What do I offer?

I provide a warm, supportive and non-judgemental space for my clients to talk through challenging issues in their lives. This sounds simple, but it is surprisingly powerful. We don’t have many opportunities simply to talk, without worrying what the other person might think, or waiting for them to jump in with their own needs and opinions!

That’s the core of therapy. It’s easy to get confused with different terminology, like “therapy” versus “counselling”, not to mention the many specialised techniques and theoretical approaches on offer. It’s not important to understand these differences - there is good evidence that all types of talk therapy can alleviate mental distress and improve life satisfaction. More important is that your therapist’s individual approach makes sense to you and keeps you engaged in the process.

For more details on my specific approach, click here.

About me 

I had a long career in academia, where I studied sciences and philosophy. I completed my Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling in 2019 and shortly opened my private practice. I am a member of the BACP, one of the main professional bodies for counsellors in the UK. In my counselling practice, I aim to combine the warmth of humanistic therapy with the analytic strength of philosophy.

I believe that a counsellor should be comfortable with the diverse variety of human experience. In this, I have been well-served by my encounters with people from all backgrounds and walks of life, in both professional and social contexts. In a voluntary capacity, I have worked in academia and sex education, activism, and party/festival welfare, including drug harm reduction.  For more information on who I work with, click here.

My clients

All of my clients are experiencing “problems in living”. They might have difficulties in their relationships with friends, family or romantic partners, or issues to do with sex and sexuality. They may be facing major life decisions, like career choices, or whether and when to start a family. They might have faced significant adversity, in the form of abandonment, traumatic experiences, abuse, or oppressive power structures. Or they may be confronting existential issues that sooner or later affect everyone: sickness, mortality, the search for meaning in life.

All these problems can manifest in various forms of psychological distress or self-defeating behaviour, including depression, anxiety, excessive drug or alcohol use, disordered eating, unstable relationships, and problems with anger management or emotional regulation. I treat these types of issues as symptoms of underlying problems, which can in time be addressed with mutual insight and compassion.

I have worked with people from a wide range of backgrounds and walks of life. My initial training was in an NHS service which accepted clients with diverse needs, irrespective of ability to pay. I have also met a broad variety of people in my volunteering career and personal life. I try to avoid preconceptions and approach each client with an open mind and a sense of their unique experience of the world. I particularly welcome inquiries from clients with “alternative” lifestyles who may experience judgement or misunderstanding from other therapists.

Where I work

I am based in the UK, but currently only offering online sessions. I mainly work via Zoom, but can work via other platforms or over the phone if that is preferable. My contact details are here