My Experience

Before becoming a professionally trained and qualified counsellor in 1993 I had worked as a volunteer bereavement counsellor for 10 years for Winchester Bereavement Support. This for which I had also trained and read widely.

I built on that original experience as a volunteer counsellor, which itself had been grafted on to my original training as a Child Care Officer and general Social Worker. My social work training was at the London School of Economics & Political Science and then at Southampton University.

I continue to be involved with Winchester Bereavement Support in the role of Referrals Officer, as I greatly enjoy the work. I no longer see clients for WBS, but I offer 'Bereavement and Loss' as a speciality in which I have a wealth of experience.

I have worked for a year as a Volunteer Supervisor with Portsmouth Counselling Service.

I have been a volunteer with Victim Support for 14 years. In this role I have undertaken many specialist trainings.

After working for a number of years as a qualified Person-centred counsellor, I decided to extend my skills and further develop the service that I was able to offer to both my private practice and EAP clients by undertaking psychotherapy training. I chose the Transactional Analysis (TA) approach originated by the psychiatrist Eric Berne as offering the most complete theoretical approach to understanding human emotions and development. I studied for four years at the Metanoia Institute, obtaining their Certificate in TA Psychotherapy in 2001. This was subsequently recognised by Middlesex University with a postgraduate diploma.

I have experience of dealing with a very wide range of issues, which include:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Loss and grief
• Panic attacks, fears and phobias
• Parenting
• Relationship issues
• Stress and its management
• Identity issues
• Low self esteem
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Rape
• Domestic violence
• Victims of crime