My Approach
My approach to therapy blends my training, knowledge, and experience in a variety of modalities and psychological theories of human existence into my own unique style.
I integrate schools of thought from Psychodynamic Theory, Transactional Analysis, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Existential Therapy, and Polyvagal Theory, whilst weaving in Buddhist principles of mindfulness, compassion, (especially self-compassion) impermenance, and our relationship to suffering - underpinning all of this with Person-centred values at the heart of our work.
I recognise the value and wisdom of multiple approaches to mental health and what makes us tick as people, which is why I tailor the support I offer to suit each client, recognising your uniqueness and working with you to improve how you feel in whatever way works for you. There is no ‘one size fits all’ here!
My passion is to support women harness the power within themselves to make changes in their lives so that they feel happier and more fulfilled.
I believe therapy is a very personal and individual thing and so I work collaboratively with you to ensure you are receiving the very best support that will help you achieve your therapy goals.
Trauma Informed Support
Over the years, I have undertaken all sorts of trainings and courses, supporting my work with clients, and over time, my understanding of trauma and the impact it has on our lives has developed and deepened.
In a nutshell, a trauma-informed approach doesn’t ask ‘What’s wrong with you?’ Instead, it asks, ‘What happened to you?’ It recognises the effect that living through trauma can have on us and acknowledges the myriad ways we adapt to survive our experiences.
We know so much more than ever before about what trauma is and how it gets trapped in the body, if not processed and integrated.
Stress and trauma can hugely impact our ability to cope, often showing up in the present, even if we obtained the ‘wound’ many years ago. Contrary to belief, trauma is not the event itself - trauma is the psychological wound that we are left with if we didn’t get the right support at the time. But the good news is, it’s never too late to get the help you need.
‘Big T’ Trauma - refers to major life events such as serious accidents, sexual assault or abuse, sudden death of a loved one or natural disasters, to name a few.
‘Little t’ Trauma - refers to more subtle or repetitive events that do not typically threaten life, but cause significant emotional or psychological injury. Things such as intense bullying, neglect as a child, having an emotionally avoidant or overly critical parent, or a parent who is an addict, to name just a few.
Trauma can also be a one-off event, or a series of repeated events that can cause PTSD or C-PTSD (Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.) ‘Little t’ Trauma can be every bit as difficult to process as ‘Big T trauma’.
Trauma can show up for us in many ways - but a common response is for us to get stuck in ‘fight or flight’ mode which often presents itself as acute anxiety. As much as talking things through and exploring what happened can help, I’ve learned that sometimes talking alone is not enough to shift things.
This is why I integrate emotional regulation tools and somatic (body-based) techniques to help calm your nervous system and bring you into a state of emotional regulation.
Through an awareness of the felt senses in our bodies, and a focus on breathing, you will learn to connect with the innate wisdom of your body.
Women especially have lost this precious connection and the ability to attune to our needs through the wisdom and intuition of our bodies.
By connecting our mind, body, heart and spirit, we learn how to sit with difficult feelings, without needing to ‘fix’ anything, and develop crucial skills of self-compassion, self-awareness and ultimately acceptance of ourselves, just as we are.
Through this practice we get to ‘meet ourselves’ in our fullness and through the practice of self-acceptance, we can return to a sense of wholeness and start to live more authentically, instead of buckling under the weight of who we think we need to be.