About Me
I am a humanistic counsellor, which means that I believe you are the expert on yourself and my role is to facilitate a non-judgemental, empathic space in which you are able to find your own truths. I work mostly from the 'inside out', meaning we explore what's at the core of you and how this might impact your present life. Getting to know what drives our feelings, thoughts and behaviours can help create meaningful, long-term change. I work integratively and creatively, drawing on modalities that are most suited to you.
I am non-pathological in my approach and I do not diagnose or analyse you. You are a unique human being with a unique story. We might not always understand, or even like, why we think, feel and behave in certain ways but once we look beneath the surface we usually find good reasons why we are who we are. Once we become more aware, we start being able to choose who we want to be and how we want to live our lives. Our focus is on the present, our here-and-now experience, which at times leads us to the past.
I follow the biopsychosocial model which acknowledges that there are several components that collectively impact our wellbeing and our experience of the world. I am particularly interested in the social component, as I believe we are constantly influenced by our environment, and often we may not even be aware of the impact on our day-to-day lives. In my experience, exploring emotional & psychological wellbeing through the biopsychosocial lens, allows us to develop deeper self-compassion, as well as self-empowerment.
In my practice, I am gender sexuality and relationship diversity affirmative. This means I'm mindful of my use of language, I avoid making assumptions and I don't patholosise who you are as a person. I regard all identities and consensual lifestyles as part of human diversity. I have a broad understanding of the impact culture and society have on us all, particularly on those of us from marginalised communities. My aim is to provide you with a space in which you feel safe, seen, heard and understood.
Qualifications and Experience
I trained at Wealden College for Counselling and Psychotherapy, in Crowborough. My training was very experiential which helped me develop a deep level of self-awareness. This is an essential part of becoming a therapist as you can be assured that I have done 'the work' myself. My on-going personal and professional development enables me to be an intuitive, robust and effective counsellor.
I take continuous, professional development very seriously as I want to ensure that I am as knowledgeable and as up-to-date in my work as I can possibly be. Recent training I have undertaken include:
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HIV Awareness Training, Terrence Trust, Sussex Beacon, Brighton
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Understanding Kink & BDSM, Pink Therapy, online
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Working with Compulsive, Sexual Behaviours, Silva Neeves, Contemporary Institute of Clinical Sexology, Cambridge
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Working with Trauma, Joanna Beazley, Wealden College, Crowborough
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Telehealth Training - Practicing Counselling Online, Kate Anthony, online
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Gender, Sexuality and Relationship Diversity, Meg-John Barker, Brighton
I have been practicing as a counsellor for several years and I have previously worked for BIMM Institute, Pavilions (now Change Grow Live), MindOut and BourneOut, in Eastbourne. I have previously volunteered at Survivors Network, facilitiating support groups for people who have experienced sexual violence. I currently work solely in private practice.
A little bit more about me personally... I'm really passionate about creating an intentional and meaningful life, which very much feels like a life-long project. I love sea swimming, cycling around Brighton, and spending time with loved ones, including my little rescue dog Milly.