Bupa Counselling in Hampton

Counselling can help process feelings that feel unmanageable and situations that feel impossible. I offer a safe space to talk about fears, worries and anything difficult that is happening in your life. I am able to offer EMDR therapy online and in person to adults and teenagers. EMDR is effective in helping with trauma, anxiety and phobias.

When difficult thoughts and emotions are suppressed, they often come out in other ways, either mentally or physically, or both. It is well known that there can be such a huge sense of relief when sharing something extremely distressing that may well have been bottled up inside for days, months, or even years. Counselling and psychotherapy provide an opportunity to talk in private about those difficult thoughts or feelings you might be having, in a way that might be difficult to do so with friends or family.

I believe that every human being, most of all, is striving for freedom. This could be a freedom from dependency on anything we use to compensate or self-regulate (food, drugs, shopping, etc). Freedom from compulsive thoughts, anxiety and depression. Or, this could be the freedom that we are all aware of but lost or unable to assign a deeper meaning to, to navigate to a more authentic direction in life. In my clinical practice, the methods I use are all aimed at assisting in the awareness, comprehension and embodiment of freedom.

I hold a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Oxford University. I have experience of working with individuals, couples, families, adults, older adults, children and adolescents and people with learning disabilities, within a wide range of NHS health care settings. I specialise in working with couples and also supporting people who have long-term physical health problems such as diabetes, chronic pain and chronic fatigue. I wrote my doctoral thesis on adolescents’ experiences of going to boarding school and have an interest in the impact of boarding school on psychological wellbeing.

My main focus to to support you to overcome self-limiting behaviours in order to live a more fulfilling life and to accompany you on a journey of self-discovery within a confidential and safe setting.

Most people feel anxious, stressed or low at some point in their lives but often try to struggle through on their own. I understand how daunting it can be to seek professional advice but I have successfully helped many people with a wide variety of problems.

I empower my clients to live an independent and fearless life using CBT and EMDR. By working with me, you’ll not only be able to cope with your past but also plan for a thriving future. We’ll achieve this by building a powerful psychological toolkit: a collection of practical techniques uniquely designed for you. These include relaxation, coping, assertiveness, resilience & stress management tools & a bespoke psychological roadmap (formulation). These tools will allow you to step back from triggering situations, notice unhelpful patterns in your thoughts, behaviours and emotions, respond mindfully & break free from old patterns.

We can all have difficulties in everyday life and encounter problems that we simply find hard to cope with alone. You may feel worried, anxious, low, confused, isolated or may be experience difficulties in relationships. You may be suffering from feelings of low self esteem or low self confidence. You may have been diagnosed with anxiety, generalised anxiety disorder, depression, or maybe you are just feeling sad. When these feelings and thoughts persist and become overwhelming it may be difficult to know which way to turn.

Maybe you’re thinking and feeling things you don’t want to think or feel. Or maybe feeling nothing at all. Perhaps things keep going wrong; or perhaps nothing changes. It could be you feel you can’t cope. Or something has just come and hit you for six. Counselling is a safe place to explore things like that. It’s a place with the potential for personal change. Fortunately, we humans can change our minds. Literally. A fancy word for this is plasticity. Even more, we are designed to change in each other’s company. It’s how humans learn to fit in. So we make a new relationship, you and I, and this is our vehicle for change.

If you are feeling disconnected and undermined by anxiety or distress, you are wise to be considering therapy. There is solid evidence that psychological treatment can help people move on when their own efforts are not enough. Psychotherapy is confidential, safe, and caring. As a clinical psychologist, I have been trained to work collaboratively with my clients to develop a shared way of thinking about their problems and how they can move forward. My practice is integrative, eclectic and client focused: no one therapy suits every person or every issue.

I work with couples and individuals I am a qualified accredited psychosexual therapist and psychotherapist. My specialism is in Relationship difficulties and I work with sexual problems, relationships and can help in resolving sexual and Relationship difficulties, communication and breakdowns in relationships.

Therapy can be a difficult and overwhelming process for many people. I'm committed to providing a safe and supportive space for people to explore their thoughts and feelings. I have a broad range of interests and over 15 years experience in the field of mental health including treating low self esteem, anxiety, sleep problems and depression. I take pride in my collaborative and empathic approach, wanting to understand and learn from my clients’ unique perspectives and experiences. When I feel that I have played a part in helping someone move closer to the life they value and deserve, it is the most rewarding work I can imagine.

Welcome to my profile page. I am specialized in treating problems such as Stress,Worry, Anxiety, Psychosis, Depression and OCD. I emphasise the use of Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapies as these offer a wealth of scientific evidence backing their effectiveness. When getting to know you, I very much emphasize getting an individual picture of your concerns in order to tailor a treatment program towards you. This entails that you will get to know psychotherapeutic principles and techniques that are adapted specifically towards you. The gained knowledge will aid in helping you address your problems in a direct and pragmatic manner.

I have worked for the past 7 years for a Children's Mental Health Charity with a particular experience in supporting parents with issues impacting on their parenting and family relationships including separation and divorce, bereavement, domestic abuse, anxiety and depression and low self-esteem. Parents who have engaged in counselling have reported an improvement in their confidence, self-esteem and emotional wellbeing which has impacted on their family relationships. During the Pandemic I have supported many clients through my private practise with issues related to home-working and subsequent anxiety and depression.

My first training in therapy was ‘Person Centred’. This therapy places emphasis on providing a safe, empathic, non-judgemental space to discuss whatever is troubling you. I have come to specialise in Trauma and Complex PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). EMDR is clinically proven to heal all kinds of traumatic experiences. More recently, I have begun to incorporate Internal Family Systems (IFS) theory into my practice as it helps to identify different parts of ourselves that can sometimes be in conflict.