signifies that I am a Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychology (BACP) .

I am fully insured by Howden Insurance for my private practice and I am continually learning by the process of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) to ensure that my skills base is current and up to date.

Qualifications and Training

• BSc Hons Building Surveying (Bristol, UWE)
• BSc Hons Psychology (Bristol, UWE)
• DipHE Counselling (University of Bedfordshire)
• Certificate in CBT (Bristol, UWE and PESI Training)
• Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology (Bristol, UWE, completed to MSc level so far)
• Certificate in Teaching Mindfulness (Irish Mindfulness Association) 
• Trauma Masterclass, Trauma and Physiology, Adolescents and Trauma, Polyvagal Theory and Trauma, Neurobiology of Trauma, Trauma and Attachment and Expert Strategies for Working with Traumatic Memory (NICABM, PESI Training)
• Polyvagal Theory (NICABM, PESI Training)
• Anxiety (NICABM, PESI Training)
• DBT (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy) Training, BPS Approved Certificate in 3rd Wave CBT (SDS Training)
• ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) and SFT (Solution Focussed Therapy) (NHS Workshops, NICABM, Online Events and PESI Training)
• Abandonment (NICABM, PESI Training)
• Attachment (NICABM, PESI Training)
• ADHD (NICABM, PESI Training)
• Certification in working with ASD (PESI Training)
• Schema Therapy Certification (BPS)
• Existential Therapies (Mick Cooper Training and PESI Training)
• Family Constellations workshop (Online Events Training)
• IFS (Internal Family Systems) 2 Day workshop (PESI Training)
• OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) Workshops (BACP)
• Depression, Suicide and Self Harm (NICABM, BPS, BACP, PESI Training and multiple conferences)
• Online Therapeutic Working (BPS Workshops, BACP Workshops, Online Events and PESI Training)
• SST (Single Session Therapy) workshops (Online Events Training)