My Approach

In our work we will look at your life and your experiences and help you take stock of your past, present and future for "we can understand our lives backwards but we can only live forwards", so that you're more aware and therefore able to make good choices about how to live even when things are difficult. My job is to support you, to help you gain perspectives, to become more self-aware and to help you see yourself and your process more clearly so blindspots don't get in the way.

We live in a world with other people and very often thinking how to engage with others that figure in your life and the tensions and conflicts that might arise in these relationships will be part of our work. Sometimes our conversations will have a very practical nature, other times they will be deep and emotional.

I value you as an individual and respect your right to make the choices you make and encourage you to see life as having possibilities.
I'm friendly, non-judgmental, conversational, respectful and warm and bring years of experience to my work.

I'm informed by a richness of ideas and thinking, here are some of them:

existential philosophy which is about the hard facts of life: being born and getting on with life, always be in a constant state of change, getting old, uncertainty about the world and how that leaves us feeling ill at ease at times at not being able to control it, possibility for making our futures what we would like them to be, sharing the world with other people and creatures and nature and the joys and challenges that brings...... and much more

phenomenology which means that you can only see the world from where you are and as you are, therefore you attribute meanings and values from your perspective e.g. every single person sees the world differently

relational depth which is about how you and I meet and the importance of the trust you place in me and the importance of the quality of our relationship

psychodynamic thinking which makes sense of how your past influences how you make sense of your current experience

transgenerational work which understands how family culture and lore can influence how we see the world and make sense of it

gestalt psychotherapy whose interest is embodied awareness so we're not just thinking about everything but really connecting to our experience and the world around us

transactional analysis and its interest in how in certain situations we find ourselves repeating roles that perhaps don't work well for us

And many more ideas.

About Me

I have been working as a therapist for over 25 years, meeting with individuals, couples, families and groups. Inclusivity and diversity hold an an important place in my practice.

My work as a therapist started with working in alcohol and then in mental health when I worked clinically and in management for mental health charities in tandem with the NHS. For 20 years, alongside my private practice, I taught theory and practice and supervised in three of the most reputable psychotherapy training organisations in London. I have published several papers and a book chapter on supervision. These experiences have greatly enriched my work and practice and so I have been constantly challenged to think about what makes therapy helpful (and unhelpful). I currently write a regular column for the BACP magazine Private Practice.

I am also a qualified accredited mediator

My aim is to make the therapeutic experience helpful and meaningful for you, whatever it is that brings you to our sessions; and to help you clarify your situation and find a way of living better and more fully in spite of challenges and difficulties you may face. This might mean you are more confident, less anxious, feeling more in charge and experience greater contentment. As a result of meetings, I hope your have a more comfortable engagement in life and relationships; .

In our conversations, you will find my style is engaged, down to earth and professional and my manner is warm. While, I am very attentive and bring rich experience and understanding to our meetings, I do not assume I know better than you about what it is to be you; I do hope, however, to help you understand better and reflect on your individual experience. Also, I am respectful of your pace and your absolute right not to talk about things if you choose not to.

I have a great belief in the value of reflective therapy as a way of taking stock of one's life and re-evaluating the choices we make in how we live and how we encounter others.

We meet on skype or Zoom or at my comfortable private home practice (Covid permitting), I ensure a confidential secure space is available in whatever medium we work in..

I can offer a flexibility of meeting times if your lifestyle requires it.

I work with

• Companies
• Couples
• Families
• Groups
• Individuals

Special Interests

Like all UKCP registered psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors I can work with a wide range of issues, but here are some areas in which I have a special interest or additional experience.

Types of Therapies Offered

• Existential Psychotherapist

What I can help with

• Abuse
• ADHD
• Adoption
• Age-related Issues
• AIDS/HIV
• Anger Management
• Anxiety
• Autism
• Bereavement
• Bulimia
• Bullying
• Cancer
• Chronic Illness
• Couple Issues
• Cultural Issues
• Depression
• Disability
• Divorce
• Domestic Violence
• EMDR
• Employment Difficulties
• Family
• Gender
• Health-related Issues
• Identity Problems
• Infertility
• Mental Health Issues
• Obsessions
• Online Counselling
• Parents
• Phobias
• Physical Abuse
• Post-Traumatic Stress
• Prescribed Drug Dependence
• Private Practice Issues
• Race Issues
• Relationships
• Separation
• Sex Problems
• Sexual Abuse
• Sexuality
• Spirituality
• Step Families
• Stress
• Suicide
• Supervision
• Telephone Counselling
• Terminal Illness
• Training
• Transgender
• Trauma
• Workplace Counselling