Counselling is an individual experience.  I offer a calm, respectful space where you can feel heard, supported, and understood. My approach is reflective, creating time and space for you to explore your thoughts, emotions, and experiences at your own pace, and to make sense of what is happening for you. I provide professional and compassionate counselling across a wide range of areas, including anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, burnout and stress, relationship challenges, life changes and health-related issues.

With over 20 years of experience in emergency services, I bring a strong understanding of people navigating pressure and stress in complex life situations.

I work alongside people from all walks of life, people from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. I also have experience supporting people who may be feeling uncertain, overwhelmed, or at a point where things are not moving forward as they would like, helping them to gain clarity and find a way forward. With experience also in mens mental health.

In my personal time, I enjoy being outdoors, whether that’s by the water or in nature, and spending quality time with the lovely humans in my life. These moments help me stay grounded, present, and connected.

I aim to create a space that feels safe, where you can pause, gain clarity, and begin to move toward meaningful change. I understand that reaching out for support can feel like a big step, and it’s natural to have questions about what counselling involves. I’m always happy to have an initial conversation to help you feel comfortable.  Please reach out if I can support you.   

People come to counselling for many different reasons. You might be feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or low, or perhaps you’re going through a significant change in your life. At times, it can be relationship challenges, grief, workplace stress, or simply a sense that something isn’t quite right. Counselling provides a supportive and confidential space where you can talk freely, feel heard, and begin to make sense of what’s going on for you. Through this process, you can develop ways of coping that feel more helpful, strengthen your relationships, and move forward with a greater sense of clarity and confidence.

I work alongside both individuals and couples, supporting people through personal and relational challenges. My approach is flexible and draws from a range of well-established therapies, including Narrative Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and  Person-Centred Therapy. This means our work together can be shaped around what feels most helpful for you, rather than following a fixed way of working. We might spend time exploring the experiences and stories that have influenced you, noticing patterns in thoughts or behaviours, deepening emotional understanding, or strengthening connection within relationships.

Feeling safe, respected, and listened to is at the heart of my practice. I aim to create a space where you can share openly, knowing that what you bring will be held with care and professionalism, within ethical and legal boundaries. As part of maintaining a high standard of care, I engage in regular professional supervision. This supports ongoing learning and reflection, and helps ensure that your wellbeing remains the focus of our work together.

I value working with people from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures, and life experiences. I aim to approach each person with openness, curiosity, and respect, recognising that everyone’s story is unique. Counselling is centred around you, what matters to you, what you’re hoping for, and the pace that feels right, while offering a supportive space to explore and grow.

How do I know if counselling is right for me? You don’t need a perfect reason to start counselling. Often, it begins with a quiet awareness that something in your life needs attention. You might be holding onto hopes for yourself or your relationships, going through a change, or finding it hard to make sense of a loss. At times, there’s a clear issue bringing you in. Other times, it’s just a feeling that things aren’t quite how you’d like them to be. You might know you want something to shift, but not yet know how.

Counselling offers a calm, supportive space to talk things through, understand yourself more fully, and explore what matters to you. There’s no pressure to have everything worked out, just a willingness to begin is enough.

Do I need to have a crisis to come? Not at all. Counselling can be a space to pause, reflect, and gain clarity before things start to feel overwhelming. Many people choose to come to counselling early, rather than waiting until things reach a crisis point.

Reaching out sooner can help you make sense of what’s going on, develop ways to cope, and stop concerns from building or becoming more difficult over time. It’s also a way of looking after yourself and supporting your wellbeing moving forward.

Counselling is available through scheduled sessions, and I am unable to provide an immediate response or urgent crisis service. If you need emergency or urgent support, please contact your local GP or one of the services below:

·       1737 (call or text)

·       Lifeline: 0800 543 354

·       Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865

In case of an emergency, dial 111 or visit your nearest hospital or emergency department.

What if I’ve tried counselling before and it didn’t help? In our first session, I’ll take some time to explore any previous counselling experiences you’ve had, what felt helpful, and what perhaps didn’t. This helps me understand how to work in a way that suits you.

I’m really sorry if past experiences haven’t felt right. Finding a counsellor and approach that fits can take time, and it’s okay if it hasn’t worked before. That doesn’t mean counselling can’t still be helpful for you now.

As we work together, I’ll check in with you along the way to see how things are feeling and whether there’s anything you’d like to adjust, so the space continues to feel supportive and right for you.

How do I get started? When you get in touch through the contact, I’ll reply and we can have a brief conversation to see whether booking a first session feels like the right next step for you. There’s no pressure to commit, and there’s no cost for this initial contact, it’s simply a chance to explore your options.

If you decide to go ahead, I’ll send you a client information form along with a copy of my counselling agreement. You’re welcome to read and complete these beforehand, or we can go through them together when you come in.

The form includes some basic details such as your name, contact information, and an emergency contact. It also offers space to share a little about what’s bringing you to counselling, what matters to you, and any previous counselling experiences. You can fill in as much or as little as you feel comfortable with, what you choose to share is always up to you.

What does it cost?

$120.00 for individuals

$160.00 for couples

What happens in the first session? I offer a warm, relational space where you can talk openly and feel heard, without fear of judgement. I see you as a whole person, your values, your experiences, and the strengths you already bring with you all matter in this space.

When we first meet, we’ll spend some time getting to know you, your life, your relationships, and what’s important to you. I find it’s helpful to understand who you are before we focus on what’s brought you in. I draw on Narrative Therapy in my work, holding the view that you are not the problem, the problem is the problem.

As we begin to explore what’s led you to counselling, we’ll look at how this is impacting you, your life, and your relationships, and talk about what you would like to get out of our time together.

You’re always welcome to ask me any questions about me or how I work.

What if I get emotional or find myself not knowing what to say? It’s completely okay if you feel emotional or don’t know what to say. Often, feelings come before words, and we can take our time with that. There’s no rush to explain everything or get it “right.”

We can start wherever you’re at, even if that means sitting quietly for a moment. I can gently support the conversation if needed, or simply be alongside you while you find your words. Feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or tearful is part of the process, not something that needs to be fixed.

There’s no expectation to perform or make sense of everything straight away. You’re welcome to just come as you are, infact I want you as you are, who you are.

Is everything I say confidential? Confidentiality is a key part of the counselling relationship. What you share in the room stays there, creating a space where you can speak openly, explore what matters to you, and begin to make sense of your experiences in a safe and supportive way.

The only time confidentiality may need to be broken is if there are concerns about your safety or the safety of someone else. In those situations, I have a responsibility to act to help keep people safe. Wherever possible, I would talk this through with you and work together on what steps to take and who may need to be involved.

As a registered counsellor, I take part in regular supervision as part of my professional practice. This gives me a space to reflect on my work and ensure I’m supporting clients in a safe and ethical way. While I may talk about aspects of my work in supervision, I do not share any information that would identify you.

How many sessions should I have? The number of sessions is entirely your choice. Some people come for one or two sessions to focus on a specific concern, while others choose to work together over a longer period.

Many people attend somewhere around 4–6 sessions, though this can vary depending on what you’d like support with. Sessions can be arranged weekly, fortnightly, monthly, or in a way that suits your needs.

Will I become dependent on counselling? I aim to offer a space where you feel genuinely heard and understood, and where you can talk about what’s bringing you to counselling in a way that feels safe and unhurried. As we work together, people often begin to develop a deeper understanding of themselves, notice new perspectives, and find different ways of responding to what’s happening in their lives. Alongside that, a growing sense of confidence in your own abilities often begins to emerge.

Counselling isn’t about becoming dependent on support. While it can feel like a relief at first to have somewhere to share what you’ve been carrying, over time the focus is on helping you feel more steady and capable within yourself. Support becomes something you can draw on if you choose, rather than something you feel you need to rely on.

If any concerns about dependency come up, we can talk about them openly. The intention is always that you leave counselling feeling more grounded, more trusting in yourself, and better able to move forward in a way that feels right for you.