Get to know me a wee bit!
Born and brought up near Stirling, I moved to the South East in my 20s, where I lived for a time in Brighton, London and Berkshire. I moved back to Scoltand in 2017, where I now live with my husband, David.
A potted work history
I worked for a homelessness and support charity for quite a number of years in London, where I provided a range of community and outreach services to local authorities. The support I provided ranged from helping people through drug and alcohol recovery, and acute and chronic mental health issues.
As you can imagine, I needed to be competent to support people with a range of needs, including coping with stress, anxiety, and depression; as well as an understanding and capacity to work with a range of underlying mental health needs.
Living and working in a multi-cultural city has enriched my life immensely.
Training and Experience as a Qualified Therapist
I decided to formally train as a therapist, and in 2011 I graduated with a Masters degree in Rational-Emotive & Cognitive Behaviour Therapy from the University of London.
I continued to work for the Homelessness Charity in London, using my therapy skills to assist clients who were sleeping outside. This involved supporing people with whatever difficulties they were facing, and to hopefully help find a path towards a more secure lifestyle.
Post-qualifying experience also includes 4 years working part-time as a counsellor for a bereavement service in South London, and for 2 years as a therapist within a drug and alcohol recovery service.
I have continued to develop professionally in a range of areas; including an intensive 4-day course in Emotion Focused Therapy at the University of Strathclyde in September 2021.
I have taken a special interest in understanding the affect and impact that adverse past or childhood experiences may have on us. Becoming a 'trauma informed therapist' has been essential to me. This Continued Professional Development includes reading and listening to the work of the leading trauma researcher, Van der Kolk; as well as indidual CPD workshops on the topic.
It is essential to work with the whole human experience.
This involves understanding how our thoughts, emotions, behaviours and reactions; as well as how our feelings in our body interact and impact on each other.
This is at the heart of the work I do.
Other snippets
I have a BA (Hons) in Politics with Development Studies from the University of Sussex, where I graduated in 1997.
Recently, I have strarted to enjoy nature photography, which I find calming and relaxing. I find cooking soothing, and also enjoy some essential coffee and cake time :-)