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I am a counsellor and psychotherapist working in York. The aim of my practice is to support people to learn about themselves, overcome difficulties, improve their relationships, and grow in confidence.
Who I work with
I offer counselling to individuals aged 18 and over. I have worked with:
People who are struggling with depression or low mood
People who are struggling with stress or anxiety
People who are having difficulties in relationships
People who want to understand more about themselves and how they "tick"
People who have experienced trauma - whether a one-off traumatic event or an ongoing traumatic situation
People who have experienced loss
Men and women who have experienced sexual abuse as children
Men and women who have experienced sexual assault as adults
Health and social care workers
Unpaid carers
Police officers and staff
People struggling to find meaning in their lives
Partners of adults on the autism spectrum
Adults exploring whether to seek a diagnosis of autism, or coming to terms with a diagnosis
People taking, or thinking about taking, medication to help with anxiety or depression (NB I'm not qualified to advise on the medical aspects of this decision but can help you explore the respective roles of medication and counselling at your particular stage of your journey, and signpost you to medical advice at the appropriate time)
And just to be clear: who I don't work with
I do not work with children and young people who are 17 or under
I do not offer couples counselling (also known as relationship counselling or marital counselling)
I do not work with adults on issues of adoption
All the above are specialisms for which I am not trained/qualified.
The kind of counselling I do
I am an integrative counsellor and psychotherapist. I tailor my approach to each individual who asks for my help, doing my best to explain things without using jargon. I invite you to tell me regularly how counselling is working for you (or not) so that we can make changes if we need to.
I'm responsible for the process of counselling - contracting, reviewing, timekeeping - but you are responsible for the content, so in each session, once we have concluded any necessary "business", I hand over to you to say what you'd like to talk about. In this way we make sure we are using the time to explore the topics you choose.
For those who are interested in theory, you may like to know that I use elements from:
exploratory goal-corrected psychotherapy(C) (EGCP) also known as the McCluskey Model
internal family systems therapy (IFS)
transactional analysis (TA)
Did you know that anyone can call themselves a counsellor?
Even people who have had no training in counselling, or who have never experienced therapy themselves!
There is more on this in this BBC podcast https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07wx9hw (you will need to sign in/register to listen).
I am happy to tell you what brought me into counselling and about my training, qualifications and experience, and produce my certificates on request.
My BACP Therapist Directory listing can be found here.
Professional membership, accreditation and registration
2007: Membership of BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy)
2010: Accreditation with BACP
2013: BACP Registration number 23222 (check my Register entry here)
A bit of my history
I came to York to study at the University of York and graduated BA (Hons) in Linguistics and Education. I then worked in Poland for several years teaching English as a foreign language. On my return to York I worked first as a support worker for adults with learning disabilities, and then spent 10 years in the field of community mediation as an administrator, mediator, trainer and service manager. As a volunteer I helped establish the York branch of the Alternatives to Violence Project in 1994 and for several years ran conflict resolution workshops as part of a team of facilitators.
How I got into counselling as a profession
I've done a lot of group work but have always loved working with people on a one-to-one basis. My own experience of having counselling was life-changing and I wanted to offer the same opportunity to other people. So I was delighted to be offered a place on the Graduate Diploma in Counselling at York St John University in 2004 and I graduated in 2006.
My experience as a counsellor
I have 18 years' post-qualification experience and have completed over 5400 clinical hours with clients.
I have held voluntary and paid counselling roles in a number of organisations in and around York.
I established my independent counselling practice in 2011, offering counselling and psychotherapy to individuals and psycho-educational workshops to the general public.
I qualified as a supervisor of counsellors and psychotherapists in 2013 and offer clinical supervision to trainee and qualified counsellors. I am a member of Yorkshire Supervisors Forum.
My qualifications and ongoing training
My counselling qualifications are:
2006: Graduate Diploma in Counselling, York St John University
2013: Level 6 Certificate in Therapeutic Counselling Supervision, City and Islington College
It is a requirement of my registration and accreditation with BACP that I undertake regular Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to keep my skills and knowledge up to date. (Plus I love learning!) My recent CPD includes:
2025: London lectures on psychoanalysis
2025: Domestic abuse and risk management
2024: Working with difficult supervisees
2024: What makes the perfect supervisor?
2024: Ethical Framework review
2024: Embodied presence
2023: Looking after ourselves and our supervisees
2023: ScoPEd transition period for BACP members
2022: Neurodiversity awareness in supervision
2022: Introduction to Internal Family Systems
2022: Supervising in socially challenging times
2021: EGCP advanced experiential training
2021: Supporting student members on their professional journey
2021: Supervising somatic therapy online
2021: Working with shame
2020: Working with psychiatric drugs
2020: Suicide Awareness training
2020: The impact of COVID-19 on BAME communities
2020: How to do counselling online
2020: Using technology in therapy and supervision
2019: Fear and the Therapist
2019: EMDR refresher training
2019: Conference with Tony Attwood on relationships and Asperger syndrome
2019: Women and girls on the autistic spectrum
2019: Presence and absence in supervision
2018-2020: Member of Aspire Consultancy's monthly CPD and supervision group for counsellors working with autism and neurodiversity
2016-2017: two-year training programme in exploratory goal-corrected psychotherapy(C) with Dr Una McCluskey
And these are the books I've been reading over the last 3-4 years:
Just One Thing
Boundaries
Carl Rogers Counsels a Black Client
Lost Connections
Anger, Rage and Relationship
The Dance of Anger
This Too Will Pass
Do Pause
Time to Think
Trauma, Abandonment and Privilege
Scattered Minds
You're Not Meant to be Happy, so Stop Trying
Anchored
The Well Gardened Mind
The Act of Living
Internal Family Systems Therapy
The Myth of Mental Illness
Hold Me Tight
When the Body Says No
The Gifts of Imperfection
How to Tell Depression to Piss Off
Unshame
The Highly Sensitive Person
Healing the Shame that Binds You
Talking with Bereaved People
The Road Less Travelled
Running on Empty
The Chimp Paradox
Life and How to Survive It
LGBTQ Clients in Therapy
Being Mortal
In Therapy
Cutting It Out
As a member of BACP I work within BACP's Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions. As part of my ongoing accreditation and registration requirements I attend supervision on a monthly basis which I view as an essential and valuable way of safeguarding my clients and developing my practice.
I hold Professional Liability Insurance and am registered as a Data Controller with the Information Commissioner's Office, as part of my commitment to holding and processing personal information about my clients and supervisees in line with the law.
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