My service

Psychological difficulties I can help with

As a clinical psychologist who has also completed several years of additional specialist training, I am experienced in using evidence-based methods to treat a wide variety of mental health difficulties, such as: anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, problems relating to grief and loss, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anger problems, bipolar disorder and addictions. I also work with people who may have, or think they fit the criteria for, a diagnosis of personality disorder. I may be able to help with certain physical difficulties, such as medically-unexplained symptoms that may cause pain and/or discomfort. I specialise in working with people who have experienced complex trauma, including attachment/developmental and relational trauma.

In very simple terms, trauma refers to the lasting effects of an experience that overwhelms your ability to cope or feel safe, leaving you feeling helpless and often very fearful. Trauma can be caused by a single incident or happen over a long period of time. It can result from experiences where you felt frightened, humiliated, bullied, controlled, threatened, horrified, abandoned, rejected, bereaved, invalidated, unsafe, unsupported, gaslighted, trapped, powerless or ashamed. Please scroll down or click here to find out more about trauma.

My therapeutic approach

I offer a non-pathologising approach to mental health difficulties, meaning I help people understand how their struggles typically make sense in the context of their experiences, rather than as an unrelated disease process or biological 'flaw.' From a very young age, our minds are skilled at developing different strategies, both conscious and unconscious, to help us survive and feel as safe as possible in the world, even amongst our own families. Often, though, these survival strategies can become more harmful than helpful, which is where therapy may be beneficial to make sense of this. Typically drawing on experiential therapy models (see the about me page for more), I tailor my interventions to the individual I am working with, rather than offering a 'one size fits all' approach. My aim is to help people uncover who they truly are beneath their survival strategies and reclaim vital parts of themselves, process past painful experiences and remove the blocks to pursuing the lives and relationships they long for. If this sounds like what you are looking for, I look forward to meeting you.

Who I work with

I mainly work with individual adults (18 years old and above).

How I work

I typically offer therapy sessions of an hour's duration on a weekly or fortnightly basis. If you are looking for an assessment only, this is also possible, but may require several sessions to provide the most comprehensive evaluation of your difficulties. I work predominantly online, which keeps my overheads low and allows me to offer a lower fee than in-person work. Please contact me to ask about my current fees. I provide in-person sessions on Thursdays in Cheltenham at the Isbourne Centre, located at 2 Wolseley Terrace, Cheltenham GL50 1TH (click here for more details). If arriving by car, the Rodney Road and Regent Arcade car parks are a short walk away.

Get in touch

If you would like some help to improve your mental health, please get in touch using my contact details, or the form provided, on the contact me page. I offer a free, 20-minute consultation, by phone or over Zoom, to give a potential client the opportunity to talk further about what they would like some help with, ask any questions and generally decide if having therapy with me could be helpful.

What to expect

Following an initial discussion, if you decide to proceed with therapy, I will send you my standard documents, including a contact details form, a therapy contract detailing the terms and conditions of my service and a copy of my privacy policy. I will also send a consent form for videoing sessions; I regularly video sessions as a way to improve the therapy I provide by systematically analysing the effectiveness of my work. I may also use the video when seeking supervision to further optimise the therapy I provide and help ensure safe and effective practice in line with the HCPC professional code of conduct. However, if you prefer, you can opt out of video recording altogether.

If it becomes clear during our initial conversation that you would benefit most in the first instance from a team approach, or from another type of therapy or service, I will be honest about this and offer signposting where possible. If we proceed with therapy, during our first session, we will establish your goals for therapy and discuss the duration and frequency of sessions according to your individual needs and preferences. I work collaboratively with my clients, meaning that you are an active participant and 'teammate' in what we do together to help you.

It can be painful to talk about things that you might never have discussed before, and for many people, starting therapy can feel like a worsening of their difficulties at first. However, having the courage to face painful feelings and experiences, with appropriate therapeutic support, can be hugely beneficial. But in the event that you are not finding the therapy helpful, I welcome and encourage your feedback at every stage, to ensure that you feel as supported and safe as possible.

Insurance

I am registered with Aviva, Axa and Vitality insurance providers.

Confidentiality

All information provided by you is confidential and protected under the The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), except under the specific circumstances that I detail in my privacy policy. I store all information in accordance with GDPR requirements.

Cancelling or rearranging sessions

If you need to cancel or rearrange a therapy appointment, please contact me by telephone (including voicemail or text) or email a minimum of 48 hours before the session time, to avoid being charged for the session. You can find further details of my terms and conditions, as well as my payment details, in the therapy contract document I send to you.

Crisis support & support outside of sessions

Unfortunately I am unable to provide crisis support, so please seek other sources of help should you find yourself in a state of mental crisis. These could include: your GP or their out of hours helpline, the NHS 111 helpline, your local crisis support team, or the Samaritans (dial 116 123 in the UK and ROI). If your life is in immediate danger, please dial 999 or go to your nearest Accident and Emergency Department. Please also see the useful links page for other organisations and information that you may find helpful.

Medico-legal assessments

Please note I am not currently accepting instructions.

Trauma

Attachment trauma

While there are many different types of trauma, 'attachment trauma' (sometimes called ‘developmental trauma’) occurs during our childhood years and is a form of complex trauma resulting from difficulties in our relationships with our caregivers. At the extreme end, this can involve explicit physical, emotional or sexual abuse or neglect (emotional and/or physical). Often, however, people have a complex and confusing mix of experiences where their caregivers might be nurturing and protective in some ways, but cause harm in other ways; for example: by having extremely high expectations of a child; being very critical; invalidating, dismissing or ignoring a child's feelings; being inconsistent with their care; or comparing siblings unfavourably to each other. Frequently, these ways of relating to their children re-enact (often unconsciously) the ways in which the caregivers themselves were parented.

As a consequence, to keep safe and because they both love and need love (or at the very least acceptance) from their caregivers as a matter of survival, children typically develop ways of relating to themselves that reflect how they experience being parented; for example: developing a harsh 'inner critic'; becoming a high achiever; being overly perfectionistic; suppressing certain emotions; comparing themselves negatively to others; and so on. Often we are not conscious of the ways we learnt to protect ourselves as children and may believe our childhoods were simply 'normal' and the way we relate to ourselves and others is just our 'personality.' Attachment trauma can have long-lasting effects and is a significant predictor of mental health problems in adulthood. Research is also emerging that suggests experiencing attachment trauma can make it harder to deal effectively with other trauma and stress in later life (as evidenced in this study).

Complex and relational trauma

'Complex trauma', often called 'complex PTSD' or 'cPTSD', is a term often used interchangeably with attachment trauma, but specifically applies to difficulties related to experiencing multiple or repeated instances of trauma. It can occur at any age, not just in childhood, and can develop as a result of many different experiences including bullying, chronic sexual, psychological and physical abuse or neglect, and witnessing or experiencing multiple traumatic events (e.g. as a result of working in the emergency services or the military). 'Relational trauma' is a form of complex trauma that can result from a relationship at any age where a person experiences harm, abuse, betrayal or a sense of not feeling psychologically or physically safe, often characterised by a power imbalance.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD is more often (but not always) associated with single-event trauma such as an assault, car accident, burglary or experiencing traumatic childbirth. It refers to a particular set of symptoms including re-experiencing (via flashbacks, intrusive memories or dreams), avoidance (of anything that might remind you of the traumatic event), a high level of physiological arousal (hypervigilance, feeling highly anxious or irritable, struggling to sleep or concentrate), and difficult feelings and thoughts (feeling low or struggling with feelings of shame, anger, sadness or guilt, struggling to feel safe, feeling like no one understands, blaming yourself for the trauma).

There is a lot of overlap between PTSD and other types of trauma; however, people with complex trauma often experience additional challenges, including difficulties with emotional regulation, a damaged sense of self-worth and interpersonal problems. They may find it harder to recognise the impact their condition has had on them, because it has become so entangled with their fundamental understanding of themselves and of the world. During therapy, these individuals are essentially building a whole new perspective on themselves and others in an environment of stability, consistency, and safety, which they may never have experienced before. They learn that relationships can be safe, that they can be vulnerable and remain safe, and that connection can truly help with healing. You can learn more about PTSD and complex PTSD here.

The experience of trauma is personal to the individual

Most of us will have experiences in our lives that could be considered traumatic, but not everyone will be affected the same way. Trauma can happen at any age and can affect us at any time, including a long time after the experience(s) have happened. It can even be caused by traumatic events you have not personally experienced, but may have heard or learnt about, or witnessed. There's no hard and fast 'rule' for what experiences can be traumatic, it's more about how you as an individual react to them. Your trauma is personal to you and reflects absolutely nothing 'wrong' with you, irrespective of how others may react to the same experience.

The impact of trauma

Experiencing trauma can have significant and long-lasting consequences for psychological and physical health. You might carry painful beliefs that you are damaged, not good enough, not lovable, or that you cannot trust anyone. You might have feelings of shame, low self-worth, hopelessness or helplessness and have difficulties within your relationships. You might also struggle to manage your emotions and have problems with anxiety, anger, depression or frequent thoughts about ending your life. You might have attempted to end your life. You might suffer with dissociation or feel numb a lot of the time. Your physical health might be poor or you suffer with physical discomfort or pain that medical doctors cannot explain. To read more about trauma, including other types of trauma, see the Mind website here.