Professional Counselling, Psychotherapy and Supervision in Worcester
“Therapy is about helping people to understand themselves in a way that gives them more options and degrees of freedom.”
T.Butt, Understanding People, Palgrave, 2004
Welcome, and thank you for visiting my website. I hope the information here will be helpful if you are thinking of contacting a therapist, especially for the first time. Making the decision to see a counsellor and come for therapy is a big step - but it can be a very positive one and I have over thirty years' experience of working with people from all walks of life, and with all kinds of needs. I see people* on their own, or in couples, usually on a weekly basis, or twice a week, at my practice in Worcester, close to Junctions 6 and 7 of the M5.
People come to see me with a wide range of issues that are troubling them: these are the kind of things I hear from my clients...
"Someone I love very much has died. How do I carry on without them?"
"Me and my partner keep arguing: we just can't stop - and I'm thinking about leaving."
"I've struggled with anger all my life: I can't control myself - when the red mist descends, watch out!"
"Sex in our relationship seems to be over... is there anything we can do about it?"
"My mum simply won't accept that I am gay...I feel so helpless."
"I've been feeling low for so long and I'm struggling to see how I can move forward."
"I used to be so certain about my faith - but now I'm not sure anymore."
Each person I meet comes with a different story and when meeting someone, a fundamental question I hold in mind is 'What has happened to you?', and not 'What's wrong with you?' Depression, anxiety, anger, self-doubts... very rarely - if ever - does someone need 'treating' or 'rewiring': instead, understanding is needed - the kind that can help us to develop greater self-compassion, and a deeper ability to relate with kindness to our common human vulnerabilities.
As a BACP Senior Accredited therapist, I work with people (individuals and couples) who want to think about the 'story' of their lives and who perhaps feel that it has got stuck and needs taking in a new direction. I frequently see people who are themselves involved in the caring professions: counsellors, doctors, nurses, teachers, clergy. It is not always easy for such people to reach out for support when they need it, but doing so is key to staying healthy in these roles. Compassion fatigue and moral distress (working in institutions with policies which feel unethical) are not-uncommon burdens for people in these roles.
My clients typically come from Worcester, Malvern, Cheltenham, Kidderminster and the surrounding area of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire, but you are welcome to contact me wherever you are based.
I also offer supervision (online and face-to-face) to therapists. Please contact me for more details and to begin a conversation about working together.
(*I work with individuals/couples aged 18 and over)