I am an accredited psychodynamic & Level 1 IFS Therapist based in Cheltenham Gloucestershire and registered with the BACP. I have many years of experience working with mental health, addictions and trauma. Within these contexts I have worked with depression & anxiety, bereavement & loss, trauma, self-harm, chronic pain, low-self-esteem, and eating disorders.
I have worked in community services, the NHS, and the private sector in and around Gloucestershire. Within each of these settings, I have taken part in many additional trainings which supports the work that I do. Through my experience, I have come to understand that life events, illness, trauma, emotional and relational difficulties all reside within the mind, body and soul. Therefore I take into account every aspect of what it is to be a human being when working with you.
It is my aim that we address these fragmented parts with a holistic approach to think about your whole being when we start together on your journey towards healing and wholeness. It maybe that you have not experienced a specific or long-standing trauma (although we all have experienced distressing events to one degree or another), but you may simply be stuck and have a desire to move forwards in life, be more confident or more successful.
And yet you might find yourself stuck or unmotivated, or have lost meaning and purpose in your life.
The inner critic can be debilitating and this conflict can be distressing and confusing. Our work together can start to discover and understand what your blocks or self-sabotaging behaviours are and why they are there.
We are all shaped and influenced during our formative years, from birth to seven years old. Whether this was a positive or negative experience, it forms the ‘template of who you are’, how we see ourselves in the world, and how we feel others see us too.
Your personality is also influenced over time by your lived experience and the people you have come into contact with, which makes us uniquely individual. You develop incredible strengths, but also perhaps some unhelpful thinking patterns, self-beliefs, and behaviours that might negatively impact your life today.
The main therapies I use in my practice are Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Psychodynamic counselling. However, I have a wealth of experience in a range of different areas, such as addictions and trauma and will use a variety of different disciplines to meet with your individual needs.
The psychodynamic counselling approach works with the belief that much of what we struggle with in the here and now is formed in our earlier years. This approach will uncover the long-standing conflicts that have played throughout your life, most of which are out of your awareness. In fact, 95% of our brain’s activity is unconscious programming, meaning that the decisions we make, the actions we take, and our emotions and behaviours all operate in the unconscious.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is an evidence based practice used to treat a range of mental health struggles including anxiety, depression, substance misuse, eating disorders and PTSD. This approach guides you to understand your own internal world, the parts of you which might be holding on to stress, confusion, anger, grief or trauma. This is a powerful approach that enables people to gain a deeper understanding of their personal and intimate relationships with the aim of developing, confidence, nurturing compassion and creating harmony within your own self and your connections with others.
The most important aspect of therapy is the relationship between you and your counsellor. It is essential that you feel safe, understood and heard. This way, you will be able to freely express and explore your deepest fears, insecurities and traumas. This can help you understand the feelings you are experiencing now, why you behave in a certain way, and how this affects your relationships without feeling criticized or judged. However, we are all individual and there is no one size fits all approach, which is why I offer a variety of modalities to address your individual needs.
I combine empathic sensitivity with validation and respect. A genuine interest and enthusiasm for your potential as it unfolds at your pace of readiness and understanding.
Safe and respectful challenge when needed, navigating to and around the places that are often out of your awareness, the blind spots that can hold you back or create distress in your life.
An exploration of whatever has been holding you back, such as: