My work as a therapist and trainer comes from a lifelong interest and curiosity in people and a desire to support others to find better emotional health and wellbeing. I feel passionate about how the therapeutic process can bring about healing and transformation for people. I am committed to this work because I find it so rewarding and inspiring to see people change, grow and move forward in their lives, especially if they have experienced trauma and suffering.
My focus is to provide a safe, supportive environment for self discovery and also to provide the understanding, resources and tools my clients need to overcome their own difficulties. I believe that people can heal and flourish best when they experience understanding, empathy, and compassion. As such, I always endeavor to bring a spirit of compassion and curiosity to my work. My approach is person-centred, in that we will focus on your unique story, situation, needs and goals in therapy, and go at a pace that is right for you. As much as possible, my work is collaborative and experiential, as well as focused on reconnecting body and mind.
My approach to therapy comes from my belief that there is an innate intelligence and wisdom in each person, and that tapping into this is helpful for a positive therapeutic outcome. By this I mean that even behaviours and symptoms that seem to make no sense at all, or appear to be counterproductive or sabotaging, in my experience, always makes total sense once we understand their origins and how they come to be that way. When we approach the overall system with curiosity and the attitude that there is some kind of intelligence operating, the work generally goes more quickly and easily towards change.
I bring together my postgraduate training in Clinical Psychology, as well as the research training I obtained through my PhD, and blend this with my extensive training in mindfulness-based somatic approaches to therapy, in order to offer a well-balanced, evidence-based, yet very much individually tailored approach that supports my clients in meeting their therapy goals. I am clinically trained in assessment and diagnosis, and can support you with this if you wish, however my bias is only to use a formal diagnosis when it is helpful in informing treatment, and in a way that does not make a person feel categorised or limited in any way.
In addition to having a sound knowledge base and training, I believe that it is important for a good therapist to draw from their direct personal experience of growth and transformation. I am committed to my own personal growth and ongoing participation in professional development and training.