About Me
I am a fully qualified, BACP Accredited psychodynamic counsellor/psychotherapist and a BPC Accredited DIT practitioner (more about psychodynamic counselling here and about DIT here). I also have had training in cognitive-behavioural (CBT) and solution-focused approaches.
I qualified as a therapist in 2009 and have been in continuous practice since then, meaning that I have thousands of hours of experience working with a wide variety of clients. I have a Master's Degree in Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy and a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy. I also have a good deal of life experience which, I think, allows me to connect with people from many different backgrounds and ways of living. I regularly work with clients who have had therapy before but struggled to feel understood by their therapist; many of them have told me that my openness, my non-judgemental nature and my ability to meet them on their own terms has been really valuable to them and helped them to move forward in their lives.
My own background, before training as a counsellor, was as a University Lecturer in Philosophy, with a particular interest in the philosophy of mind. I have also lectured in counselling, provided training and mentoring to other clinicians, presented research at conferences, and conducted supervision work. I have taught English to asylum seekers in the UK and worked with adults with severe autism. I am a martial arts instructor, having been a practitioner since childhood, and have competed at national and international levels.