Qualifications

• 1993-97 Cert and Dip in Psychodynamic Counselling at University of Cambridge
• 2004 BA (hons) at Sheffield Hallam University
• 2004 Diploma in Social Work
• 2006 Webster Stratton Parenting Course leader

I have been working with children, young people and their families for over 20 years in many different roles.  I trained in Psychodynamic Counselling for four years in Cambridge, and worked with clients there.  Starting in the voluntary sector, I worked with referrals from Social Services and Youth Justice as a manager of a countywide group work youth project.  This lead me on to working therapeutically in children’s residential facilities.

I then moved to Sheffield where I qualified as a Social Worker and worked therapeutically in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and Youth Offending teams which gave me many happy years of experience.  During this time, I also gained further training in:

• Webster Stratton Parenting coordinator
• Mindfulness
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Gestalt Therapy
• Emotional Freedom Technique
• Child – parent play
• A wide range of mental health specialities

Sometimes things change around you, or you may want to make a change to your life.  I can help you work a way through and understand any problems in the past or present, moving to a better place for the future.

We have all been there at some point, some more than others.

My main ways of working are psychodynamic and psychotherapeutic.  I can explain these in more detail!

Our sessions will be relaxed, and at your pace. I believe it is important that you feel safe, comfortable with yourself and your surroundings.  I will be non-judgemental and won’t criticise, and there will be no long silences!

I work to a code of confidentiality.  We can talk about how this works.

We can meet every week or 2 weeks, mainly talking but can work in other ways, for example writing, drawing, outdoors, whatever works best for you.

The mind can be a confusing place, but together we can work to make sense of it.

I find it useful to use our first session as an assessment session, though if there is a pressing issue we can of course address that first.

The sessions can be used for individuals, parents or both together.

If required, I can write reports to assist in supporting access to or co-working with other services such as Social Care, CAMHS or Education.

Often when a family seeks out a therapist, they may have an idea about what is the cause of their child’s difficulties.  In my experience, it is usual that there is a combination of factors that result in people feeling the way they do.  The areas that I mainly (though not exclusively) work with are:

• Anger management
• Self esteem
• Anxiety & stress
• Self harm and suicidal ideation
• Bereavement
• Low mood and depression
• Bullying
• Attachment
• Alcohol and substance misuse
• Eating disorders
• Mental health issues
• Working with Social Care, CAMHS, schools and other statutory services
• Working through issues for children of separated parents
• Parenting
• Different ages – parenting to all ages
• Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)
• Mindfulness

My current availability Thursday and Friday.

My fees for sessions are £50 per 50 minutes.  Concessions are available, please call me to discuss.