Qualifications and Training
Diploma and Certificate in Counselling Theory, Skills and Practice.
Numerous Professional Development Certificates including working with suicidal thoughts, and those who have been through the boarding school system.
I worked as a counsellor for the NHS at the Mental Wellbeing and Access service in
Exeter, whilst training, and at a charitable organisation in Exmouth for a number of years, during and after qualifying in 2011.
I have experience of working with a wide range of issues; for example some of my clients have panic attacks, addictions, disordered eating, low self-esteem, relationship uncertainties, bereavement, childhood abuse and neglect.
I am a registered member of The British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP), which means my work is regulated by professional guidelines, codes of conduct and the highest standards of practice and confidentiality. More information is available to all on their website http://www.bacp.co.uk.
Professional Indemnity Insurance.
Training and work with The Samaritans https://www.samaritans.org
How I work
Regardless of where we are from, I believe that with the right support we all have the potential to make changes in our lives and I work with this in mind.
Whatever our parents and role models were like when we were growing up, we have all probably been shown or told how to behave by someone else.
As we become older, these ways of being may no longer seem to fit anymore and we can feel as if we are living a life that isn’t meant for us. It may feel as if something is missing, or that your feelings are causing you distress, or you may feel confused by your own and others’ responses. Counselling is about looking at these ways of being, deciding if any of them are outdated or in need of change, where your potential actually lies and how to go about reaching it.
My Personality
I am an optimistic and friendly person with a quiet and calm manner. I have travelled and worked with many differing cultures which has given me a wide experience of some of the challenges we can all face, and an insight into what makes us humans tick.
Modern life can be really tough, with challenges coming at us from all angles, so to be able to recognise and let go of some of my thoughts and ways of behaving, that weren’t being helpful to me has been invaluable. I have often seen, in my work, how improvements in ‘ways of thinking’ can give your head some much needed space, and how then this can help in other positive ways. Hence my business name being “Headspace”.
My personal therapy
I remember clearly, during my training, how scared I was when walking through the door to my first session with my new counsellor. It required lots of courage and I now see how deciding to go for counselling is a really brave thing to do. I had three separate lots of therapy, the benefits of which I still feel now. It has become so much easier and enjoyable being me.
What lead me into Counselling
Many years ago, I took my young son to a homeopath for his eczema. We visited his homeopath regularly and I began to see and feel the relationship that was developing between them. It was full of trust and understanding, and it felt like a safe place for my son to share his worries and feelings. His homeopath was also a qualified counsellor and her approach so impressed me that i started doing research into counselling and soon after, began training of my own. (His eczema became milder and then cleared completely).
Headspace Counselling 