Let me tell you what I do

I’m a relational, integrative trauma therapist working online across the UK. In plain English: I don’t believe you need fixing. I believe something happened, or kept happening, that taught you to feel the way you feel about yourself and I believe that can change.

I work humanistically, which means I don’t just work with thoughts or feelings but everything that makes you who you are. The self-criticism, the shame, the exhaustion, the sense that you’re fundamentally not quite right. Those aren’t who you are, they’re usually outdated survival strategies that are causing you more problems than they solve. 

I draw on parts work like IFS and transactional analysis, attachment theory, trauma and CPTSD frameworks, polyvagal theory and psychodynamic theories that are particularly good for working with shame. I also offer EMDR for clients where trauma is held in the body in a way that other therapies can’t reach. You can read more about that here.

But the most important thing I bring isn’t a framework. It’s that I’m genuinely, deeply curious about you. I feel things, I notice things that others don’t and I’ll stay with you in the uncomfortable places.

What it works well for

The people I work best with are usually carrying something like this.

A relentless inner critic that converts every mistake into evidence of something fundamentally wrong with them. A childhood that looked fine from the outside, no dramatic story to point to, but that left them with a bone-deep sense of shame – that who they are naturally isn’t quite enough. This is often the legacy of growing up with critical or emotionally immature parents: not cruelty necessarily, but criticism that was always there, or emotional unavailability that meant their needs were never quite met. Childhood emotional neglect doesn’t always look like neglect. Sometimes it just looks like a family that seemed, from the outside, completely fine.

Most of my clients are neurodivergent or suspect they might be. They’ve read the books. They follow the therapy accounts. They understand their patterns. They just can’t find their way out of them. 

If any of this sounds like you: you’re not broken. You’re in the right place.

What to expect

I’m not a nod-and-smile therapist. I’m warm, direct and I’ll tell you what I notice and what might be needed to heal. I think of the therapeutic relationship as a place to experiment with being vulnerable and honest and in return I give you emapthy, respect and honesty.

Sessions are 50 minutes, weekly, online via Zoom from anywhere in the UK. We start with an assessment session. This isn’t a test, it’s a chance to get to know each other and work out whether we’re a good fit. I’ll be honest if I think someone else might suit you better.

The work moves at your pace. No pushing, no ripping open what isn’t ready. You’re in control of what we explore and when. What I offer is consistent presence. Someone who will stay curious about you, hold compassion until you can hold it yourself, and not need you to get better faster than you’re able to.