When the past continues to shape the present
Traumatic experiences can affect us long after the event itself has ended. You may have experienced childhood trauma, emotional abuse, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, bullying, a serious accident, medical trauma, military trauma, birth trauma or the sudden loss of someone important to you. Whatever your experiences, therapy will be tailored to your individual needs and goals.
Many of the ways we think, feel and behave are understandable responses to our life experiences. Our minds are remarkably skilled at protecting us and helping us cope. Sometimes, however, the very strategies that once helped us survive can begin to hold us back. Together, we can gently explore these patterns and find new ways of moving forward.
I have a special interest in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Complex PTSD (C-PTSD), and dissociative disorders.
A compassionate, evidence-based approach
EMDR UK Accredited Practitioner
I have witnessed how powerful Eye Movement and Desensitisation (EMDR) is for clients since I trained in 2008. I have undertaken further specialist training to use it safely and thoughtfully with recent trauma, suicidal ideation and dissociative conditions.
EMDR Intensives
These are longer, carefully planned sessions that allow more focused therapeutic work over a shorter period. They can be particularly helpful if you are travelling a long distance, would like to work more intensively, or prefer fewer, extended sessions. An intensive is not suitable for everyone, so together we can consider whether this approach is right for you.
Trauma-Focused CBT
Where appropriate, I also use Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT). This approach can help you understand the links between your thoughts, emotions, physical sensations and behaviours, while developing practical strategies to reduce avoidance, process traumatic experiences and build confidence in moving forward.
Your inner world Internal Family Systems (IFS) Informed parts work
I find incorporating inner child work and IFS-informed parts work to be valuable aspects of trauma therapy. Different parts of us often hold memories, beliefs, emotions, strengths and hopes for the future.
By approaching these parts with curiosity and compassion, therapy can help you develop greater self-understanding, internal cooperation and self-compassion, rather than feeling in conflict with yourself. The aim is not to get rid of parts of yourself, but to understand the important roles they have played and help them feel safer, less burdened and better able to work together.
Specialist training
Since qualifying as a psychologist, much of my continuing professional development has focused on understanding and treating psychological trauma.
Over the years, I have continued to deepen my knowledge through specialist training in complex trauma, attachment, dissociation, structural dissociation and internal communication. I have been grateful to train with the European Society for Trauma and Dissociation UK (ESTD UK), First Person Plural, The Bowlby Centre and the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD). This ongoing professional development continues to shape the way I work today.
My practice is informed by current research and follows evidence-based guidance, including recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD). I work within the three-phase approach to trauma, focusing first on safety, stability and gaining practical strategies before gaining perspective and processing traumatic memories where appropriate, followed by developing a more compassionate and integrated sense of self. All work is done at your pace.
Looking forward
Your experiences are part of your story, but they do not define who you are or who you can become. However overwhelming things may feel now, healing is possible.
‘You gave me the ability to go to places in my mind which I thought were closed and you made it so easy for me to do this through your very understanding and non-judgemental attitude’