EXPERIENCE
Across trauma work, helplines, teaching and private practice, I’ve learned how to meet people with care, curiosity and respect — wherever they are in their lives.
My Professional Journey
Every person I have worked alongside has shaped the counsellor I am today. My experience spans voluntary organisations, specialist trauma services, education and private practice. Each role has deepened my understanding of what it means to create relationships where people feel safe enough to be themselves, make sense of their experiences and move towards the life they want to live.
Today
Centred Counselling
Working independently gives me the flexibility to adapt therapy to each person, rather than expecting you to fit a particular way of working. I value having the time to understand your individual experiences and to let our work develop as that understanding grows.
My hope is to offer a relationship built on care, curiosity, compassion and respect, where there is space to explore and make sense of whatever has brought you to counselling, at a pace that feels right for you.
Alongside my core training, I have undertaken additional training in areas including trauma, attachment and dissociation, and I continue to learn and develop so that this understanding informs the way I work.
ProblemShared
Alongside my private practice, I work with ProblemShared, supporting university students from diverse backgrounds, cultures and stages of life across England.
Working with students has given me the privilege of meeting people with very different experiences of education, relationships, family, identity and the pressures they may be carrying alongside their studies. For some, university is a time of possibility and independence; for others, it can increase uncertainty, isolation and overwhelm.
There is no such thing as a “typical” student experience. Every person brings their own story, circumstances and way of experiencing the world, and curiosity will always tell me more than assumption.
EXPERIENCE MATTERS
Every person I have worked alongside has taught me something. Whether client, colleague or student, each relationship has deepened my understanding of people, of therapy and of myself.
Learning doesn’t stop after qualification. Every experience continues to shape the counsellor I am today.
Growing Through Practice
Plymouth Marjon University Counselling Clinic
Although I have been a qualified counsellor for around ten years, I believe learning is an ongoing part of ethical practice. As part of my MSc in Psychotherapy and Counselling, I returned to clinical placement, supporting Marjon’s low-cost counselling service.
Returning to placement gave me the opportunity to work and learn alongside experienced colleagues, experience different ways of working and reflect on my own practice. It was also a welcome return to regular face-to-face work and being part of a wider team.
Good counselling doesn’t grow in isolation, it grows through curiosity, collaboration and a willingness to keep learning.
ProblemShared
At Broadreach Training, I worked across many aspects of counsellor training, from recruiting and interviewing prospective students to supporting tutors, teaching counselling skills and counselling students throughout their training. I also managed the counselling provision for students on placement and liaised with the CPCAB as part of the wider training programme.
I particularly loved teaching and being alongside people as they developed as counsellors. It reinforced my belief that people grow best in relationships where they feel encouraged, supported and understood.
Sexual Abuse Listening Therapy (SALT)
Working with adults who had experienced sexual abuse during childhood deepened my understanding of trauma, survival and the remarkable ways people adapt in order to cope. This work also introduced me more deeply to working with the inner child, recognising and responding with care to younger parts of ourselves whose feelings, needs and ways of protecting us can remain present into adulthood.
It taught me that many of the ways people protect themselves are not signs of weakness or something simply to be changed, but remarkable adaptations to overwhelming experiences. Understanding where these responses came from can help us begin to relate to them, and to ourselves, with greater compassion.
Where it began
LGBTQ+ Helpline (Volunteer)
I offered emotional support to people exploring identity, relationships, coming out, discrimination and isolation, providing a calm, compassionate space where callers could talk openly. Through active listening and gentle befriending support, I offered connection in moments that felt difficult, and when appropriate, I accompanied people to community activities and social events so they could meet others and begin building supportive networks. I also guided callers towards community resources and ongoing support when they needed something more sustained.
It taught me that feeling accepted without judgement can create the safety people need to begin exploring who they are.
Samaritans (Volunteer)
I supported people experiencing loneliness, emotional distress and suicidal thoughts, offering a steady, confidential space where they could talk openly about what was happening for them. Through attentive listening and a calm, compassionate presence, I stayed with callers as they navigated moments that felt overwhelming or isolating. When appropriate, I explored ways they might stay safe, supported them to think about what could help in the immediate moment, and gently signposted sources of ongoing support or connection.
It reminded me that being fully present with another person can be more powerful than trying to find the perfect words.