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How I Work

If you're feeling hopeless, especially if you've felt that way for a long time, it's hard to know where to start. I meet you where you are, and I understand how impossible it might be to imagine feeling okay. I work in a trauma-informed way, recognising that you have had experiences that may have deeply affected you. and have knowledge and experience with issues like trauma, shame, eating disorders, grief and loss, and bipolar disorder.

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I am trained in a variety of techniques (such as talking therapy and CBT) so that I can find ways of working together that will really work for you.

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Together, we will explore what you need so that we can work towards you getting to where you want to be - even if that's accepting where you are right now. Throughout therapy, we will be building a toolkit to help you work through what you are currently dealing with, and equip you for the future. 

 

I commit to working openly and honestly with you as you take this step.

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You can find out more about how I work with trauma, bereavement, eating disorders and bipolar here:​

Trauma

Trauma is an emotional reaction to a  distressing or overwhelming event or series of events. It might be the result of a single overwhelming event or multiple distressing experiences over time. Either way, you might feel on 'high alert' all the time, be living with distressing thoughts or flashbacks or feel isolated and hopeless.

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You might have felt that way for a long time, and feel like things will never get better. We will work to make distressing feelings less painful and overwhelming, giving you space to get your sense of self back.

 

I do this by exploring your symptoms and experiences, tackling difficult emotions and feelings one by one. I'll creatively find ways that work for you, that might not have been obvious before. Although talking through past experiences can help, you don't have to go into upsetting details to work through a trauma.

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Symptoms like intense negative emotions, flashbacks, critical inner or external voices, anger and numbness are truly awful to live with. We'll work to lessen their intensity and make them more manageable, or even stop them altogether.

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I have worked with clients who couldn't see a future, and have found hope and even joy in life. It is possible, no matter how unlikely it may seem right now.

Grief and Bereavement

Losses blindside us, and they can change everything. It can feel like nothing makes sense any more, and yet you're expected to carry on. People care, but it feels like you're left behind. It might feel like you can't talk about it when you need to, and when people don't understand it can just make you feel more isolated.

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​The way I work is to give you space to grieve, and time to reflect on where you are after your loss. I do this by recognising the importance of who, or what, you have lost. When someone dies, it seems as though we have to move on. Although life will never be the same, you don't have to forget the person you've lost. We will honour them, and work out how they can be a part of your life as you adjust to a new reality that doesn't feel okay.

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It's not just when someone dies; moving, job loss and the end of relationships can be huge losses. Losses of sense of self, security, and health are also deeply painful. I will help you to find hope in the future and integrate your loss. We will work out your values - what really matters to you - and how you can live them. Loss can change everything, but we will seek to discover a new reality that feels comfortable and even enjoyable.

Eating disorders

The emotional pain of an eating disorder, or poor body image, can take the joy out of life. You might feel hopeless - like it rules your life, and things will never get better. You can feel ashamed, so that you can't reach out  - people either don't understand, or try to solve your problems. Some people feel scared that they will lose control without their eating disorder, yet living with it is too painful. You might have tried to get help for a long time, and found it's just not there, leaving you feeling trapped.

 

If you've lived with an eating disorder for a long time, recovery can seem impossible. I recognise the emotional toll that your disordered eating and body image takes on you, and how serious it is for you. People might have told you your eating disorder is a phase, or 'not serious', but if thinking about food takes up a lot of your time, you'll know how wrong that is.

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I'll work with you to reduce your distress and understand what is keeping your eating disorder going. We will look at triggers, and find coping strategies to reduce intense emotions. You will start to think about what life might look like without an eating disorder. 

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Eating disorders can make someone vulnerable, and we'll assess the impact it has on your health, and consider your support system before deciding to work together. 

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I understand how it feels to have your life ruled by food. Recovery from an eating disorder isn't easy, as you know, if you're seeking help. With the right support people can and do recover.

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What does therapy for Eating Disorders or Disordered Eating look like?

Assessment phase:

An initial session which allows me to understand more about what your relationship with food is, and to explore what might be keeping you stuck.

Two 90-minute assessment sessions, during which we will formulate a plan for working with your eating.

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Core therapy phase:

Regular weekly sessions.

Work to address the things that are keeping disordered eating going, helping you to become more flexible and comfortable around your eating habits.

Recognising experiences that might have impacted you in your life and working with self-esteem.

Dealing with difficult emotions and finding coping strategies to manage stress.

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Maintenance and recovery phase:

Step-down to less frequent sessions, moving to fortnightly then monthly and 3-monthly follow-ups or email support.

Planning for coping with future challenges to your relationship with food.

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Throughout the therapy, you will be offered:

Ongoing monitoring of your progress through an app (or word document if preferred).

Between session support via the app.

Access to multidisciplinary support.

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We will usually plan to work together for three months or more, reviewing after the first assessment phase.

Bipolar Disorder

​Are you going through life struggling with an illness that is invisible, feeling like no matter what you do, things will never be okay?  You've tried every coping mechanism you can think of, but things are still desperate. You might have been told that you'll always be like this and you just have to accept it. You might be dealing with a sense of loss for things you used to be able to do. It might feel like reaching out only burdens people. Perhaps you feel that you can't go on like this, it's exhausting. 

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As a counsellor, I focus on helping you cope with symptoms so that life will feel more manageable, rather than making a diagnosis. I do this by helping you to identify your triggers that affect your mood and helping you to work with these compassionately. We will explore fears you have about how you will live with bipolar, and how you would like your life to be. That helps us to build an idea of what recovery will look like for you and how you can get there.

 

You may  be receiving support from other professionals like your GP or a mental health team, or you may have tried to get support and come up against a wall each time. During the inital assessent, we'll evaluate your support network to work out what support you need and how you can get it. Counselling, combined with other forms of support, can be life-changing.

Professional Registration

As an accredited member of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS) and Individual Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) I am committed to working within their ethical frameworks and also to continuing professional development, as well as regular supervision. This means I will be continuously learning and keeping up to date with new therapeutic approaches and ensures that I work to a high standard.

I am an accredited registrant of the National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society (Membership no. NCS21-02711)

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I am an individual member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (Membership no. 00999496)

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I am am insured to practise and am registered with the Information Commissioners Office.

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