How I work

Above all else, I believe the therapeutic relationship is where meaningful change happens. Without a genuine therapeutic relationship, therapy can remain a superficial exercise; it is from this relationship that awareness develops, life’s challenges begin to make sense, and healing can happen.

People come to counselling in different ways. Some arrive with something clear. Others arrive with a sense that something isn’t right, without knowing exactly what that is.

 

The therapeutic relationship is central to how I work

I don’t begin from a place of trying to fix you or tell you what to do. I’m interested in understanding what has happened in your life, how you’ve learned to cope, and how those experiences continue to shape you now.

 

Before techniques or approaches can be useful, there needs to be enough trust, safety, and contact between us. Without that, change can stay superficial or short-lived.

 

I pay attention to what happens between us, not just what you talk about. How you speak, what feels easy or difficult to say, and how we relate in the room often reflect patterns that exist elsewhere in your life. When these are noticed together, they can be worked with directly.

 

Working creatively and flexibly in counselling

I work creatively and draw from a broad range of approaches and interventions.

 

Gestalt counselling is not a single technique or fixed method. It is an evolving way of working that allows for different techniques and forms of exploration, depending on what fits you and what is happening in the moment.

 

The therapeutic relationship provides the foundation. Everything else builds from there.

 

Working with parts of self

Many people experience themselves as being pulled in different directions. From a Gestalt perspective, I work with parts of self as they show up in the present moment.

 

Rather than trying to remove or override parts, we pay attention to them. This can reduce inner conflict and support change that feels more integrated and sustainable.

 

This way of working is often relevant when exploring addiction, self-harm behaviours, trauma, and loss of identity.

 

How I understand difficulty and experience

I approach counselling with an interest in what has happened in your life, rather than beginning from a stance of what is wrong with you.

 

Patterns and behaviours often develop in response to experience. Part of the work may involve listening carefully to those experiences as they begin to unravel and understanding both what they have helped you manage and how they may be affecting your life now.

 

Change often happens through being heard and understood within a genuine therapeutic relationship, rather than being told what to do.

 

Practicalities

I work with adults and young people aged 16–17.

 

Sessions are offered in person in East and Central London, and online.

 

You’re welcome to get in touch for an initial conversation to see whether working together feels right for you.