More about me

• Master of Arts Integrative counselling and Psychotherapy

• Registered and certified with the Psychotherapists Board of Aotearoa New Zealand

• Member of the New Zealand Association of Psychotherapists

• Member of British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists

• Somatic Experiencing Practitioner

• Trained in somatic full embodiment sexual trauma healing

• Dynamic Attachment Re-patterning Level 3 (DARe)

• Psychobiological Attachment Couples Therapy (PACT level 2)

• NonViolent Communication Mediator

• 200 RYT Yoga Instructor

• 17 years experience in addiction and disordered eating

• 14 years experience in private practice with couples and individuals

My first career was in the music business as an artist manager during which I became increasingly intrigued by the human condition and so 16 years ago I trained and practised in the UK as a psychotherapist where I immersed myself in the wonderful world of unconscious process and transference within the therapeutic relationship. I moved to Aotearoa New Zealand in 2015.

I became fascinated with the trauma healing practise of Somatic Experiencing, the nervous system and how our bodies store the survival response that didn’t get to complete and trained for four years to become a certified Somatic Experience Practitioner. Soon after I completed the attachment repatterining training (DARe) and created the space where clients can reconnect with and embody their secure attachment pattern which lies underneath all the adaptations that were necessary to survive up until this point but that possibly no longer serve you.

When I am with couples the somatic and attachment work is incredibly powerful as we get to deal with issues showing up ‘live’ at the time. Integrating this with Stan Tatkin’s PACT model (Pyschobiological Approach to Couples Therapy) and other more traditional models provides a unique combination of approaches which can be tailored to the needs of the couple. .

The journey that brought me to this work was the need for it myself; to look at and heal from my own depression, anxiety, trauma, attachment issues, marriage breakdown and multiple addictions. This equips me to know some of what you may be facing and also acknowledge that no two experiences are the same.

I have studied and worked in the NVC world (nonviolent communication) and trained in NVC mediation and couples work. I am passionate about working with relationship issues either with the partnership or the individual - I have been on a winding journey with this myself so understand both the challenges and the healing that can come with being in relationship.

The most influential factors in this kind of healing journey are 1) the willingness and readiness to do the work and 2) the relationship and connection with the guide/companion/therapist.

I always suggest that clients meet a few therapists before deciding which one might be the right fit for them. This is why I offer a 20 minute consultation via video call at no charge. This gives us a chance to see if we could work well together. I can’t stress enough the importance of choosing the right therapist for you!

My psychotherapy training was in an integrative approach. This means I studied (and continue to be excited by) many different models of psychotherapy and other healing disciplines. One size most certainly does not fit all and I draw on all these trainings, my own journey and my many hundreds of hours as a psychotherapist with both couples and individuals in the UK and here in Aotearoa to come up with an approach that works for you.

Ways in which we might work together could involve a look at your family of origin which informs much of why and how we are today and so having a full picture of your history is essential to the work we will do. We might also look at attachment patterns. The way we are in relationships of all varieties impacts heavily our experience of being in the world and how we are in all sorts of different relationships. Through the experience of therapy we can come back to the secure attachment we were all born with. We can also use the therapeutic relationship as a laboratory to examine, understand and experience how you are in relationship outside of the therapeutic space in a safe way that is not possible in “regular” relationships.

I am also very interested in framing clients’ issues through a trauma lens. Traditionally when we think of trauma we think it may be an isolated incident - perhaps you were involved in a violent or sexual attack, an invasive medical procedure, a big fall, a huge and sudden loss or a car accident and if so that may have had and could be continuing to really shape how you are in the world today. Trauma can also be more sustained over a period of time. Ongoing trauma can occur as a result of us not getting our needs met as infants and children and this then plays out in our adult lives - perhaps in our relationships, addictions, depression, anxiety, codependence, eating disorders or any number of other ways - eventually life becomes unmanageable and we need something to change. It could also be that the trauma is ongoing - a toxic or abusive workplace or home, for example and support is needed to navigate a way to safety from that place. Essentially though, trauma is anything that was too overwhelming to experience on our own and when that happens, that trauma and the survival energy that was conscripted to navigate the trauma is stored in the nervous system. It is no longer required for the original event and yet it continues to circulate as if that original threat is still present. This is where the work of somatic experiencing comes in. With it we can complete what wants to complete, we can replace what was missing. It is very much an experiential treatment which shifts our nervous system and the way we respond to stimuli in the ‘outside world’.

Whether looking through the lens of trauma and it’s relationship with somatic experience, of pure psychotherapy, of 12 step recovery programs, NVC or the philosophies and principles of yoga and whether working with couples, groups or individuals I can’t help but came back to the same conclusion: it is connection that starts the healing process - connection with others, with our loved ones and most of all with ourselves - and it is trauma/our baggage/our unconscious that is a block to that connection. When we start to build a foundation of healing around this, we can start doing the work that then changes how we are in the world. I love the saying “we can’t think ourselves into a better way of acting but we can take action which leads to a better way of thinking”.

You are probably reading this because something isn’t working as you would like it to in your life. If so and if you feel ready, do explore the website and book a 20 minute session.