About Me
My private practice is in Cheadle, Cheshire where I offer individual therapy, relationship therapy, and development workshops. I've been a psychotherapist since 2011 working within organisations, education, and private practice.
I'm a Certified Transactional Analyst (EATA) and a Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapist (UKCP). My interest around relationships and being more conscious in life led me to becoming a Certified Imago Relationship Therapist (IRI) and Certified Imago Workshop Presenter.
Much of my work and research now incorporates apprenticing grief. You can read more about my motivations for offering Grief Tending Circles and events I offer here.
I'm interested in what it means to be human. I’m not looking for ‘an answer’. In fact I strongly believe there are many ways to make sense of our experiences, both past and present, and that our relationship with what was can shift and change over time. For me, what matters is that our understanding of our self, others, and life experiences are aligned.
I care about people and the many different ways we live our lives. I’m fascinated how we can gain insight and awareness to free us from old, often limiting patterns. I believe with insight and awareness we can live with autonomy and be more aspirational about how we experience and express aliveness.
As a proudly neurodivergent woman, I'm a vibrant, creative, and bring energy, humour, and challenge to my work. I am continually seeking ways to make my work more neuro-affirming and inclusive, and to educate myself around the intersectionality that touches all that I do both personally and professionally.
A member of the UK Association of Transactional Analysis (UKATA) and UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), I bide by their code of ethics and professional practice. As such, I attend regular supervision which further enhances the safety and effectiveness of my practice. I hold an enhanced DBS certificate.
My motivation
I have an energy for learning and when the subject is human behaviour and meaning-making the learning is pretty endless!
The joy of working in a close relationship with others is an absolute privilege - I do not use that phrase lightly.
Transactional Analysis aligns with my personal values as I believe:
- Everyone is loveable and capable of both loving and being loved.
- We all deserve the right to take our space in the world.
- Each of us has the capacity to think for ourselves and make decisions that are right for us in the here-and-now.
- Neither life nor choices are fixed and we can make new decisions that direct our life the way we choose. We can change. We can choose again...and again.
A bit of background
My journey to becoming a therapist began with a trek to Machu Picchu.
Sitting in the clouds above Machu Picchu
At the time I was working in the corporate world facing a dilemma on if/how I would develop my senior management role. I'd started to get curious about my personal development.
I noticed that my high and low moods hugely affected and disrupted my personal relationships, working life, motivation, and weight. At times I thought I was going crazy, other times I had a sense that there was a missing link I hadn't found yet (spoiler: I realised I am neurodivergent+ in my 50's). I read books, went on training courses and endless health regimes but didn't find anything to quench my thirst for self-knowledge.
In my mid-30's I decided to challenge myself, to step outside of my comfort zone and do something I didn’t believe I could do. On a solo trip trekking Peru’s Sacred Valley I learned that my problems were on the inside. The way I'd set my life up looked like I had it all, but life had become a struggle that was unlikely to end well.
On my return I found a great therapist to work with. It was my introduction to Transactional Analysis, one that shaped a new journey.