Are you, or someone you love, finding life difficult?

• Are anxiety, low mood or other psychological, behavioural or relational issues getting in the way of living life to the full?
• Are you a parent looking for a qualified and experienced mental health professional to help your child or teen? 
• I am trained as a psychotherapist / counsellor to doctoral level and have extensive experience working with adults and with children and young people with a wide range of presenting problems.
• I can offer a safe and confidential environment, either face to face or online, in which to  express concerning thoughts and feelings, gain deeper insight into difficulties and take positive steps forward. I am an experienced Counsellor, Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, Supervisor and Coaching Psychologist who is registered and accredited with BACP, BABCP and BPsS. I offer both short and long-term work in central London or online. I have worked in organisations such as MIND, Cruse Bereavement Care, Samaritans, Primary & Secondary Schools, GP Surgeries and various counselling agencies. 

What to expect from Individual sessions:

Making the decision to attend a session is a positive step and can offer support beyond that available from family or friends. My aim is to help you find better ways to understand yourself, or to bring about changes to help you manage the way you think or behave, to improve your mental, emotional and behavioural well-being.

Listening carefully is the largest part of what all mental health professionals do. They make sure clients have clarified the problem areas in their own terms and help them decide what steps they want to take next, with the goal of always letting the work proceed at the client’s pace.

Sessions are up to an hour long. In your first session, I will typically ask questions about you and your life. This information helps me make an initial assessment of your situation. Questions I might ask include why you sought therapy at this time or whether there is a particular issue that may have led you to seek help. It may be however that you are unsure what the problem is, or feel a sense of 'stuckness' and may be looking for a way to better achieve your goals or take positive steps forward in life. I may ask you a series of questions about your life. For example, because family situations play an important role in who you are, I may ask about your family history and your current family situation. Other than knowing the reason you sought therapy, I may ask questions to find out if you’re suffering from any other symptoms related or not to your problem.

It is completely normal to feel anxious at first, particularly if this is your first experience of working with a therapist/coach. It can take a while to get used to the situation but most people report feeling significantly more at ease as the session goes along. It can be quite a relief to talk about difficult issues with someone who is understanding, who clearly withholds judgement and with whom you do not have an emotional attachment.