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My Experience & Approach

I’ve worked in mental health and social care for over ten years. In this time I've been fortunate to work with people from all walks of life. This has included people who are depressed or anxious, suffering bereavement, working through drug and alcohol addiction, facing histories of trauma and sexual abuse, dealing with personality issues, homelessness, learning disabilities, gender and sexual identity and more. I've have worked in this field as a practitioner, as a manager of rehabilitation and recovery hostels, as a director of a charity developing supported housing for people who are socially excluded, and as a commissioner of mental health services for the NHS and social services. 

 

This variety of experience has informed my practice as a therapist and my view that good therapy is about trust and collaboration. There are a wide range of approaches to therapy but broadly speaking the most reliable predictor of whether any therapy will be useful for someone is whether they feel an alliance with the therapist they are working with.

My own approach and training is best described as Integrative. This means I draw on a range of approaches to psychotherapy, research, and my experience of being in the room with you, to offer a way of working tailored to you. Talk of theoretical models can sometimes put people off accessing therapy altogether. For those interested; theory I hold in mind when working with clients includes humanistic, relational, psychodynamic, existential and transpersonal.

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I have a post graduate diploma in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy, a BSc in Psychology, and I am currently completing an MA in Psychotherapy at the Minster Centre. I am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy as well as Psychotherapists & Counsellors for Social Responsibility.