About Me: the personal stuff

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In 2016, I had a work-based, stress-induced nervous breakdown. It was frightening, confusing and happened very quickly. I had no mental health history before this (many thought I was ‘the last person they expected’ to have a breakdown). In January, I was busy growing a software business and skills training company in the legal sector. By May, I was in a hospital psychiatric ward following a build up of stress that turned into chronic anxiety, panic attacks and severe depression that lasted 2 years. 

My gradual recovery was nurtured through talking therapy, mindfulness practice and the love of family and friends. It has been underpinned since then by an ever increasing awareness of my default tendencies, the edges of my physical and mental limits and how to maintain balance whilst remaining ambitious (learning to let go and pull back when I need to).

Life can be hard. I offer no silver bullets or magic wands. Instead, I will create a safe, structured space for you to explore your own reality, re-wire old habits and acquire new insights and capacities to respond differently to difficulty. 

I'm a qualified therapist registered with the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP). I'm also registered with the British Association for Mindfulness-Based Approaches (BAMBA) as a mindfulness teacher.

I am a qualified coach and have a background in executive / business coaching. Sometimes, a coaching (or 'therapeutic coaching') approach can be more appropriate than therapy to remove barriers to personal growth. 

I also work part-time as an academic at Nottingham Law School where my research interests focus on lawyer stress and burnout. 

I run a general practice and work with clients with a diverse range of presentations. My specialisms include:

• Stress & burnout (prevention & recovery)
• Trauma (including childhood trauma and complex PTSD)
• Bereavement

It's normal to be unsure about seeing a therapist so I offer a free 20 minute check-in on the phone, so we can get a feel for whether I'm the right person for you.