Let me introduce myself as I am sure you would like to know more about me and my previous roles.
I live in East Lancashire with my partner and two daughters.
I have an ADHD diagnosis which came later in life. The diagnosis did not come as a huge surprise and made complete sense to me. I had masked this for most of my life and had quietly thought about this for over fifteen years.
One New Year’s Day I made a pact with myself, I did no longer want to feel this way. I felt different to other people, overwhelmed with tasks which didn’t appear to phase others, home life was chaotic and I had a harsh internal critical voice. After all those years of wondering, I was exhausted and I could no longer hide from it. I wanted to get to know the “real” me and was referred for an ADHD assessment where I received a combined diagnosis.
If you were to ask me how I describe myself, wholeheartedly I would say I am passionate, energetic and a busy lady because my neurodiverse brain likes to keep going, it is all I have ever known but actually like it. People who know me have often commented I am like a Duracell bunny and there is the occasional time I do run out of battery life.
I have come to recognise rest for me isn’t stopping or slowing down but doing something which is active. Believe it or not this slows down my brain. I choose to be out in the fresh air whether it’s going for a long walk, climbing up and down the hills or running. I have to admit I do less running nowadays due to finding routine difficult and I’m not consistent. I also love CrossFit and how energised I feel after an intense sweaty workout, blasting out music, listening to Podcasts that interest me or make me laugh and being around others. It has become important for me to take care of my own mental and emotional wellbeing however before becoming a counsellor I did not value this as much as I do now.
Why did I become a counsellor?
For many years I wanted to retrain as a counsellor but it never felt the time was right because I had a young family. As time flew by I began to feel disconnected, less motivated and started to question what did I enjoy out of my life. At a crossroads in my life and feeling lost, I made the decision to look at new and exciting opportunities. This took me to finding myself again where I trained as a counsellor and then more recently a clinical supervisor. I have thoroughly enjoyed the journey I have been on and absolutely love what I do.
My background
My counselling experience includes working with Barnardos, Mind, Place2Be, Psychological Service for children and young people with a diagnosis of autism or ADHD and Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) offering counselling face to face, online or over the telephone to adults and young people. My experiences have enabled me to build up positive, trusting relationships with others as well as encouraging them to meet their own potential.
I have experience working with neurodivergent clients and through having ADHD myself, I know what it is like to feel different and misunderstood. I bring empathy, creativity and energy into my counselling work. In sessions I aim to create a space that is inclusive, supportive and flexible.
In addition, I have over 27 years’ experience of supporting children and young people in various settings, including primary and secondary schools, services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), homeless shelter and residential and children’s home. I understand the difficulties and stress education staff and children are put under to achieve academic success as well as how difficult the teenage years can be and the issues that surrounding this.
During training as a counsellor I accessed counselling myself to overcome the trauma I experienced when I had my oldest daughter during and after her birth. I have real life experience of counselling, I understand how apprehensive or scary it can be to reach out, the thoughts that can go round in your mind of how it works and whether it would be helpful.
I am a fully qualified counsellor and clinical supervisor where my work is fully supervised with up to date indemnity insurance, a clear enhanced DBS certificate, GDPR compliant and a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) where I adhere to their Ethical Framework for Good Practice.
I participate in Continued Professional Development (CPD) throughout the year to develop my knowledge and skills. I am always looking to develop and stretch myself as a counsellor and bring this into the counselling room when appropriate.
I invite you to get in contact with me for a brief chat where we can talk about the kind of support you are looking for yourself or for your child and to learn more about me and the way I work. Due to the nature of my work, I am not always able to answer calls so please leave a voicemail or send me an email if you would like me to get back to you. I aim to get back in contact with you as soon as I can. I respond to every enquiry; please note that sometimes my emails go straight to spam/junk email folders.
Qualifications:
Further Training:
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