The counselling
About the work
I offer individual counselling for adolescents and adults. You do not need to know exactly what you need from counselling before we begin.
People come to counselling for many different reasons. You may be carrying something specific, moving through a change, feeling overwhelmed, struggling in a relationship, or simply wanting to understand yourself and your life more deeply.
Our work can take shape around what feels important to you, at a pace that feels manageable. Sometimes this means talking through something that is happening now. At other times, it may involve noticing patterns, making room for difficult feelings, understanding the influence of relationships or past experiences, or exploring what might help you move forward in a way that feels true to you.
Self-compassion, shame, and the inner critic
Many people have learned to get through difficult experiences by being hard on themselves: by pushing through, striving, overthinking, people-pleasing, staying hypervigilant, or holding themselves to impossible standards. These responses often make sense in the context of what a person has lived through, even when they have become exhausting or painful.
Self-compassion is not about lowering your standards, avoiding responsibility, or telling yourself that everything is fine. It can mean turning towards yourself rather than away from yourself, or against yourself through harshness and judgement.
This may involve noticing what is difficult without pushing it away or becoming lost in it; recognising that struggle and imperfection are part of being human; and practising a less harsh, more supportive way of relating to yourself.
Together, we may become curious about the inner critic: what it says, what it may have been trying to protect, and how its influence has shaped your relationship with yourself. When shame is met with care rather than judgement, there can be more room to see your experience in a wider, more human way; to take responsibility where it is needed; and to consider what might come next.
Patterns, relationships, and context
We do not come to understand ourselves in isolation. Family experiences, relationships, identity, neurodivergence, culture, social expectations, and the wider social and political context can all shape what we have learned to expect of ourselves, others, and the world.
Together, we can explore patterns with curiosity rather than blame. Sometimes a way of coping has made a great deal of sense: it may have helped you stay connected, keep going, avoid conflict, feel safer, or get through something difficult. Over time, that same pattern may begin to feel limiting, exhausting, or no longer aligned with the life or relationships you want.
Counselling can offer room to understand these patterns more fully, not to judge or erase them, but to notice what they have been doing for you, what they may be costing you now, and what other possibilities might become available.
Trauma and overwhelming experiences
Trauma and overwhelming experiences can continue to shape how we feel in ourselves, how we relate to others, and what feels possible in the world. Trauma may be connected to a single event, ongoing or repeated experiences, or relationships where care, trust, or protection were absent, inconsistent, or compromised.
Complex trauma can carry particular layers of impact when difficult experiences have been repeated, relational, or woven through important stages of life. It may shape the ways a person copes, connects, protects themselves, experiences their body, or understands who they are.
If trauma is part of your story, there is no expectation to disclose every detail or revisit experiences before there is enough trust, choice, and capacity to do so. We can pay attention to overwhelm as it arises, take things at a manageable pace, and draw on grounding or other supports where they are helpful.
The aim is not to force a person through their story. It is to make room for greater understanding, care, and choice in how they relate to what they have lived through and what they want for their life now.
Ways we may work
Counselling is not one-size-fits-all. While conversation and reflection are often at the heart of the work, words are not always the only way to understand what is happening.
Depending on what feels useful and welcome, we may pay attention to thoughts, feelings, body cues, sensory needs, relationship patterns, values, imagery, or the stories you hold about yourself and your life. At times, I may draw on creative or expressive ways of working, such as metaphor, imagery, writing, or simple creative reflection, when words alone do not quite capture an experience. These are always invitations, never requirements.
Practical strategies can also be woven into counselling where helpful. This might include finding ways to respond to overwhelm, relate differently to the inner critic, communicate needs, navigate relationships, or support yourself through a difficult period.
Nature-based sessions may sometimes be available by arrangement for established clients, where this feels appropriate and can be facilitated safely. We would talk together about whether this is a good fit before making any plans.
A first appointment is a place to begin
A few words is enough. There is no expectation to commit to ongoing counselling.
Request an appointment