About Me
We all get stuck sometimes - in a loop, down a dark hole, between a rock and a hard place. Whatever shape your troubles take, I will provide a calm, relaxed space where you can expect to be heard, understood, and accepted, and to practice hearing, understanding and accepting yourself.
I have experience helping clients with many life problems and issues, often manifesting as some combination of anxiety and depression, and I have a special interest in people who are experiencing burnout, whether professionally, academically or domestically.
I know what burnout can feel like, and I was astonished to find that this common hazard to mental and physical wellbeing is almost entirely absent from counselling theory and practice. My mission - and this is both professional and personal - is to fill this gap as best I can, especially at a time when this is a burning issue for so many in front-line services.
Do any of these feel familiar?
Anxiety
Anxiety loops its way through the mind and the body, alerting our mind that something needs urgent attention while preparing our body for urgent action.
Like so much of human nature, this is helpful in the right context, when the situation does indeed demand action - wondering about our loved ones or threats to our own welfare. But when the anxiety is excessive - too intense or too persistent - it can become unhelpful, even disabling.
Counselling can help you see where the anxiety is coming from, and develop better ways of relating to yourself, your world and your triggers.
Burnout
Burnout is the nemesis of the highly motivated, from city high-flyers and startup founders to medics, dentists and vets.
It is typically situational, marked by persistent negative mental states, negative emotions and feelings, exhaustion, and an overall mindset of reduced competence.
Those suffering from burnout may blame themselves, intensifying a vicious circle. Counselling can help restore self-efficacy, and help you to relate to the stressful situation differently, or realise the necessity of finding a less toxic situation.
Depression
Depression can involve feelings of guilt, helplessness, low self-esteem and even thoughts of death and suicide.
Counselling can help you identify and engage with these negative feelings, acknowledging and accepting them, so that you can move on to cope better - with them, and with life.