Care experience

I have 38 years experience in a variety of care settings including the NHS, the private sector, mental health, palliative care, children in education with and without disability. I offer a safe space in which you can explore your thoughts and feelings without prejudice or judgement. Your thoughts and feelings matter to me and it is important to me that you feel heard.

My aim is to provide you a metaphorical mirror as I believe each individual has their own answers. Through our relationship and the work we do together, the aim is for you to gain insight and feel empowered and equipped to live your life with your new found skills and confidence. You have taken the first step by looking for a counsellor. It is very important you find the right person for you.

Qualifications

• Advanced Diploma in Humanistic Counselling - British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)

• Parent/Carer Child Therapy

• The Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education

• The Neurobiology of Attachment

• Autism diploma  

• Certified Autism Spectrum Condition Intensive training

• Compassion Imagery for Shame and Trauma

• How to help Trauma Patients establish a Sense of Safety and Repair Attachment looking at using EMDR

• National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioural Medicine

• Bereavement Care - The Cruse Foundation 

• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy 

• LGBTQ+ Awareness

• British sign language stage 1 - Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People (CACDP)

• British sign language level 2 - Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People (CACDP)

• British sign language level 3 - West Kent College

• Multi Sensory Impairment (MSI) training - sense.org

• Multi Sensory Impairment (MSI) Interveenor - sense.org and the University of Northampton

• Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECS) to support communication and understanding 

• Introduction to play therapy - Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)

• Life story and sand tray work 

• Safeguarding disabled children 

• Child protection in a multi agency team levels 1&2

• Positive approaches to challenges of behaviour and learning - Dan Hobbs 

• Equality and diversity qualification - East Sussex County Council

• Systemic development of restorative practice in schools  

• Working with the angry child

• Attachment theory - Sir Richard Bolby

• Domestic violence and the impact on children

• Safer Caring 

• Understanding self esteem 

• Understanding Depression

• Understanding lying and stealing in broken attachments - Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)

• Local authority expectations and court and care proceedings

Disabilities

I have a passionate interest and vast experience in working with disability and firmly believe everyone has the right to be heard, even if they are unable to verbalise their wishes. I work creatively to enable the individual to express themselves.

I appreciate that disability can affect a whole family, parents, carers and siblings, often it can cause a divide in a family and is reported that families feel isolated, losing friends for many reasons.    

Communication

I studied British Sign Language levels 1,2 & 3 and begun working with children and young people with Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), severe and profound learning disabilities and deaf-blindness. I witnessed challenging behaviour and felt sure this had to be linked to being misunderstood; I went on to qualify as an Multi Sensory Impairment (MSI) Intervener which gave me the crucial understanding of why children behave the way they do in order to get their needs met. All behaviour is communication, I witnessed the struggles children and families face when a child shows challenging behaviour and sadly isn’t understood.

Children

Sometimes children are unable to process life events. They may be experiencing parents separating, being in foster care or adopted, having a diagnosis of a disability, which can lead to a wide range of feelings, fear, anger, confusion and frustration. The child may experience overwhelming feelings and emotional outbursts, or display challenging behaviour. Many children cannot find the words to express how they are feeling but instead play it out.

Play therapy

I use play-based therapy, working creatively to provide a safe space with clear boundaries where children can express themselves, through their personal language of play. Through narrating I can help them to attach language to their experience in order to better understand their own experience. Don’t be put off if your child does not talk, I am experienced in working with non-verbal children and use a variety of means, adopting a total communication approach. This helps the child to make sense of their experience which in turn helps develop emotional literacy and resilience which they can take into adult life. 

I work creatively using a variety of materials, toys, paints and home-made slime, play-doh, baking, sand-tray work and sensory play.

This can help:

• Children who have experienced loss and bereavement

• Children who have been in the care system and experienced loss and interrupted attachment

• Children with difficulties with anger and violence

• Children who have been abused physically sexually or emotionally

• Children who are fearful, anxious or low self esteem

• Children who have additional needs or siblings with additional needs and or life limiting illness