My approach
Therapy should feel like a place where you can bring all of yourself.
You don’t need to have everything figured out before you come in.
You don’t need to know exactly where to start, have the right words for what you’re feeling, or tell me your whole story in the first session.
One of the most important parts of therapy for me is creating a relationship where you feel safe enough to be honest about what’s happening for you. That trust can take time, and that’s okay.
I want our sessions to feel warm, comfortable and human. Your emotions are welcome here. You can talk about difficult experiences, relationships, thoughts or parts of yourself without worrying that you’ll be judged or criticised.
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Therapy is something we do together
I don’t see therapy as me telling you what to do or giving you all the answers.
I’ll ask questions, notice patterns and sometimes challenge you, but always from a place of curiosity rather than judgement. I want to help you develop your own understanding of yourself, so you can become more confident trusting your instincts and making decisions that feel right for you.
There will be times when practical strategies are useful, and we can use them. But I’m also interested in going deeper than managing what you’re feeling in the moment.
For me, meaningful change often comes from understanding why something is happening in the first place.
Helping you connect the dots
Many of the people I work with have already spent a lot of time thinking about themselves.
You may even understand some of your patterns already, but still find yourself wondering why you keep ending up in the same situations or why certain things affect you so deeply.
A big part of my approach is helping you connect the dots between what you’re experiencing now and the things that have shaped you, with the goal of finding what you need now to create change in your life.
We might look at your past experiences, your emotions, your beliefs, the patterns that show up in your relationships and what you notice happening in your body.
As those connections become clearer, the way you respond can start to make more sense. Instead of seeing your reactions as something that is wrong with you, you can begin to understand where they came from and what they may have been protecting you from.
You can also find what is missing - what you need now - to create the change you want to see. This might be wanting to feel more secure in yourself, regulate your emotions better, or feel more able to handle life’s challenges. All of this becomes clearer when we look at the whole picture.
Relationships are an important part of the work
I work relationally because I believe our relationships have a profound influence on how we experience ourselves and the world around us.
That includes your relationships with partners, family and friends, but also the relationship you have with yourself.
We may explore attachment, boundaries, communication or patterns that keep repeating in your relationships. Just as importantly, I want the relationship we develop in therapy to give you the experience of being able to be honest with someone, feel understood and sometimes be challenged without being judged or criticised.
Working with your mind and body
I also bring awareness to the body as part of therapy.
If you’ve spent years living in your thoughts, it may not always be easy to recognise what you’re feeling or notice what your body is communicating.
We don’t need to rush that. I introduce body awareness gradually, helping you become more curious about the connection between your emotions, experiences and physical responses in a way that feels manageable and helpful for you.
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The approaches I draw from
I draw from a range of evidence-based therapeutic approaches depending on who you are, what you’ve experienced and what you need from therapy.
My work is relational and incorporates deeper exploration of your experiences, relationships and patterns, as well as awareness of what is happening in your body. I also use practical strategies where they’re helpful.
I don’t expect you to fit into one particular way of doing therapy. How we work will depend on you, your experiences and what feels most useful.
Ultimately, I want therapy to be somewhere you feel genuinely understood. Somewhere you can understand yourself more deeply, make sense of the experiences and relationships that have shaped you, and develop a stronger connection with yourself and the people around you.
Thinking about starting therapy?
If you’re thinking about starting therapy, you’re welcome to get in touch.
You can ask any questions you have, learn a little more about my approach, or book an appointment if you feel ready to get started. If you’d prefer to speak first, you can also request a free 15-minute initial conversation to briefly talk about what you’re looking for and whether I might be the right therapist for you.