Counselling, Psychotherapy and Hypnotherapy. Bringing training, professional expertise, compassion and life experience to your journey. Where can I help you to go?

 

Are you having difficulty with family or romantic relationships because of  past experiences, either as a child or in a previous relationship? 

Do you struggle to attach to others, or attach too quickly to unsuitable people, only to find yourself unhappy, or heartbroken – again and again?

Or you may be a couple whose relationship is struggling.  It may be that even though you talk every day about everyday things; who’s going to do the dishes etc, you never really talk anymore. You can’t remember the last time you went out together like you used to and you feel so alone.  Or it may be that one of you has had an affair or is seriously tempted to, and the feelings around this are terrible.

If so, I can help.  I use my 17 years of experience working with a broad range of clients, alongside my own life experience, to enable you to have deep, lasting, and authentic connections with those around you.   And – with the different parts of you, especially the parts of you that you don’t like.

Or maybe you have a general feeling that something isn’t right, but you’re not sure what it is.

You might be having an overwhelming feeling that you have to ‘escape’, to run away from everything you’re experiencing, almost as if you can’t get comfortable in your own skin.  You might feel anxious or panicky at the thought of certain people or situations, but not understand why.  You may feel a bit lost and just want a clearer idea of what you do and don’t want from your life.

I have a special interest in the areas of attachment i.e. – how we think, feel and act with others in relationship; and developmental trauma (trauma that happens when you are a child).  This includes things like a parent dying, parents splitting up, or struggling with their own mental health; neglect or abuse.  In essence, developmental trauma is when a parent is either frightened because of something that is happening to them, or frightening to us.

As children, we cannot understand this, and adapt in ways that can cause difficulties for us in relationships, later in life.  Therefore, I work with the little child inside you who may be crying out for somebody to notice, to see you and really understand you.

I also have a special interest in grief, loss and change. But grief is not just about death. Grief can occur with the end of a relationship; a loss or change of job or home; children leaving home; or the arrival of a baby.

I charge £55 per therapy session for individuals, £60 for couples.  Each session lasts an hour.  I offer an initial Zoom or telephone consultation to help you decide if I am the right therapist for you.   If you are a student attending a recognised counselling or psychotherapy course who requires individual counselling or psychotherapy in order to pass your course, then I charge £50 per session.

Whatever you bring, and however we choose to work together; you will be received with warmth, without judgement and with honesty.

 

I am currently only working online, but will shortly be offering face to face work in my therapy room in Exminster, Exeter.

I spent eight months training in Canada on how to counsel clients online, using video, chat and email.  I use Zoom and have a VPN to ensure that the sessions are safe.  You can learn more about online therapy here.

Working online is different but no less effective than working in person.  In fact, some studies have suggested that it may be more effective.  This is for many reasons: because people are generally in their own home when they have therapy, they tend to be more relaxed; because people aren’t talking face to face then they tend to find it easier to disclose things that they may not do face to face.  Ever shared something on the internet that you wouldn’t necessarily have said in person?  This phenomenon has been noticed so many times in the research that there is now a term for it: the Online Disinhibition Effect.  People can become much more open and disinhibited when we talk online, which can only be a good thing for therapy!

Please do browse through my site to learn more about what I can offer you, and counselling and psychotherapy in general.