About me

If you are often your own harshest critic, you are not alone, and it is not a flaw in your character. It is something we can work with, together.

Why I do this work

A great deal of difficulty in people's lives turns out to be held in place by the way they treat themselves. People arrive able to describe, in detail, why they are not good enough. They can be generous and forgiving with everyone except themselves.

What I bring most is a genuine ability to understand people. To sit with what is hard without judgement, and to listen properly. That is not a technique. It is the part of the work I care about most.

How I work

I practise Compassion Focused Therapy, usually shortened to CFT.

In plain terms, our minds run on three systems. A threat system that keeps us safe and alert. A drive system that pushes us to achieve and acquire. And a soothing system that lets us feel calm, safe and connected to other people.

When we have grown up with a lot of criticism, pressure or difficulty, the threat system learns to run the show, and the soothing system gets very little practice. Self-criticism is often the threat system trying to keep us safe by getting in first, before anyone else can.

CFT does not ask you to think more positively, and it is not about letting yourself off. It works by giving the soothing system practice, so that it is not only the threat system answering when something goes wrong.

You can read more about how I work and what CFT involves.

My training and registration

I hold the CPCAB Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling, and I am a Registered Member of the BACP, which means I work to their Ethical Framework and you can check my registration on their public register.

I have several years of counselling experience, with a particular focus on compassion-focused work. I hold professional indemnity insurance, and I am in regular clinical supervision, which is a requirement of ethical practice and means my work is reviewed by an experienced colleague.

You will receive a written working agreement before we begin, setting out how we will work together, what confidentiality means in practice, and what its limits are.

Getting started

I offer counselling in person and online, which suits people who travel, who have caring responsibilities, or who simply find it easier to talk from their own home.

When you feel ready, you are welcome to get in touch. There is no pressure, and a first message can be as short as you like.