My background

After graduating, I worked for many years as a business consultant within the financial services industry. Although successful, I was never convinced that I was doing the right job for me. After several episodes of depression, I decided that I needed to change my life.

It was a psychotherapist who helped me through this turbulent time. She helped me to see how my early experiences had shaped my choices, and explained that I could think and behave differently.

Working with my psychotherapist, I left my struggles with depression behind and started to experience a new, more alive way of being. Inspired by this experience, I decided to train as a psychotherapist myself and help others to change their lives for the better.

As a professional psychotherapist, I am required to be in supervision. My supervisor is Robin Hobbes (at Elan Training and Development), who provides excellent support to me in my practice. I also believe that it is essential for therapists to have access to therapy themselves, and my own psychotherapist remains available for me to see if I need to.

I have an honours degree in psychology and a diploma in integrative psychotherapeutic practice. I am a BACP accredited counsellor/psychotherapist and a UKRCP registered counsellor/psychotherapist, working within the ethical guidelines of BACP.

I am also a teacher, qualified in teaching in the lifelong learning sector. I teach on the counselling concepts, skills and diploma courses at the University of Derby in Buxton.

As well as working in my private practice and teaching, I am employed part time as a bereavement counsellor for St. Luke's Hospice in Sheffield, and also contribute to business change projects in association with the management consultancy Project Future.