Therapy With Me
Welcome to Beyond Counselling
I work with clients to help them identify their personality, neuro traits and innate qualities, not pathologising their natural tendencies but supporting them to understand how they ‘tick’ and how they can optimise their strengths to live more authentically.
My practice is feminist, neurodivergent- and disability-affirming, LGBTQIA+ and GSRD (Gender, Sexual and Relationship Diversity) affirming. I am a firm believer that lived experience and the counsellor being ‘a good fit’ are valuable components for a successful experience of therapy. I am committed to ensure that all clients get to exercise autonomy in their choice of therapist, even if that leads to an onward referral to a more suitable therapist.
“This life is mine alone. So I have stopped asking people for directions to places they’ve never been.”
~ Glennon Doyle, ‘Untamed’
- I work with high achieving personalities who often recognise they are perfectionist in nature. This can be a significant strength and a route to excellence but in times of stress or self-criticism can jeopardise personal achievements and life satisfaction.
- I work with neurodivergent individuals who are often exploring their identity, learning to recognise their masking and related trauma and making sense of their different neurotypes within neurotypical systems not designed with their needs in mind.
- I work with peri/menopausal clients who are facing immense disruptions, to their health, their identity and their capacity as successful and functional individuals and are looking for answers to help them navigate and manage a profound life transition.
Therapy can help clarify our sense of ourselves, grounding us in who we really are, not who the world expects us to be.
“Raise your hand if you’ve asked yourself, How much more do I have to do before I’ve done enough? How much of myself do I have to give? How smoothly do I have to polish myself before I can move through the world without friction?”
Beyond Counselling Psychological Services
Beyond Counselling was set up in 2018 after I moved from working as a psychotherapist for statutory services. I had become tired of working with fixed service models that didn’t take account of the unique and individual aspects of clients' personalities but expected them instead to fit the restrictive expectations of services that were ‘one size fits all’.
My approach tailors therapeutic interventions to suit the client, working from an asset mindset which focuses on their authentic strengths, skills, and competencies rather than a deficit model which prioritises what might need to be “fixed”. In this way, clients are able to develop the self-belief and the agency to successfully navigate whatever change or disruption they are experiencing in their lives.
I offer a space for you to explore freely and without judgement whatever issues are currently disrupting your sense of identity and wellbeing, helping you to move towards a greater understanding of why you think, feel and behave the way you do and what influences this, either past or present.
I specialise in working with:
High achievers who self-select for demanding careers and lifestyles but may be experiencing levels of stress and burnout that jeopardise their success and wellbeing.
Neurodivergent individuals, in particular ADHD, AuDHD or multiply ND and especially those who are late diagnosed or recently realising their neurodivergence.
Those navigating peri/menopause who are seeking menopause support and guidance, either through therapy or coaching consultation.
I can support you to cultivate self-awareness and self-leadership, gaining the clarity you need to effectively address your challenges and feel back in the driving seat of your life.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch to explore how you can successfully navigate whatever issues you’re currently facing.
Getting to know me
I have been working in mental health and social care since my 20s after finishing my Psychology degree at Leeds University. My career started in residential child care which at the age of 22 felt like a baptism of fire! I moved into adult mental health services, developing my counselling and group therapy skills and ran a non-statutory pregnancy crisis and bereavement service for a number of years while I brought up my young family.
In 2008 I completed my MA in Counselling Studies, a professional qualification which gained me further experience working with mental health issues and I then went on to train in young people’s therapy which was the topic of my research dissertation (Resilience in Looked After Young People).
Further career steps afforded me training and experience with eating disorders, young people, compulsive behaviours, self-esteem, wellbeing, family conflict, high achieving personalities neurodivergence, trauma and the menopause.
My current niche specialisms have gradually developed, largely from lived experience alongside specialist training and have formed the framework for my Private Therapy Practice.
I am a fun-loving active person who loves nothing more than to be out in nature or else in front of live music to feel in touch with my authentic self. I am an committed advocate for healthy work environments, neurodiversity and the menopause.
I regularly attend gigs and festivals, spend time with friends and family and enjoy motorbiking, hiking, swimming, photography and reading.
