I am very passionate about the business I am in and derive great pleasure from helping people achieve their goals. I enjoy removing the obstacles in the way of people living a more fulfilling life or discovering whatever it is that prevents them from feeling confident about themselves and then eliminating it.

The way I work

I am first and foremost a psychotherapist and regularly use hypnotherapy as a useful adjunct to my work. I am also very experienced in using EMDR which is a trauma therapy technique that removes emotional pain from the past that for some reason may not be “filed away properly in the brain” (see page on EMDR on this site).

There are many different theoretical approaches that counsellors can use to help their clients each with very specific benefits. It is for this reason that I personally prefer an Integrated approach that encompasses a wide range of these advantages. There are hundreds of individual approaches that have been developed and evolved but basically they all come under 5 main categories, namely Person Centred, Psychodynamic, Cognitive and Behavioural, Existential and Transpersonal. (See Counselling and Psychotherapy page on this site for brief explanation of each).

I believe that the Person Centred approach helps create a positive working relationship, nurturing mutual respect and an equality that promotes progress by teamwork. This I believe creates a safe and relaxed environment in which to explore personal issues.

I find that the Psychodynamic approach is useful for understanding our past and developing an awareness of how the subconscious mind can sometimes work against our best interest with some instinctive reactions becoming negative and obstructive.

The Cognitive and Behavioural approach often just referred to nowadays as CBT is probably the most popular and effective method of changing our perceptions of events and therefore making us feel more relaxed and in control of our lives.

Sometimes clients want to search for meaning in their lives or have a need to explore a more spiritual side to feel a sense of completeness. By incorporating the Existential method into my overall approach this spiritual dimension can also be explored if desired.

The Transpersonal is often useful when the more conventional methods fail and can provide an alternative way of exploring and giving expression to deep-rooted emotions.

By combining or selecting specific approaches I believe that it is the most effective and quickest way to target the client’s issues. It is very important to me to that my clients feel comfortable and as relaxed as possible during this sometimes-difficult process. Therefore the creation of a safe working environment is paramount to me where my clients do not feel that they are being judged and they are able to explore their issues in total privacy and complete confidentiality.

Courses and Workshops taken
1999 Introduction to Counselling
1999 Certificate in Counselling Theory
1999 Certificate in Counselling Skills
1999 BB Counselling Course
2000 Advance Certificate in Counselling Skills and Theory
2000 100 hour Complete Drugs Course
2000 Cruse Bereavement Course (40 hours) + 4 years counselling 
2001 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling
2002 The Person-Centred Approach
2002 Mental Anguish & Religion
2003 Intro to Working With Couples (Relate)
2003 Use of Art as a Therapeutic Tool
2003 Understanding and Helping with Depression
2003 Introductory Workshop (Level One) UCL Hypnosis
2003 Introductory Workshop (Level Two) UCL Hypnosis
2004 Effective brief therapy for Depression
2004 Understanding Anxiety
2004 Guided Visual Imagery
2004 Brief Therapy for stopping Addictions
2004 How to Communicate Effectively
2005 Understanding Stress and Trauma
2005 The Symptoms of Bullying and Stress
2005 EMDR Level 1
2006 EMDR Intermediate Level 2
2006 EMDR Level 2
2006 Hypnotherapy Practitioners Certificate
2006 Advanced Hypnotherapy Practitioners Certificate
2006 Practitioner Diploma in Hypnotherapy
2006 Certificated Smoking Cessation Masterclass
2007 Emotional Freedom Technique
2007 Demystifying Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome
2008 Body Language Course
2009 NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming)