I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.
C.G. Jung
The Formal Stuff..
I hold a BA (Hons) Degree in Person-Centred Counselling and the Psychotherapeutic Relationship from the University of Warwick. I am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) with a further accredited level. I am fully insured and committed to ongoing professional development as you will see below!
Previous to this journey, I had a deep focus on physical health and studied biomedicine, physiology, and later a BSc (Hons) Degree in Acupuncture, and this interest has never left me as I am furthering my education in Functional Medicine and Nutrition.
So you see, I have a deeply curious mind and a genuine passion for continual learning in all things human health. My additional therapeutic training includes areas within Somatic Trauma Therapy, Neurodivergent Trauma, Neuroplasticity and Trauma, Polyvagal through the Polyvagal Institute, and understanding the interdependence of Mental Health with Physical Systems.
I describe myself as a holistic relational therapist because I do not see the mind and body as separate, nor do I believe our wellbeing can be understood in isolation from the relationships, systems, environments, and wider social contexts we exist within. Everything is connected and interdependent, and you will often hear me talking about people as ecosystems. My hope is that from my studies of not just psychology but the physical systems as well, I can offer people a chance to really learn, more thoroughly understand, accept, and advocate for their ecosystem.
My practice has spanned both private and public sectors, supporting people across a wide range of neurotypes, identities, intersectional experiences, and complex trauma experiences. Alongside private practice, I also created and head up the counselling service at Autistic Parents UK, where I lead a wonderful team of student neurodivergent therapists to support neurodivergent parents, carers, and families navigating the complexities of parenting often within inaccessible systems.
I have a particular interest in supporting neurodivergent parents whose children have experienced school-based trauma, burnout, and systemic harm, alongside the wider relational and nervous system impacts this can have on families as a whole.
Alongside therapeutic work, I have developed and delivered lectures, webinars, training, and written material for trainee therapists, wellbeing practitioners, charities, universities, and mental health professionals, with a focus on neuroaffirming practice, trauma, nervous system understanding, and holistic approaches to wellbeing.
The informal stuff..
I’m a late-discovered neurodivergent cis woman, and it’s taken time, curiosity, research, and some really validating therapeutic experiences to start peeling back the layers and get closer to the real me. Awareness is one thing, but actually accepting yourself, really digging into that internalised ableism without constantly trying to shape-shift or justify who you are, is something else entirely.
A lot of my grounding has come from finding the wider neurodivergent community, my work with Autistic Parents UK, and from reading, listening to, and learning from neurodivergent-led voices, writers, researchers, bloggers, and speakers who are sharing their authentic lived perspectives.
Outside of work, I home-educate my two children, which has been its own process of unlearning “normal” and further carving the way into a divergent pathway for us. Nature is a big regulator for me, especially woodlands or being near the sea. Music is another constant thread in my life; I listen, play, and can get completely absorbed in it. It’s been a way of regulating, processing, and feeling connected. I’m always open to clients sharing music in sessions too — it often says things words can’t always reach.
I also want to be really transparent that I don’t see myself as a finished product, and I wouldn’t call myself an “expert” in the fixed, closed-off sense of the word. That kind of framing doesn’t sit well with me; it feels like it leaves less room for curiosity, humility, and ongoing learning.
My monotropic mind means I’m constantly curious and often deeply immersed in understanding things in detail, so learning is ongoing and never really stops. My hope in any therapeutic space is that we can meet each other as we are — with honesty, openness, genuine empathy, and a shared appreciation for different ways of being in the world.
Picture of me, a white female with brown and grey strands hair, with a long fringe. l am wearing my yellow raincoat. In the background it is a typical grey cloudy day with a collection of brown and black cows from a nearby farm. Being outdoors and walking is often a daily need of mine. I enjoy looking for funghi, trees, plants as well as bird spotting and listening. A nature geek and proud!
“Neurodiversity is about all of us — neurotypical and neurodivergent. Neuromajority and neurominority. Those who experience the world in ways that are more similar to those around them, and those who have less similar experiences. And just like with biodiversity signalling rich healthy environments, different ways of being enrich us all, gives us access to different ways of understanding the world and ourselves”
(Sonny Hallett).