Psychotherapeutic Counselling with Adults

Embodied & Somatic

In the past few decades, research has shown what many cultures have long known: that our emotions are held in our bodies. Movement, gesture, walking, and embodied play can offer significant change by harnessing your innate strength and peace.

I draw on my training and many years of personal experience of somatic and embodied practices to explore ways of connecting with and expressing emotions through the body. This might include experimenting with movement, posture, balance, muscle activation and awareness of our physical surroundings. We might explore how different movements or positions affect your sense of strength, stability and connection with yourself, or how small changes in muscle activation and release can influence how you feel.

I am a Movement for Trauma practitioner, have trained in yoga therapy, and have undertaken additional CPD in a variety of embodied approaches.

I am committed to a practice grounded in consent and individualisation. Practices will be explored mutually to ensure you feel in control and within your window of capacity.

Somatic Trauma Therapy

I am a Certified Somatic Trauma Therapist, trained in Babette Rothschild's approach to safe trauma recovery.

Somatic Trauma Therapy draws on an understanding of how trauma affects both the mind and body, with a particular emphasis on safety, stabilisation and helping people feel more in control.

I integrate this approach throughout my work, using practical methods to help manage anxiety, flashbacks and other distressing symptoms. These might include learning to recognise when you're becoming overwhelmed, finding ways to stay connected to the present, or using Rothschild’s Outlining technique to explore difficult experiences in manageable stages, without having to tell the whole story at once.

An important part of this approach is developing ways to slow down or stop before things become overwhelming, building on your existing strengths and resources, and adapting our work to your individual needs.

Eco-therapy

As an eco-psychotherapist, I combine psychotherapeutic counselling with nature connection, offering sessions outdoors in the Lake District National Park.

In these sessions, the other-than-human world can take a more active role, and we may explore specific nature-connecting activities. Some people prefer not to include explicit nature-connection in their sessions, but prefer the movement of walking and being outdoors for their therapy session. We can do either, or a mix, depending on your preferences.

I understand how concerns about climate change and the future, including eco-anxiety, can feel overwhelming. In our sessions, I offer a compassionate space to explore these feelings, process your fears, and find ways to stay grounded, connected, and empowered to live in line with your values.

You can read more about ecotherapy and outdoor sessions here.

Creativity

I am trained and experienced in using a variety of creative techniques to help to express and explore feelings, parts of self, sensations and experiences creatively, as well as to gain greater control, deeper understanding and to find calm. These include:

• Sandtray using miniature figures as symbols

• Sensorimotor art therapy – exploring body responses and sensations through movement with art

• Painting, drawing, sculpting with clay

• Image-work includes using imagination and visualisation

Yoga Therapy & Mindfulness

I am trained in yoga and yogic mindfulness and have over twenty years of experience as a practitioner. Mindfulness, put simply, is paying attention to the present moment (easier said than done!). It is a powerful and ancient technique that can help alleviate various difficulties, including flashbacks, anxiety, depression, overwhelm, and panic attacks. The yogic part refers to including an intention that is around wellbeing.

For example, it is possible to do anything mindfully, but not everything is useful to your wellbeing. Mindfulness is often incorporated with nature, such as using senses to connect or with creativity to mindfully express internal feelings. I also offer individual Yoga Therapy sessions.

EMDR

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is a type of therapy that helps people recover from distressing experiences, trauma, and difficult memories.

I offer EMDR as part of longer-term psychotherapy or as a specific piece of therapeutic work, including EMDR intensives. You stay in control throughout the process, and you don't need to share every detail unless you want to. You can read more about EMDR therapy, how it works and the different ways I offer it.

Relational

A safe, genuine therapeutic relationship can be a powerful mirror for understanding yourself and the way you relate to others. In our work together, I pay close attention to the patterns that naturally show up between us because they often reflect the patterns that shape your other relationships. By noticing these in a supportive, non-judgemental space, you can start to see your relationships more clearly and understand how past experiences may be influencing your present.

Using Transactional Analysis as a guide, we can explore these patterns and experiment with new ways of relating that feel more authentic. This process can help you recognise and honour your own needs, set healthy boundaries without guilt, and express yourself more openly. Over time, this awareness and practice can make your connections with others more balanced, fulfilling, and true to who you are.