A confidential space to explore the thoughts, feelings and challenges in your life.
Welcome, and thank you for visiting my website.
Spaces now available for new clients. Contact me for details.
You may not be sure why you are here, perhaps you are finding life challenging, long for a thinking space to explore you in the world or maybe you want greater self awareness.
Psychodynamic therapy works with our unconscious minds together, shining a light on what has remained hidden for years. It can bring huge relief to notice who you truly are, perhaps for the first time in your life, allowing you to gain some clarity about what you want more or less of going forward. We know that depression, anxiety and stress are on the increase and useful sources of emotional support can be minimal. Often the focus is on medication or giving advice which, although may be useful for some, does not always address the underlying issues or root causes.
As your personal counsellor, I will offer you 1:1 psychodynamic relational therapy in a confidential, warm and welcoming space where you will be listened to without judgement. We will explore your feelings together and think about what you need in order to feel less burdened and overwhelmed.
About Me
I am a BACP Registered, qualified counsellor providing 1:1 psychodynamic therapy sessions to adults and couples in and around the Hook, Basingstoke and Farnham areas. I have worked with a wide range of concerns including anxiety, low self-worth and self-esteem, depression, bereavement and loss. Also relationship conflict within families, transitions to College/University, sexuality, self-harm and dealing with huge life changes e.g. serious health concerns, work issues, betrayals and divorce.
Alongside my private practice, I work in education with students facing anxieties around decision making, fulfilling external expectations and work with those who struggle with depression. I have worked for many years as a volunteer counsellor specialising in supporting adults in grief, depression, trauma and complex family dynamics. I have a special interest in early life trauma and how it can affect the body.
Services
Individual Therapy
One to one counselling can empower you to face challenging life hurdles in the knowledge that you are not alone. It can offer an important lifeline and can change lives for the better. It may not be able to control what is happening but it can refocus your thoughts on how to respond to distress.
Every client I work with is unique in their personality and needs so I do not use a one size fits all approach. There is no homework and I work in an informal, warm, supportive and open way avoiding structure and allowing what happens between us in the room to unfold. For those who prefer a more structured, prescriptive way of working, this might not be the therapy for you and I would encourage you to find someone to work with who you can be completely open with. The aim being that you come to understand yourself, your needs, conflicts, anxieties, hidden defences and relationship problems on a much deeper level. This will enable you to bring a greater satisfaction and stability to your life.
Couples Counselling
I aim to facilitate an understanding of the conflicts that have arisen between you and will explore what your hopes are from the process. Whether you want to understand your partner better or express difficult emotions safely. You may want to be more equipped to use your voice and ask for what you need or to hear what may be going on for your partner, it can be helpful to clear the air and to identify what is causing the relationship difficulties. Some couples will have different views and answers to these questions, so honesty can be an important part of the process.
Separate individual sessions can be arranged if this is deemed helpful and these can be useful to understand where some of the issues may have originated from. Sessions are offered in blocks with the option of ad-hoc sessions to check in after the main period of counselling has ended. Couples may be asked to put into practice techniques between sessions.
Qualifications and Training
Registered member of the BACP (British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy) which means I meet the standard required by my professional counselling body for competence, experience and ethical conduct. I am accountable to and follow their ethical code of practice. I am also a member of HACP (Hampshire Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapy). More information can be obtained from www.bacp.co.uk, www.hacp.co.uk, Psychology Today, Right Therapist.
In following good practice, I am in regular clinical supervision, attend training events and have an up to date DBS certificate (formerly CRB). I am also fully insured.
- Diploma in Psychodynamic Counselling (BACP Accredited Training Course) Southampton Counselling
- BACP Accredited Training Course 187620/10317 and validated by BPC (British Psychoanalytic Council)
- Certificate in Psychodynamic Counselling Skills from The Counselling Foundation
- BSc. (Hons) Psychology
- Certificate in Couples Counselling Skills Training
Other training: Attachment styles, Causes of Depression, Gender Identity, Drugs used in Psychiatry, Trauma held in the Body, Anger Management, Ways of thinking – hopelessness, Psychotherapy with clients on the Autistic Spectrum, Mindfulness, Problem Gambling.
When and where do we meet?
The most benefit is gained from weekly therapy at the same time and place. I try to be flexible with shift workers and family commitments, so work to the needs of the client. I see clients weekly, fortnightly every month or ad-hoc. We can decide on a block of 6 sessions or it can be open-ended depending on client’s preference.
Counselling sessions are held at Devonshire House, Aviary Court, Wade Road, Basingstoke, RG24 8PE. My therapy room offers a warm and calm space to truly switch off mentally from the pressures of the outside world.
I work online via MS Teams if travel and mobility are a concern and also offer home visits, please enquire for more details.
Get in touch
How can I book some sessions?
To make an initial appointment, you can email me or telephone on 07949176337 and let me know your availability. I will endeavour to respond within 24 hours. If you telephone and I am not able to answer your call immediately, I may be in a session. Please leave me a message with your name and number. I aim to return all calls within 24 hours or if on a Friday, I will call or email you the following Monday.
What does it cost?
My fees are benchmarked against other counsellors working in the same area.
- Reduced rate first session (individuals – £35, couples – £65)
- Further sessions (individuals £70, couples £125)
- Individual sessions - 50 minutes Couples - up to 1.5 hours
If you decide that you would like some therapy going forward, we can leave it open-ended or agree how many sessions together. You do not have to sign up to any sessions. Once the initial session has been taken, there is an agreement to complete and sign which I will share with you should you wish to continue. Sessions last for up to 60 minutes and are payable in advance. Half fee is required if cancelling less than three days in advance. The full fee is required if cancelling within 24 hours, this is because the session and room booking will have already been booked out for you.
Fees are reviewed annually.
Frequently asked questions
Counselling can be thought about as a unique type of relationship between a client and therapist. It can be helpful to unravel and experience sometimes painful feelings in relation to what may have happened to us in our past, what we may be going through right now or simply to have some time to yourself in a completely confidential and safe environment where you will be listened to and accepted without judgement.
Therapy unfolds in a gentle and accommodating way and moves at a pace that you, the client, decides. In the journey we create together, particularly difficult or painful subjects are brought into conscious awareness only when you are ready to do so.
As a Psychodynamic Counsellor my work is informed by certain aspects of Psychoanalytic thinking, for example we may not always be aware of everything we are doing or why. Our conscious thoughts and feelings are only a small part of who we are. We are also motivated by unconscious parts of our minds. Psychodynamic Counselling helps clients become more aware of themselves, to see their way of being in life more clearly and to know themselves with greater clarity. With this knowing and understanding we can then be in a position to address problems and think about a way forward.
It helps with many problems such as:
Abuse, Anger management, Attachment disorder, Bereavement, Depression, Family issues, Low self-confidence, Low self-esteem, Narcissistic personality disorder, Relationship issues, Self-harm, Separation and divorce, Stress, Suicidal thoughts, Trauma, Work related stress and many others.
I have a special interest in trauma and its effect on the body, family conflict, issues with our sense of identity in the world, pressures to fulfil expectations whether societal, family, peers or our own.
Yes. I will require your written permission to talk to anyone else about your sessions. Confidentiality is taken very seriously and I do not disclose material to any other party, other than in clinical supervision. All counsellors/psychotherapists are required to be in supervision and consult regularly with another counsellor/psychotherapist to review and enhance clinical work. My practice is supervised by a more experienced therapist to ensure that I am providing you with the best therapy I possibly can. I discuss my caseload with my supervisor but your identifying details (name, address etc.) are withheld.
It must be borne in mind however, that there are limits to confidentiality. If I had concerns that you or another person were at risk of harm, I may seek to obtain additional input from other professionals. In each case, I always aim to discuss any such issues and agree a plan of action with the client, except in emergencies where I may need to take immediate action.
What brings you to therapy will inform whether we work short-term or in open ended counselling, I offer both. Short term (6-12 sessions) can be helpful when looking at particular issues for example, stress at work, anxiety/panic attacks or relationship difficulties. Open-ended counselling can be helpful for some deeper rooted issues such as problems with low self-esteem, understanding depression or trauma linked to our past.
Our first session will be a time for us to explore the issues that are bringing you into counselling. Although I will ask some questions, the aim will be to see if we can work together and if the counselling that I offer is right for you. We will also think about whether short-term or open-ended feels right for you.
Beginning counselling can feel daunting but empowering so being prepared for what to expect maybe helpful. Your therapy session provides a regular time and space in which together we will try to make some sense of the difficulties that you are experiencing. Solutions are not always clear but we will explore what your options are in terms of finding a way through your difficulties.
My therapy room is located on the first floor in Devonshire House, Wade Road, Basingstoke RG24 8PE. There is allocated parking onsite, reception area, disabled access, cooled water and air conditioning.
Driving:
Junction 6 M3 - 1.3 Miles
Junction 11 M4 - 11.9 Miles
Train Station and Bus:
When you have arrived at Basingstoke railway station it is a 29 minute (1.4 mile) walk or a 4-minute drive to Devonshire Business Centre or alternatively you can take the number 7 Bus which is approximately a 10-minute journey and get off at Wade Road.
Please contact me to arrange an initial assessment.
I see individual clients at least once a week, and sometimes more often, either for an open-ended period of time or for an agreed number of sessions. This will depend on a variety of factors, including the type of problem someone wants to work on and the type of solution they are seeking. Sessions are an hour and usually take place on the same day and time each week. Although the outcome is best if session times are kept the same, there is flexibility in this.
I see couples individually and/or together, usually for an agreed number of sessions, but sometimes for an open-ended period of time. These sessions are an hour and sometimes more for an initial assessment.
Only you can decide, but it can be extremely beneficial for anyone who is facing stress or difficult times, who are in need of support/guidance or just needing someone neutral to talk to.
If you would like to learn more about coming into counselling with me, please read about my approach (What is Psychodynamic Counselling?), and my qualifications and experience. Or if you prefer to talk this through, please telephone me on 07949176337.