Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy

I draw on theory and practices from Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, compassion-focused approaches and neuroscience. My approach is to facilitate our work together to initially make sense of your difficulties, discovering links, patterns and vicious cycles that you might be experiencing, whether stemming from past events or present circumstances. Building this individualised understanding helps to point us to possible root causes and driving influences which we can focus on in therapy to help make lasting changes and help you work towards your goals and create the life you want to lead. I am trained in numerous specific evidence-based models for treating psychological difficulties, however, my work is essentially focused on people as individuals with many facets, which necessitates being flexible and creative in our work together.

Supervision

As an experienced and qualified supervisor, accredited by the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, I have supervised both trainee and qualified therapists in the NHS, private practice and in Higher Education. I offer this service on a one-to-one or group capacity, face-to-face or online and provide help supporting your learning and development as a reflexive practitioner, helping you build your clinical skills, develop your understanding of theory and maintain high standards and safe practice in accordance with your accreditation needs.

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)

The EMDR UK Association describe EMDR as “a unique, powerful therapy that helps people recover from problems triggered by traumatic events in their lives. It stops difficult memories causing so much distress by helping the brain to reprocess them properly, working with memory to heal the legacy of past pain. EMDR is best known for treating PTSD but can help with a range of mental health conditions in people of all ages including depression and anxiety”. I find EMDR extremely rewarding to work with, helping people process and be freed from difficult experiences that could have been plaguing them for decades. See the EMDR Association website, of which I am a member, to find out more https://emdrassociation.org.uk/discover-emdr/the-basics/.

Neurodiversity specialism

With my own personal experience of neurodiversity, I also welcome clients who are neurodivergent, such as Autistic, ADHD or AuDHD and work from a neuro-affirmative approach – seeing differences not deficits. I value promoting self-awareness of individual differences and encourage healing anything getting in the way of self-compassion as part of a strengths-based positive identity. I am the ‘Neurodiversity Champion’ as part of my NHS role, helping therapists better support and work more idiosyncratically with neurodivergent clients. I created an 8 week group to specifically focus on helping neurodivergent adults, the first available on the NHS in Cornwall. My clinical work and Doctoral research are centred around creating peer support and promoting a positive identity.

Neurodivergent Training

I offer CPD training workshops to therapists in adapting therapy for working with neurodivergent clients and have recently undertaken this at the University of Exeter and also as part of my NHS work.