About

I am passionate and love my career in counselling and psychotherapy working with individual adults and young people with a broad range of issues, helping people gain insights into their difficulties and working with them to find a way forward a way that is best for them.

I have been a counsellor for several years and I know, from experience that sometimes the personal and professional challenges that life constantly throws at us are easier to overcome with counselling support and help. As I qualified Counsellor it has allowed me to gain a wide range of experiences working in mental health, safeguarding, illness, disability and education with children, adolescents and adults.

For your convenience, I work from home, my office in Leicester and offer home visits across Leicestershire. Telephone, online counselling and supervision is a service I provide nationwide.

My journey began working as a volunteer counsellor for Mosaic on Placement in 2007. I now manage and facilitate Group Counselling Supervision to a team of 12 Counsellors. I have gained extensive experience working with illness, loss and disability and implemented the Counselling Service and Supervision for LCIL (Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living) for a period of 2 years.

For 10 years, I have worked as a school and college counsellor supporting young people from age 6 - 21 years. I currently work part-time as a primary school counsellor in a few schools in Leicestershire. I have years of experience working with self-harm, self-esteem, bullying, relationships and sexuality, working with every aspect of being a young person today and the problems with social media that arise.

In March 2014, I was approached and asked to set up a structured and streamlined Counselling Service at The Leicester LGBT Centre and facilitate group and individual Supervision for the Centre. Having a great deal of knowledge and experience of counselling LGBT Clients I wholeheartedly accepted. Counselling is a way of working and exploring thoughts, feelings and questions of gender, sexuality and identity.

During my work as a qualified counsellor and psychotherapist, I have seen the most beautiful type of Alchemy, which is the transformation of the human mind and behaviours, the attainment of inner peace and tranquillity, the vast improvement in self-confidence and self-belief and the understanding of the personal meaning of happiness. I understand the challenges of the process but also the satisfaction of experiencing a life full of possibilities, a fulfilled life.

I work with:

Anxiety & Depression which are often combined, fortunately treating depression also helps ease symptoms of anxiety. Depression and anxiety can also cause physical symptoms, professional counselling can make dealing with anxiety easier. Learning ways to deal with attacks & take control of your life.

Chronic illness and disability now affect more people than ever before. Counselling can also be a means of coping with physical & emotional symptoms of loss and pain. Caring for someone with a physical disability or illness can be a very challenging responsibility & emotionally draining.

Abuse can happen to anyone. It involves more than physical violence, abuse can be emotional and sexual. Abuse has a devastating impact. It can create a wide ranging and long lasting physical, emotional and psychological scars. Counselling helps to rebuild your life.

Relationships issues such as marriage problems, affairs, separation and abuse can leave you feeling angry, sad, insecure.

Bereavement there’s no right or wrong way to grieve and there’s no telling how long it may take. There are different types of bereavement and loss, with different effects. Counselling helps in working through your grief and coming to terms with your loss.

Drugs, Alcohol, Gambling, Addictions Although substances and addictions can feel good at first, they can ultimately do a lot of harm to the body and brain. The most widely used drug in the world is alcohol which acts as a depressant that alters perceptions, emotions, and senses.

Anger is a secondary emotion that is hugely misunderstood. It is a signal and a reaction when we think and believe we are being treated unfairly. Feelings of hurt, betrayal, guilt and upset.

LGBT Counselling it can be difficult to find counsellor with some understanding of the issues and how daunting the prospect of taking the first steps can be. I offer counselling that provides a confidential, non-judgmental and friendly space in which in which you can feel safe and secure when discussing your feelings of sexuality, identity and experiences of discrimination or rejection.

Qualifications:

• Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Therapist (CCTP) (IATP) 
• Advanced Trauma Treatment for Children and Adolescents
• Child Criminal Exploitation and County Lines Level 1
• Cert - The Ethics of Touch in Child Psychotherapy and Play Therapy
• Cert - Trauma Treatment for Children - Healing the Body through Play
• Cert - The 10 Core Competencies of Trauma, PTSD, Grief and Loss
• Cert - Evidence Based Trauma Treatments and Interventions
• Safeguarding Adults V5
• Trafficking, Expoitation and Modern Slavery V2
• eSafety Working with Children V2
• Cert. Safeguarding in Education 1865365938 Expires 19/06/2021
• Mental Capacity Act - Basic Awareness V3
• Female Genital Mutilation Level 2
• Awareness of Forced Marriages V2
• Play Therapy Level 3              
• Dip Drawing and Talking Foundation Course
• Dip. Counselling Children & Adolescents
• Dip. Support Work in Schools
• Dip. Supervision Studies
• Health & Safety Level 2
• Dip. Anger Management
• Dip. Higher National Diploma in the Theory and Practice of Counselling
• Cert. Counselling Skills
• Advanced Dip. Diet and Nutrition
• The Award in Education and Training

Training:

• Mental Health Studies - Suicide, Violent Behaviour and Substance Abuse - Revised
• Covid-19 Psychological First Aid - Public Health England
• Understand Anxiety in Children
• Self-harm and Suicidal Thoughts in Children and Young People
• Managing sexualised behaviour in secondary schools - NSPCC
• Introduction to Child Exploitation - PACE
• The Impact of Child Exploitation on the family - PACE
• Child Exploitation Human Trafficking & Modern Day Slavery - PACE
• Disruption of Child Exploitation - PACE
• Keep Them Safe - Protecting Children from Child Sexual Exploitation 
• Working with Bereavement supporting Children and Young People
• A Safe Return to School Framework SWAN - Covid 19
• Support young people to Break the Cycle of Self-Harm
• Trauma defined - The body keeps score - Bessel van der Kolk
• Trauma related shame and self loathing with Janina Fisher
• Moving your Practice online - Online Therapy Institute
• Sexual Abuse and Grooming
• How Safe are our Children - NSPCC Conference 2018
• Introduction to Management
• Talking to Children about Emotional Resilience and Self Harm
• Treating Intrusive Thoughts and The Inner Critical Voice
• Transgender Counselling
• Working with Self harm and Suicidal thoughts with adolescents
• Recruiting and Managing Volunteers
• Emotionally Focused Therapy
• LGBT Counselling
• Suicide Awareness
• Understanding HIV
• Understanding The Social Model of Disability
• Helping Children Affected by Domestic Violence
• Self Harm
• Attachment and Mental Health Children and Young People
• Depression in Children and Young People
• Impact of Childhood Traumatic Stress
• Domestic Violence Awareness
• Working with Young Drug and Alcohol Users
• Understanding Domestic Abuse and the Impact on Children
• Food and Self Control
• Basic CBT Principles working with Children and Adolescents
• Child Mental Health
• Supporting Children's Self Esteem
• Nurturing Family Bonds
• Safer Sex Awareness
• Common Assessment Framework Lead Professional Training
• Risk Taking Behaviour and Adolescent Brain Development
• Female Sexual Abuse

Code of Ethics

As a Registered and Accredited Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), I abide by the Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy. I'm also an accredited member of the National Counselling Society and an Associate Member of PTUK - Play Therapy UK.  

I hold an enhanced DBS and I am also registered with the Information Commissioners Office ico.org.uk/register (Data Protection) - registration number ZA229402.

I am a member of the Registered Counsellors British Isles, membership No 9263