What I can help with
Anxiety & related conditions
Anxiety can have a debilitating impact on a person's life but with the right interventions and support you can take back control. Whether you are struggling with generalised anxiety, OCD, phobias or stress related anxiety, I can help you to overcome these challenges at your own pace.​​​​​​
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Relationships
Humans are social animals, and this means that we have an innate need for social connections. This is an important aspect of the human experience, but one that can be fraught with difficulties. Dynamics to explore could be in romantic relationships, or those with family members, friends or work colleagues. We can uncover any unhelpful patterns you may be unconsciously repeating, work through painful past experiences that are holding you back, develop better ways of interacting with those closest to you or even working on improved boundaries.
Body Image & related condition
Body Image concerns can range from weight and shape, to overall feelings of unattractiveness and/or a hyper-focus on specific areas such as skin, nose, hair, eyes, or any body part. For some, appearance anxiety can develop into Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). I can help you explore the origins of these feelings, but most importantly, to move beyond them using an integrative model, including CBT with Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) in order to develop a more balanced, compassionate and accepting self-image.​​​​​​​​​​
Self-Esteem
Our self-esteem can fluctuate throughout life, whether it is during turbulent teenage years, a transition from university to working life, or due to a change in circumstances in our adult life. This could be connected with difficult life experiences such as challenging relationships with family members, a partner or friends, or linked to your education, work or financial situation. I will help you explore what is at the root of shaky self-esteem issues, and help you to build confidence in yourself.
Depression
If you are struggling with low moods, sleep disturbance, lack of hope for the future or you are experiencing a loss of interest in the things you previously enjoyed, I can support you to gently explore those feelings and emotions whilst moving towards improved wellbeing and contentment.
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Stress
Stress and anxiety often go hand in hand. It has a psychological and physical impact on those experiencing it. It is often due to environmental causes, such a being in a stressful educational, home or work environment. Stress can diminish our ability to make healthy choices for ourselves. Therapy can help you to offload the difficulties you are facing, in a non-judgemental and calm environment, enabling you to build resilience whilst exploring options for how to minimise the impact of these stressors in your life.
Bereavement & Loss
Losing a loved one is an exceptionally painful human experience, this can be through bereavement or a loss of a relationship. Often those closest to us can struggle to know what to say or how best to support you. It can be difficult to discuss grief with family members if they too are grieving. Bereavement can be a complex emotional experience, dependent on your unique relationship with that individual. Our sessions can be a safe space to express and process your feelings of loss and to disentangle painful emotions.
Self-harm
Self-harm is often used as a way to express emotions that are overwhelming and hard to put into words. It can make painful emotions visible. Sometimes it can be used to end a feeling of numbness or disassociation. Therapy can be a helpful way to gain a better understanding of what is driving the self-harm, enabling you to express painful emotions in a safe environment, and learning alternative coping mechanisms.
Trauma
Trauma is best defined by someone's response to an experience, if they found it deeply distressing or disturbing, rather than the event itself. This means that there is a vast range of types of trauma. However, there are a few ways to catagorise these experiences, such as a one-off traumatic event (type 1), those that happen over a longer period of time, (type 2), secondary trauma, inter-generational trauma, or 'little t' trauma. No matter what category you feel your experience/s fit into, we would collaborate to gently work through the pain of those experiences, supporting you to grow beyond them.