About Me
My private practice is in Cheadle, Cheshire where I offer individual therapy, relationship therapy, clinical supervision and consultation, and development workshops. I've been a psychotherapist since 2011 working within organisations, education, and private practice.
I'm a Certified Transactional Analyst Psychotherapy (EATA) and a Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapist (UKCP). My interest around relationships and being more conscious in life led me to becoming a Certified Advanced Imago Relationship Therapist (IRI) and Certified Imago Workshop Presenter.
As a UKCP supervisor, and PTSTA for those in transactional analysis training and practice, I offer clinical supervision, to enhance your ongoing learning, development of your practice, and support you as you shape your professional identity and philosophies. You can learn more about the supervision I offer for individuals and groups here.
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, to live with more aliveness. 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 meaning-making 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 be more aspirational about how we experience and express aliveness.
As an experienced psychotherapist and supervisor, and a proudly neurodivergent woman, I'm vibrant, creative, and bring energy, humour, and challenge to my work. I'm 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:
- People are 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 meaning, and 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'm 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.