Treatments & Services
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
About You
There are many reasons why people seek counselling,
such as depression, anxiety, stress, bereavement or addiction.
However, some people may not have an obvious reason for their distress and may look for help when they’re feeling ‘lost’ or
‘out of sorts’.
You may find it hard to speak to family or friends about what is troubling you, but talking to someone impartial can have many benefits as that person will listen, understand and accept you as you are.
There doesn’t have to be a label for things to feel wrong.
At Counselling Minds I can help you make sense of your feelings and gain a new perspective, no matter what the problem is.
You are at the centre of the therapeutic relationship, and I believe you have the solution within yourself to deal with any problems you may be facing.
I offer a respectful, empathic, accepting, caring, confidential and supportive environment for you to talk, and in turn I will listen to you.
Counselling doesn’t have to be complicated – it can be made simple.
I have experience of working with many issues:
Why Choose Me to be Your Counsellor?
I re-trained as a Counsellor after a varied career, including service in the Royal Navy, then working as a train announcer (!!), working in a bank and then in a challenging, high pressured sales environment.
I’ve worked as a Counsellor within the NHS, in a High School, within Children’s Residential Care Homes, as well as my private practice.
I have two daughters who are now in their twenties. They can confirm that I’ve always been in touch with my ‘Inner Child’ and I’ve been told I have a dry sense of humour. I’ve been divorced and have endured many of the circumstances that my clients have also experienced.
I would have been taken into the care system myself in the 1980s if my Social Worker had fully appreciated the situation my Father was in whilst my Mum had been sectioned. My Mum endured long periods of poor mental health, which from my then perspective as a young person, informed and drove my passion to one day help people who struggle with the effects of poor mental health.
After losing both my parents and recovering from their loss, as well as burnout at work, I started my re-training as a Counsellor. I wanted to emulate the approach of the down to earth counsellor who had helped me in Cheshire, when I was struggling with the pressures of work, the loss of my parents and the desire I had to do something to help people, rather than sell advertising, which although lucrative, didn’t give me the sense of purpose it once had.
I had initially spoken to a counsellor, who although they meant well, had not made me feel as comfortable as I needed to be, in order to trust them and to share my innermost fears, thoughts and feelings about my past, present and what I sought from my future.
I offer an approach that will put You at ease, so that you feel able to trust me and then you will feel that you can talk with me and find words for feelings. Counselling is sometimes made more complicated than it needs to be by people who should know better.
A new approach is needed in my opinion to change how counselling is perceived, to make it more accessible and to shake the outdated image that it may have. It needs to be brought into this new decade.
It’s important that you find a Counsellor that you can talk with. Someone that does not judge but listens intently. Someone who does not portray themselves as superior because they’ve had the privilege of re-training. Someone who is able to connect with you and puts you at ease. Then you will return and the process of psychological healing takes place.
My clients over the years can attest to the effectiveness of my approach. An approach that puts you first and with kindness, respect, humour and honesty, can help you to overcome whatever is affecting your mental well-being.
I’m a member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP) and I undertake monthly supervision to ensure that I work in an ethical way.