How I will work with you

We would start by exploring what has prompted you to come for therapy at this time, and what you hope to gain from therapy. We would then decide together whether once or twice/three/four times weekly therapy may be needed. Sessions last 50 minutes. I mainly work with you lying on the couch. This takes away the pressure of your needing to look at me and frees to explore yourself without inhibition.
I work in an open-ended way which allows you to work at your own pace, as well as exploring your current concerns, we would also explore how your past experiences and relationships may be influencing your behaviour now- working with the unconscious and using our relationship to inform our exploration.

My counselling/psychotherapy approach is psychodynamic/attachment based. I encourage your personal growth through the inclusion of your whole person - the emotional, mental, physical and spiritual (whatever you feel that to be) aspects of yourself.

Making the decision to begin counselling/psychotherapy can be a challenging one, if you want to take the next step, after a brief telephone chat or email conversation we would arrange to meet up and discuss what it is you want and see whether I am the right person to support you at this time. If you have any questions at all please do not hesitate to contact me.

Visit the Counselling page for more information

I abide by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Ethical Framework

I offer clinical supervision if you are a qualified counsellor/psychotherapist or counsellor/psychotherapist in training. I am experienced in supervising long and short term work, and all theoretical approaches. I work in a collaborative way, exploring your own approach and offering alternative hypothesis and ways of working where wanted. I have been supervising counsellors and psychotherapists for over 20 years in a variety of settings with supervisees from extremely diverse settings.

I have worked in FE, HE, the NHS, in drug and alcohol agencies and with an extremely diverse client base including: teenagers; the elderly; victims of neglect and abuse; victims of violent crime; asylum seekers; victims of war; clients who are bereaved; with anxiety and depression; consultants in the NHS; senior academics; those seeking meaning and purpose in their lives.
I am a BACP Senior Accredited Supervisor and have a Post Graduate Diploma in Supervision from Leicester University. I practice the Shohet Seven Eyed Supervisor approach which includes thinking about the client, yourself, my reactions and the context both of the client and where you practice.

I also provide supervision to you if you are not a counsellor, but work in another role which has an emotional impact or is emotionally challenging such as carer, support worker, manager. For more information about my approach please visit my About me page

Exploring the Dynamics of Attachment in Adult Life

I offer workshops, talks and experientials on Attachment Theory Post Bowlby and Exploring the Dynamics of Attachment in Adult Life and am available to organisations to deliver these CPD workshops and talks.

Exploring the Dynamics of Attachment in Adult life

These experientials offer an opportunity to explore one’s own attachment dynamics in the context of a confidential closed experiential group.

They provide an opportunity to explore the fact that we all respond to the needs of others, have our own needs, and, too often we don’t create the conditions to support our own personal and psychological care and development, which can lead to burnt out or illness (McCluskey and Gunn, 2015).

The experientials use the McCluskey ‘Exploring the Dynamics of Attachment in Adult Life’ model which proposes attachment is a dynamic process and consists of seven goal-corrected systems. These are careseeking, caregiving, sexuality, exploratory interest sharing with peers, the personal system for self-defence, the internal supportive or unsupportive environments and the personally created external supportive environment (home/lifestyle). The theory suggests that these systems work together as a single process to contribute to and maintain maximum wellbeing. Each session will have a short didactic input on the attachment system to be explored that day, followed by experiential groupwork.  There will be time to identify what people are learning, discovering, or applying to their own practice.

Using a group setting offers a collaborative learning opportunity, each person’s exploration offers potential learning for others, we work alongside each other.

The groups whilst not therapy, include therapeutic effect and have a positive impact on how participants’ wellbeing and how they manage their relationships.

I offer this course in various ways, 4 consecutive Saturday mornings, 8 once weekly evenings, and over a 3-day weekend, both privately and for organisations.

They are suitable for anyone with an interest in attachment, and especially those involved in the caring professions.

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