About Me & How I Can Support You
1/ How Can I Support You?
2/ About Me
3/ Areas of Counselling I Can Support?
4/ Areas of Specialism
5/ Professional & Additional Training
6/ Affiliations
1/ How can I support you?
I am an experienced Integrative Counsellor, trained as a level 6 Post Graduate with over 25 years experience, working to support individuals and couples go on to lead more fulfilling lives.
I have a core belief that we all deserve to be happy, lead meaningful and fulfilling lives and that we have the ability to do so with support, motivation and circumstances favouring this... though at times it may be hard to see this.
I believe that we can all benefit from some professional, external support at some stage in our lives to invest in our own development. We may have friends and/or family who generally fulfil this role but may need something more at times.
Some presenting issues may need short term support and some longer term work. I have over 20 years of experience with the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) approach in particular which mainly addresses changing current behaviours, feelings and thoughts to reach desired outcomes. I can work with brief/ time bound and longer term solution-focused brief therapy and motivational interviewing. If you find that old or reoccurring behaviours, situations or memories are a problem these can be more deep rooted, influencing your feelings , thoughts and behaviours and how you interact with the world around you now... often unconscious. These may take longer to identify, understand, and work through. I find that when we explore the origins of these behaviours, feelings and thoughts - the "why" did I do, think or feel in this way can set a stronger foundation for future conscious choices.
I will also use Humanistic & Psychodynamic approaches including Person- centred counselling, , Gestalt therapy, Transactional Analysis, more or less depending on our discussions and a greater understanding and connection to your needs through our therapeutic relationship.
As we are all unique individuals, the approaches used will vary for all. Therefore, counselling experience will depend on your therapeutic journey expectations, the time you want to spend in therapy, and how deep you would like to explore ... all approaches being successful in meeting your initial expectations of engaging in counselling.
I am very culturally and spiritually aware and can draw upon this for a holistic counselling experience.
This may feel challenging at times and I will always maintain an honest working relationship with you and encourage you to do so with yourself. Counselling does evoke a range of different emotions at times through this experience. I will support you through these in a safe, respectful, confidential and non judgmental space. I appreciate the effort and courage this process requires at times in this journey but believe, through my own experiences, that the rewards from understanding yourself and your situations are so worth this.
In all my years working I have always encouraged everyone to experience the therapeutic process as through my own experience, and that of numerous other individuals, I have seen how we can go own to lead more consciously rewarding and happier lives!
2/ About Me
My life experiences, academic development and work experience have lead me into private practice.
I studied a BSc Psychobiology degree at University in 1997. As this ended, I commenced my work in the field of substance misuse in 2002 in a Drugs and Alcohol community treatment centre. I commenced my Post Graduate Advanced Diploma in Humanistic Integrative Counselling at CPPD, London a year after. I have worked within the substance misuse field for around 16 years in various roles and settings including the community, prison, police stations and court. More recently, I completed my training and commenced work with couples and other relationships, including non romantic and polyamorous relationships.
In my last role I managed a borough-wide substance misuse treatment project which consisted of many teams including a counselling service, 1-2-1 and group work, parenting programme, clinical team, outreach service, women and men's specific work, family and carer's support, and criminal justice team (each with numerous specialist roles within). Through this platform I have a vast experience of working with a wide range of other underlying issues as many individuals who have presented for support were often using substances as a form of a coping mechanism or self medicating for more deep rooted issues.
I am very familiar with the spectrum of mental health work as I have frequently worked with directly, through my teams or in a multi agency capacity with stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD, personality disorders, psychosis, self esteem and hoarding providing dual diagnosis joint work.
Key work experience:
- Supporting all drugs and alcohol misuse including prescriptions drugs, injecting users and steroid users.
- Managing various teams in borough- wide service in Richmond- counselling, clinical, psychosocial (1-2-1 and groups), outreach, criminal justice.
- Start to end design, implementation and management of a Counselling Service with employed and volunteer counsellors offering 1-2-1 and group CBT counselling.
- Designing and implementing above services
- Mediation
- Close multi agency work with Police, Courts, Probation, Anti Social Behaviour teams, PPO (Priotity & Prolific Offenders) team, Social Services, NHS Mental Health & Clinical teams, local GPs, Domestic Violence services , Housing teams to name a few.
- Creating and delivering CBT recovery programmes, 1-2-1 session material, counselling groups, trainings and workshops.
- Providing bespoke internal and external training, workshops, presence at community events e.g. Police, schools, colleges etc
- Needle exchanges
- Working in HMP Wormwood Scrubs providing prison link work
- Criminal Justice related work in prisons, courts and police stations
- Working with PPOs (Priority & Prolific Offenders)
- Women's and men's groups
- Outreach work- based at a variety of locations locally
- Peer mentor and volunteer programmes
- Parenting programmes
- Safeguarding Adults & Children lead
- Health & Safety lead
- … and of course, working with clients directly holding a caseload
I am encouraged by my professional and actively keep developing my knowledge through a range of continued professional development platforms I access.
3/ Areas of Counselling I Can Support.
Abuse (financial, sexual, neglect, physical, mental, emotional)
Addictions
Adult safeguarding
Alcohol misuse
Anger management
Anxiety
Bereavement and loss
Carer support
Child safeguarding
Couples work
Criminal justice related issues
Cultural issues
Debt
Depression
Domestic Violence
Dual diagnosis (mental health & using drugs/ alcohol combined)
Family issues & support
Hoarding
Housing issues
Loss
Low self- esteem and confidence
Mental health
Miscarriage
Non romantic relationships
Parenting support
Polyamorous relationships
Relationship issues
Self harm
Stress
Suicidal feelings, thoughts and ideation
Perpetrators of domestic violence and abuse
Pregnancy & birth
Sleeping problem
Self harm
Spiritual issues
Stress
Trauma
Work- related issues
4/ Areas of Specialism
- Anxiety
- Past trauma
- Relational & Couples work
- Alcohol and Drug Misuse work.
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Criminal Justice - related work
- Dual Diagnosis work
5/ Professional & Additional Training
Professional training:
2021 Intercultural Couples: Clinical Interventions For Working With Difference- Tavistock Relationships
2021 Know Thyself - The Value and Limits of Self Knowledge: The Unconscious- Online Certificate- University of Edinburgh
2020 Working with Couples and other Relationships (including polyamourous and non- romantic), The Grove Practice, London
2003- 2006 Post Graduate Advanced Diploma In Humanistic Integrative Counselling, CPPD
1997 -2002 Studied BSc Psychobiology , North London University
Additional Trainings:
- May 2024- Bipolar Disorder Awareness- Online CPD
- April 2024- Hoarding Awareness- Online CPD
- March 2024- Borderline Personality Disorder- Online CPD
- 2021 Mental Health in the Workplace- BACP
- May 2019 CPCAB & BACP Diversity Symposium (incl. Neurodiversity & Experience of LGBT+ workshops
- October 2018 Anger & Creativity : The dynamics of aggression in intimate family relationships
- 2017 Data Protection & Information Security Awareness
-Values, Behaviour & Cultures Workshop
-Naloxone training
-Medication in Recovery
-Leadership and management training (part2)
-Hoarding training
- 2016 Leadership & Management training (part 1)- Training for Disciplinary Chairs
- 2014 Care Quality Commission (CQC) training
- 2013 Foundations for Recovery Programme training
- 2012 ITEP mapping training- Strengths- based Assessment & Recovery Tools
- 2011 Management Learning Development Programme- Strategic & Open-minded Thinking
-Emotional Intelligence, Leadership & Influencing
-Diversity, Courage & Personal Impact
-Coaching
-Disciplinary & Grievance training
- 2010 Managing Safeguarding within Projects
- 2009 Management Development Programme
- 2006 Working with Survivors of Abuse- Understanding the abuser
- 2006 Working with Survivors of Abuse- Intimacy and sexuality
- 2005 Working with Survivors of Abuse- Rage and anger
6/ Affliations
BACP - British Association for Counselling & Pychotherapy
Harley Therapy Platform
Templewood Clinic, Iver
Established in 1994 by Steven Butcher Templewood Clinic has been offering Osteopathy and a variety of other therapies to the local area. During the past 20 plus years they have gained a reputation for honest, friendly, high quality patient care. Please visit their web site for more information on the treatments and if you have an questions don't hesitate to call them.
