A little about me and my practice
I am a Certified Transactional Analyst and a Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapist (UKCP) and have been in private practice since 2011. My office is in Cheadle, Cheshire and I work with adult and adolescent individuals, couples and groups.
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. 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 the autonomy to experience and express aliveness.
I am a vibrant and creative person and bring energy, humour, and challenge to my work.
As 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. 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 is ‘ok’.
- 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.
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 move into senior management and I’d started to focus on my personal development.
I began to notice that my high and low moods hugely affected and disrupted my personal relationships, working life 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. I read books, went on training courses and endless health regimes but didn’t find anything to quench my thirst for self-knowledge.
I decided to challenge myself, to step outside of my comfort zone and do something I didn’t believe I could do. Trekking Peru’s Sacred Valley I learned that my problems were on the inside and on my return I found a great therapist to work with.
It was my introduction to Transactional Analysis, one that shaped a new journey.