I have worked in the mental health field my entire career. I was fortunate to gain a lot of experience in a variety of settings including; hospitals, prisons, courts, police stations, community services and within my private practice. I worked with a range of difficulties including; depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, life transitions, bereavement, chronic mental health issues, substance misuse, relationship difficulties, trauma, cultural difficulties and sexuality.
As a Psychotherapist, I work in an integrative way. This means that I use different theories, approaches and techniques depending on my client’s needs. I enjoy working in a psychodynamic way, exploring attachments, connections, relationships and early years. This can help to figure out your base, and identify potential difficulties you still may want to understand or heal from. Exploring your past can help you understand the present. It can improve your insight, your relationships and general well-being. It can free you from depression, pain and trauma you may be carrying around for a number of years, or maybe your entire life. It can give you an opportunity to explore some of the habits, beliefs and thoughts you have been carrying around that may not be useful any longer.
Using cognitive behavioural therapy as part of my approach, I find it helpful to support my clients in understanding how their thoughts and beliefs affect them physically, emotionally and behaviourally. It gives us an opportunity to explore and challenge your world in depth and build up new ways of thinking and behaving. This can be a very powerful and effective approach to people, as it helps you to realise that you can be in control, and you can create a happy and functioning life.
As a Walk and Talk therapist, I use mindfulness and body work as part of my approach. I find it important to help my clients connect with their bodies and the world around them. This can relieve anxiety and low mood and can help you in having a clearer mind. Connecting to yourself is a crucial part of this process, however different people connect with different things, which may be a God, nature or the universe. I aim to help you learn how to better have this connection, so you can have the tools to better manage difficulties in the future.
In addition, I often explore existential themes with my clients, which may include talking about your purpose, death, freedom, spirituality and general human existence. Often people shy away from the bigger questions, and underneath all of our difficulties, we can always find a parallel between existentialism and the presenting issue.