ABOUT
Career
Private Practitioner since 2011
Clinical Supervisor
BPS QCoP Coordinating Supervisor
Guest lecturer
Member of Division of Counselling Psychology Executive committee (DCoP) (from 2023)
Deputy Chair of DCoP (2024-26)
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Lead author of DCoP publication
Considering the Relational: A handbook for working therapuetically with neurodivergent people
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Lead on 'Recreating Research in Counselling Psychology' initiative.
Education
Msc in Counselling Psychology at Roehampton University
PgDip in the Practice of Counselling Psychology,
PgDip in Counselling Psychology
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BSc (honours) Psychology
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Advanced diploma in counselling
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Intermediate Certificate in Counselling Skills
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Certified Clinical Trauma Professional level 2 through the use of Internal Family Sytems (IFS)
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Developer of a Relate Young Persons Counselling service funded by Comic Relief.
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Young Person Counsellor in Military primary schools
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Employment assistance programme Telephone Counsellor
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Administrator in a Supported living service with leaving care young people.
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Support worker in a Family assessment centre
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Team leader in a residential school for children with autism
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Nanny
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Working with young people by Youth Access (8 day)
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Creative therapeutic skills for children by Margot Sunderland (8 day)
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NVQ 3 – Health and Social Care, Children, Young adults & Adults
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Certificate in Social Sciences
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NVQ 3 – Business Administration
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BTEC National Diploma in Design – Photography
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Diploma Foundation – Art and Design
Private Practice
I made the early decision in my training to predominantly be a private practitioner as for me the therapuetic work was my priority. Having been a late starter in training I already had vast work experience and identified that I needed the autonomy to work flexibly around my physical and neurodivergent needs. More importantly, as a practitioner I wanted to provide the client much more autonomy over their therapy, how we work together and for how long. Whilst there may be critical views on whether people should have to pay for therapy, the reality is that to recieve the teatment that is actually most suited and needed for an individual comes at a cost. But, with physical health, people will readily pay to improve their physical appearance and health, which much of the time is a distorted way of trying to improve their mental health, and not always succesful. Mental health treatment should be honoured the same, if not moreso.
My creative marketing and administrative skills gave me the confidence to build my practice. However, I truly believe its success has been due to being authentic and true to my personal and professional beliefs, needs and wish to help others. My natural fascination about the human mind never waivers and I still approach each new client with a fresh new curiosity. I genuinely see hope in every individual even when they have lost all sight of it.
Through my early work with young people I trained to use creative tools and play as a different language to access and express oneself where words were not always accessible. Whilst framed in talking therapies, I continue to encourage clients of all ages to explore different ways to express themselves as this enables an expression of self only felt or held within the body or unconscious. Playing and experimenting this way also facilitates a space for any neurodivergent traits to be witnessed and encouraged.
Professional development
I only recently felt confident enough to share the knowledge and passion gained from many years of the approx 700 client sessions a year. I was randomly invited to be a coordinating supervisor for those following the independant route to becoming a Counselling Psychologist and it was here that I realised my passion had not waivered. I also became aware that the identity of counselling psychology had evolved and the new directions excited me, but would require new study and learning.
As a way to keep myself up to date with the current research and position on Counselling Psychology I joined the BPS Division of Counselling Psychology in 2023. Since joining I have learnt much more about my personal skills led by my own neurodiverergent processing. Naturally creating patterns and pathways as a way to see through chaos helped to restructure the committee and create clearer order and direction. When the new Chair was recruited I assisted his transition by being honoured the role of Deputy Chair.
My focus now remains on two projects within the committee which overlap each other where my professional identity is being shaped by my personality.
'Recreating research' is an initiative I launched in 2023, encouraging the use of creativity of methodology and of mind within research. We have provided an online platform in which to showcase creative research. it is exciting to see that this has now led to a thread of creative research being presented at the DCoP's annual conference.
I took over the lead of the Neurodiversity workstream which formed with the intention of creating a publication to offer 'considerations when working therapeutically with neurodiversity'. This expanded greatly as we researched it further and thus took on the role of lead author as I threaded together contributions from various experts in the field.
A past tutor who knew of my academic struggles at uni has been following my growth at conference and said to me that "I was old school taught which didn't work for you, now is your time!".
My therapuetic practice will always remain central to my work and my clients always my priority. These projects and interactions with colleagues all feed back into keeping my practice fresh and up to date, and if anything, through continued relfective practice, gaining more clarity and confidence in how I am working. To the point I have also found myself dipping my toe into some lecturing on the DPsych course, as traditional academic teaching has also moved on, where creativity is recognised to enhance learning.
Personal balance
In order to be a role model to my clients, as a therapist it is crucial to live by a healthy work-life balance. I manage my clinic hours to suit me and my natural rhythms, knowing when I can work with clients most effectively.
I ensure that I provide time for creativity as a place to express myself in my own language and fulfil the need to create beautiful things. This plays out both professionally and personally by volunteering my skills to my local canoe club and the DCoP, whilst revamping my VW T2 campervan or through general crafting and art. During my early stages of training and mandatory therapy, painting and art was hugely therapeutic for my reflective processing.
A fairly recent discovery of kayaking has provided me with both a physically activity I can manage for hours with fibromyalgia and EDS, and provides a much needed green therapy and place to breathe. Along with intuitively and Mindfully led movement, flow yoga, pilates and weights I feel at my most strongest and healthiest.
Why the name SPECTRUM?
The name SPECTRUM naturally emerged as an encompassment of many facets and philosophies of my life and therapeutic practice.
Origin of the word
From 17th century Latin meaning 'image', 'apparition', from spectere 'to look'.
Definition of Spectrum as a Metaphor of the self
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A band of colours, as seen in a rainbow, produced by separation of the components of light by their different degrees of refraction according to wavelength.
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Used to classify something in terms of its position on a scale between two extreme points: the left or the right.
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Awareness, to look at and tolerate every extremity of the self by examining and experiencing all colours and components of the self. Experience the overlapping, the degrees of refraction between your own and others emotions.
Spectrum of the therapeutic world
Therapy can vary depending on the emphasis of the medical vs talking models. There is spectrum on how much mental health is seen and treated with medicine or interaction. My model of the therapy Spectrum can be found here.
The Neurodiverse Spectrum
Tjhrough personal and professional experience I have an expert and empathic understanding of the difficutlies faced by those on the neurodiverse spectrum.
Definitions of different neurodivserities, be is Autism, Aspergers, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia or something more unique to the individual, are not deemed as distinct and different from one another but lay on a spectrum in which all may experience traits of and range in difficulties.
Over the Rainbow song
The song 'over the rainbow' has aways inspired me to believe that we can fly like the bluebirds and dreams really can come true if we believe them enough. However, I acknowledge we may have blocks to believing in these dreams which therapy can help work through
Areas of Expertise
linked
Intrinsically
DISSOCIATIVE
DISORDERS
HOW I WORK WITH IT
Working with Dissociative Disorders (DID) can be complex and take a long time but my focus is on working with the underlying trauma and taking a Parts Theory approach. Central to the different parts is a 'self' in which we maintain contact with to enable management and control of the parts.
HOW I UNDERSTAND IT
Dissociative disorders can develop as a result of early attachment issues or traumatic events where different parts of the brain disconnect with each other as a way to avoid the trauma in the other parts. This could present as a dissociative state which can feel like daydreaming, a complete conscious awareness of actions whilst still continuing with living or a complete split of parts on which each part, or altar, is only present at one time.
In turn this can cause increased levels of anxiety through loss of time and disorientation, exacerbating trauma. Parts or altars may also manifest as psychosomatic symptoms.
NEURODIVERSITY
HOW I WORK WITH IT
Prior to qualifying I worked with children with Autism, receiving the 5 day TEACHH programme from North Carolina.. People on the spectrum and with any form of neurodiversity offer such a unique and individual view of the world but struggle to fit into an un-adapted ‘normal’ world. Because of this I wanted to offer them a space where their world can be enjoyed and explored without judgement.
HOW I UNDERSTAND IT
People with ASD or neurodiversity's can experience daily environmental trauma along with social and family abuse and neglect from a misunderstanding of the disorder and how it manifests within the individual.
Those on the Autisitc Spectrum may experience sensory trauma, which if not appreciated and adapted too can create long term problems for the individual. This could result in chronic psychosomatic illness, Anxiety and PTSD symptoms, or Dissociative disrders making their already difficult ASD more complex. .
Every individual experience’s life differently depending on their personality traits combined with environmental upbringing and attachment relationships.
So some people may experience what is deemed as an everyday occurrence as traumatic where others can recover easily from what could be deemed a traumatic event. This is based on if and how they recover from an experience.
I have found trauma can be found at the source of many, if not all, of my clients issues, both physical or psychological, that can manifest in various ways such as chronic anxiety, psychosomatic illness, dissociative disorder or PTSD. Many people come to me fearing their feelings, because they have never healed from a previous emotional experience, which can be as simple as a primary caregiver depriving their child of a cuddle and reassurance when they are scared or hurt
HOW I UNDERSTAND IT
TRAUMA & ANXIETY
HOW I WORK WITH IT
I became a Level 2 Trauma professional in 2021 to enhance my understanding of how trauma manifests itself and how best to treat it.
I work with Internal Family Systems Theory and Trauma Parts theory which enables the client to access the felt experience of the younger traumatised parts whilst remaining present in the adult mind.
New research has shown that Trauma itself does not have a chronological memory and so the ‘experience’ of it can still be held in the body many years later. By accessing the younger traumatised self alongside the present adult self we are able to teach the younger part it no longer needs to feel fearful.
HOW I UNDERSTAND IT
Research has found links between Fibromyalgia and trauma, either early attachment trauma or domestic abuse.
Unexplained pain and fatigue can be a way of the body trying to communicate stressors and trauma in the body.
CHRONIC
ILLNESS
HOW I WORK WITH IT
Through my Masters research and client work I have learnt about and recognised a relationship between unspecified health problems and emotional expression. This has led me to offer a compassionate and Mindful approach, to dealing with pain, fatigue, Fibromyalgia, and ME.
I explore and work with the underlying emotional stressors and conflicts that the body is trying to express. By using Parts theory we can help the body find it's own voice to express it's internal pain.
HOW I UNDERSTAND IT
Early attachment issues can lead to…
trauma from being psychologically neglected
...Relational difficulties where the need for intimacy is in conflict with the fear of intimacy, leading to and avoidance measures.
...Dissociative disorders where parts of the brain splits off as a way to unconsciously avoid the trauma in the other parts.
...Anxiety disorders from the fear of being close but also being alone
ATTACHMENT
HOW I WORK WITH IT
I recognise the importance of developing a secure attachment relationship at a young age. If this has not been created, as an adult this can impact on the way we relate to others. Once identified I can help to create more positive relationship styles.
In the case where a secure attachment relationship has not been formed the child does not internalise a way to cope with stressful external factors or emotions, therefore being in a constant state of