As a somatic, trauma-informed integrative counsellor, I work in a client-centred, flexible and creative way. Rather than using a single approach, I draw on different therapeutic methods so that our work together can be tailored to your individual needs.

I will not judge you or tell you what to do. Instead, I will work alongside you to help you explore and process your thoughts, feelings and experiences. Together we can look at your difficulties from different perspectives and gently explore the choices and patterns that may be affecting your life.

Counselling is not a one size fits all process. We'll work together at a pace that feels right for you. Sharing your experiences in a safe space, where you feel heard and valued, can bring meaningful healing and change. I have experience working with a range of issues and regularly undertake additional training to support my professional development.

Understanding what lies beneath

I have a particular interest in trauma and in understanding how our experiences can affect not only our thoughts and

emotions, but also our relationships, our sense of ourselves and our nervous system.

When we experience difficult, overwhelming, or stressful experiences, our mind and body can develop ways to protect us. These responses may have been helpful at one point in our lives, but can sometimes continue long after we are safe.

You may find yourself constantly on edge, overwhelmed by emotions, shutting down or withdrawing, struggling in relationships, or repeating patterns you don’t fully understand.

Rather than seeing these responses as something that is wrong with you, we can gently explore where they may have come from and what they might be trying to communicate.

Anxiety and depression

I work with people experiencing anxiety and depression, including times when life can feel overwhelming, exhausting or difficult to make sense of.

Anxiety can show up in many different ways. You may experience constant worry, racing thoughts, difficulty switching off, feeling on edge, panic, physical tension or a sense that something might go wrong. Sometimes anxiety can lead to avoiding situations or constantly seeking reassurance, even when part of you knows you are safe.

Depression can also look different for everyone. You may feel persistently low, disconnected, exhausted or hopeless, or find that things you would normally enjoy no longer feel meaningful. You might be functioning on the outside while privately finding everyday life incredibly difficult.

Rather than focusing only on the symptoms, I believe it can be helpful to understand what may be happening underneath them. Together, we can explore your experiences with compassion and curiosity, including patterns in your relationships, thoughts and emotions, your nervous system, and the different parts of yourself that may be trying to cope.

The aim isn’t simply to make difficult feelings disappear, but to help you understand yourself more deeply, develop supportive coping strategies, and feel more connected to yourself and your life.

Attachment

Our early relationships and experiences can influence how we see ourselves, understand other people, and experience relationships throughout our lives.

An attachment-focused approach can help us gently explore some of these patterns and how they may be showing up in your life now.

Perhaps you find it difficult to trust people, worry about rejection or abandonment, put other people’s needs before your own, struggle to ask for what you need, or become anxious when someone feels distant.

Understanding where these patterns come from can help you develop greater compassion for yourself and begin to find different ways of relating to yourself and others.

Working with parts of ourselves

There can be different ‘parts’ of us that show up at different times.

You may have a part that is very self-critical, another that worries about everything, one that wants to keep everyone happy, or another that simply wants to withdraw and be left alone.

These parts often develop as ways to protect us and help us cope with experiences that may have felt difficult or overwhelming.

Rather than trying to get rid of these parts, we can gently get to know them. With curiosity and compassion, we can explore what they are trying to protect you from and what they might need.

This can help you understand yourself with greater kindness, rather than feeling frustrated or ashamed of the ways you respond.

The nervous system

I also draw on Polyvagal Theory to help us understand the relationship between your nervous system, your emotions and your sense of safety.

Our nervous system is constantly responding to what is happening around us and within us. Sometimes it reacts before our thinking mind has a chance to catch up.

You might notice that you become tense or alert, feel the need to escape, become overwhelmed, or perhaps go the other way and feel numb, disconnected or shut down.

These responses aren’t weaknesses or failures. They can be ways your nervous system has learned to protect you.

Learning to recognise these patterns can help you understand yourself differently and begin to develop ways to feel safer, more grounded, and more connected.

Somatic work

I also use somatic approaches, which means paying attention to what is happening in your body alongside what is happening in your thoughts and emotions.

Sometimes our bodies can tell us something before we have the words to describe it. You might notice tension, a tightness in your chest, changes in your breathing, a feeling in your stomach, restlessness or a desire

to withdraw.

Rather than needing to analyse or explain everything, we can sometimes gently slow down and become curious about these sensations and what they might be telling us.

This can be particularly helpful when experiences or emotions are difficult to put into words, or when you understand something intellectually but your body still responds as though you are not safe.

Somatic work is always gentle and collaborative. You will never be asked to focus on your body or revisit an experience in a way that feels overwhelming. The aim is to help you develop a greater sense of awareness, connection and safety within yourself.

A whole-person approach

I believe that our emotional wellbeing isn’t just about our thoughts. Our experiences, emotions, relationships, bodies and nervous systems are all connected.

Sometimes talking things through and making sense of your experiences is what you need. Other times, it may help to slow things down and notice what is happening in your body, explore a particular part of yourself, or use creative approaches when something feels difficult to put into words.

There is no expectation that you need to know what approach you need before we begin. That’s something we can discover together.

My aim is to offer you a warm, compassionate and non-judgemental space where you can feel heard and understood, develop a deeper understanding of yourself and begin to make changes that feel meaningful to

you.