*My practice is currently full.

Qualifications

Having trained at The Karuna Institute for 4 years, I hold a Masters degree in Core Process Psychotherapy, and am accredited with UKCP. I also hold an advanced diploma in integrative arts psychotherapy from I.A.T.E. . All of my work is conducted under regular supervision by an experienced, accredited UKCP supervisor, and I work in accordance with the UKCP Ethical Principles and Code of Professional Conduct.

Getting started

I offer in-person sessions in Tavistock, as well as online. (Please note, I work on a weekly basis, and do not offer fortnightly sessions.)

Evidence shows that one of the most important factors in successful therapy is the quality of the relationship between the client and therapist, so for us to work together, it’s really important that it ‘feels right’. For this reason, I offer a free 30 minute initial online consultation, which is a chance for us to meet and get a sense for whether we’d like to work together, with no obligations on either side. (If you'd like to meet in person for an initial session, there is a fee of £10 to cover room costs). Initial consultation sessions and are a chance for you to ask any questions you might have, and to talk a bit about what it is that is bringing you to therapy, and what you might like to get out of it.

Contact me on 07342 993463 or at unfolding.uk@gmail.com if you'd like to book an initial consultation.

Fees

Sessions last for 1 hour, and my fee is £60. I am sometimes able to offer a lower rate, so do ask about this if my fee isn't possible for you.

Location

Tavistock Therapy Centre, 3 Abbey Place, PL19 0AB

Psychotherapy

About psychotherapy

Psychotherapy offers a confidential, compassionate and deeply supportive space in which you can explore any aspects of yourself and your life that you wish to bring. It is a weekly commitment, and you can engage in the long or short term. That said, profound and sustained change rarely happens quickly, and many people benefit from engaging in therapy in the longer term.

Therapy can involve unearthing things from your past, but is also a space to explore your life and relationships in the present, and whatever is meaningful to you. While exploring the ways in which issues and relationships are playing out in your life, we will also be orienting to the underlying unconscious beliefs and patterning that shape so much of our experience, and determine to a high degree how we respond to people and situations.

Psychotherapy offers a space in which you can be heard, witnessed and supported on a deep level, as you learn to tolerate feelings that might have previously felt intolerable, and reconnect with parts of yourself that might have been split off. Ultimately, it’s a space in which you can begin to build a more accepting and loving relationship with yourself, and reconnect with your own innate health and wholeness.

Psychotherapy is not something that ‘happens to you’; rather, it is a process in which we are both actively engaged. When it feels appropriate, I bring in aspects of theory and psycho-education that feel relevant. I’m very aware of the power dynamic inherent in the client-therapist relationship, and, by sharing my understandings, I aim to go some way towards leveling things out, and to some extent ‘demystifying’ the process (although there are aspects of the the therapeutic process that remain profoundly mysterious).

Reasons you might seek psychotherapy

Some people seek out therapy without a specific issue in mind - perhaps because of a feeling that something’s wrong, but without knowing quite what; or a vague sense that there must be more to life; or simply because they’d like to get to know themselves better and experience life more fully and richly.

Other people may:

have experienced abuse, trauma, or other painful events/dynamics earlier in life that are impacting them today
be feeling depressed, anxious, or suffering from panic attacks
want support processing feelings of rage, grief, fear or overwhelm in response to what is happening in the world around us
wish to explore questions around their sexuality, gender, or other aspects of their identity
be struggling to handle feelings of anger, jealousy, shame, or other emotional states that no longer feel manageable
be experiencing difficulties in their relationships
have experienced a recent painful or traumatic life event, such as a relationship breakdown or a bereavement
be experiencing a sense of ‘stuckness’ in their life
have a desire for a greater sense of connection, intimacy and spontaneity in their life, and increased ease and vitality.

My approach

Oriented to health

At the heart of my approach is the understanding that we are, at our core, inherently vibrant and healthy, but that adverse experiences (often from early in our lives) can cause us to lose connection with this part of ourselves. So rather than trying to ‘fix’ anyone, my orientation is towards supporting people to reconnect with their own inherent health. This often involves working with the pain that is there, and the protective layers we’ve unconsciously built up, that obscure our connection to our own vitality, health and aliveness.

Bringing compassionate awareness and curiosity, within the safe container of the therapeutic relationship, to our protective layers and the painful feelings underneath them, can, over time, allow these layers to soften and drop away. The therapeutic process can feel like a gradual stripping away of ‘what isn’t really me’; a process that ultimately allows us to relate to ourselves and others with greater authenticity, spontaneity, and freedom.

Mindfulness-based

Although the therapeutic process typically involves exploring things that have happened in the past, I support my clients to also get curious about what is happening for them in the present moment - what thoughts, sensations, emotions, images or questions might be arising, right now? Rather than working just with memory on a cognitive level, the orientation is towards deepening connection to the body and present-moment experience.

Neuroscience tells us that unless we combine cognitive insight with embodied process, deep and sustained change is unlikely to happen. If we were to work solely on a cognitive level, you may leave therapy with a detailed understanding of why you respond to situations as you do, but without any actual experiential shift.

Underpinned by neuroscience

Core Process Psychotherapy is underpinned by understandings from the field of neuroscience. These days we have a much better understanding of how painful and traumatic experiences impact not only our brain functioning, but our entire nervous system, as well as many other aspects of our physiology. Trauma and adverse experiences early on can lead to entrenched patterns of nervous system dysregulation (so we might, for example, feel as if we’re under imminent threat, despite knowing on a cognitive level that we’re safe).

I work in a trauma-informed way, supporting my clients to deepen awareness of their nervous system states, and to develop the tools and ‘muscle’ to resource and regulate themselves.

Integrative approach

Core Process Psychotherapy is an integrative, embodied approach that brings together knowledge from western approaches (including attachment theory, psychodynamic understandings, humanistic psychology, trauma work and neuroscience) with understandings from Buddhism. It’s an approach people can deeply benefit from, whether or not they have any spiritual beliefs or interest in Buddhism.

My approach is also influenced by 'parts work' models, which understand us to be made up of many 'parts', as well as a core 'Self'. When we're connected with 'Self' - or our 'witness consciousness'- we are able to bring awareness to, welcome, and work with the different parts of ourselves.

Contact Me

unfolding.uk@gmail.com | Tel: 07342 993463

Locations:

Tavistock, Plymouth & Exeter for in-person psychotherapy, and online.

Bristol, the southwest & online for training and facilitation work.

Contact Me

unfolding.uk@gmail.com | Tel: 07342 993463

Locations:

Tavistock and online for psychotherapy.

Across the country & online for training, facilitation & consultancy.