My working style

As a counselling psychologist I have trained in a number of different modalities and take an integrative and relational approach to my work.  My main modalities include relational psychodynamic therapy, person-centred therapy, and cognitive behaviour therapy.  I will also draw upon additional therapeutic approaches to suit your individual needs if I feel this would be beneficial.

I am also a trauma specialist and practitioner of EMDR (eye movement de-sensitisation reprocessing) and a member of the EMDR Association UK & Ireland.  Please refer to the EMDR section for more information about this therapy.

Research suggests personal change and development is more likely to occur when a strong therapeutic relationship has been formed between client and therapist. Therefore, it is important to me that I provide a safe and supportive environment so that you are able to talk about what is troubling you; make sense of the issues you are facing; facilitate a process of change; and help you look at more effective ways of dealing with future challenges.

It is not unusual for people to get confused with the difference between counselling and psychotherapy as these terms are often used interchangeably.  To help clarify the difference I would describe counselling as a short-term therapy aimed at treating a specific issue or trigger and psychotherapy as being more medium to long term work, which often includes exploring an individual’s past history and childhood.

 People also assume that psychotherapy works at a much deeper level, but I think it is important to highlight that whether the therapy is short, medium or long term, there is always the opportunity to work at a deeper level to ensure that personal difficulties and concerns are fully explored and addressed.