About Me
My Journey
I believe that counselling therapy works. Why? because I have done it myself. With the help and companionship of some wonderful therapists I have worked to become content with who I am.
For many years I had felt a deep unease about who I was supposed to be. I had been presenting a version of me that got on with life and was acceptable to the world. One that had been shaped by the expectations of others – family, society, the education system and my employers. I struggled with this version of me and it affected my mental health. I frequently struggled with anxiety, depression and low mood. I was my own worst critic and questioned my worth. Eventually I was diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder in my mid-30s.
In time it became apparent that the ‘who I really was’ and wanted to be more of was more creative, empathetic and caring. I decided that I needed to find inner-peace and my authentic self and so I sought help from counselling therapy.
‘Am I living in a way which is deeply satisfying to me, and which truly expresses me?’
— Carl R. Rogers
Becoming the Authentic Me
The support I received inspired me to become a psychotherapeutic counsellor. I returned to university in later life to retrain after a long commercial career. It was the death of my parents and my children growing up that finally prompted me to take stock of where I was and what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I felt instinctually drawn to counselling and psychotherapy as being more in tune with my authentic self and I wanted to give something back to society.
Why Integrative?
I chose to be an integrative counsellor because I don’t believe that there is only one way to help. I consider that people should have a say in the counselling approach that they find most helpful. I think that this is what being integrative means – being able to adapt to a person’s individuality and recognising the importance of continued learning to avoid a one therapy solution fits all mindset. I have worked with many clients and each of their unique journeys has taught me something new about counselling and about myself.
‘The day we think we know all we need to know in order to help people is probably the day we cease to be able to help at all.’
— Professor Paul Wachtel
Today In becoming a counsellor I have found an inner peace and become more at ease and content with my life. I am passionate about helping others to find balance in their lives and helping clients, as experts in their own lives, to achieve their therapeutic goals and find solutions that work for them.