Hello

Having worked with cancer patients, both adults and children, in the NHS for many years, the most enjoyable part of my job was always spending time talking to patients and their families. This often seemed like the most important part of the job too, as many felt great relief from spending some time talking about their worries and having someone listen. Unfortunately, as time went on and NHS pressures increased, there was little time left to spend talking to patients - this inspired me to retrain as a counsellor.

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I gained my degree in Therapeutic Counselling at Leeds Beckett University and have volunteered my services to charities such as Macmillan, low cost counselling services for those on low incomes and charities dedicated to survivors of sexual abuse. 

My work experience also includes working for Leeds Teaching Hospitals Bereavement Services during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering advice and support for recently bereaved families. More recently, I began working for Healthy Minds as a Mental Health Wellbeing Practitioner, offering advice, support and coping strategies to GP patients who are experiencing problems with their mental health.

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My formal training as well as the number of different post qualifying courses I have completed has meant I am able to utilise a number of different theoretical approaches and techniques to work with various issues seen, including;

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• anxiety

• anger management

• bullying

• childhood neglect

• confidence issues
• controlling and coercive relationships

• depression

• domestic violence

• disabilities

• divorce and separation

• eating disorders

• family disputes

• gender identity

• grief, loss and bereavement

• living with / caring for someone with a terminal illness and issues faced at end of life

• living with long term medical conditions

• men's mental health

• panic attacks

• pet loss

• relationship difficulties

• self harm

• self image

• sexual abuse 

• sexual violence

• sexual identity

• sleep problems

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My work has taught me that no two people experience the same situation in exactly the same way. As an integrative counsellor I may use a number of different techniques from different psychological approaches which best suit my clients and their needs. However, whatever the issue, the fundamental part of counselling is the relationship between me and the person I am working with - People need to feel comfortable talking about the things that are troubling them and for this reason, compassion, empathy, honesty and respect are at the forefront of everything I do.

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