compassionate inquiry practitioner

Therapy is an investment in yourself which allows you to connect in a way that enables profound and meaningful healing.

I come from a medical background, initially as an intensive care nurse working with open heart surgery patients before I moved to cancer nursing - prompted by my husband being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. I wanted to understand my internal emotional landscape to understand my patients better. The move to study Humanistic counselling with transactional analysis was a natural progression and complimented my role.

I now work full-time in private practice, with adults and young people, using the Compassionate Inquiry approach to inform my way of being as a therapist. It is at the heart of my work. Shame has been very much part of my life and of my work which led me to Compassionate Inquiry. I am deeply committed, on a micro level, to creating a more compassionate world. Compassionate Inquiry has helped me thrive and grow and inspires every moment of my life. I also work as a supervisor.

Being fully present is something I am always working to do. When we are present with others, we are receptive to what is going on with the other person and viscerally within ourselves. Presence is a fluid, energetic state created and developed as we exist in each other’s company. This is where understanding myself and my own defences is very important. As I build rapport with you and understand you with compassion, I begin to feel a connectedness. Whilst working, I hold an internal notion of my intention towards my ethical values and principles: of doing no harm, of listening, observing of the space of a spiritual nature. We are always learning, and we always want to protect ourselves. Most of what we do is unconscious.

Awareness of right-brain disconnection and shame shapes my work. I know it takes time to feel safe and to build trust. The presence of others helps only if you know those others won’t further shame or blame you. The most important therapy for shame, according to DeYoung, is the one that provides both attachment, connection, intersubjective connection, attuned affect regulation and the lively contact of mutuality.

I am a member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). As a Member of BACP I am bound by its Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy, the Ethical Guidelines for Researching Counselling and Psychotherapy. I hold full Professional Liability Insurance and a clear enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check.

​Please use the the online booking form to arrange a free initial consultation or to contact me to discuss how counselling may help in your situation.