Psychotherapist. Body image specialist. Mental health practitioner.
11/12/2025
In recent years, I’ve had more male enquiries in my private practice - and it’s an encouraging shift.
For a long time, therapy was seen as something women did at least more readily. But more men are now recognising that emotional awareness isn’t weakness - it’s strength.
Many of the men I work with come to therapy in midlife, a time when roles, identity, and purpose can all start to feel shakey. After years of focusing on work, family, and responsibility, they begin to ask: What about me? What do I actually want for the next stage of my life?
Culturally, men have often been taught to keep going, to provide, to earn. But that pressure can become heavy, leaving little room to express themselves - their vulnerability, stress, or doubt.
Therapy creates space for honesty. It helps men make sense of what’s happening beneath the surface - the habits, expectations, and fears that shape how they live and relate to others.
It’s not about crisis or “fixing what’s wrong.” It’s about curiosity, awareness, and building a more authentic connection with yourself and with the people you love.
The more we normalise men seeking support, the better they begin to understand themselves, and the healthier our relationships, families, and communities become.
04/12/2025
AI therapy is everywhere now. Instant support at your fingertips, ready whenever you are.
It’s a powerful tool, and for many, it offers access and immediacy that can make a real difference. But it also raises an interesting question: can technology truly replace human connection?
Think about how you feel after a FaceTime compared to an in-person conversation. Or when you send a text instead of hearing someone’s voice. There’s a difference, and your body knows it.
So much of how we connect, communicate, and regulate our nervous system comes from being in connection with another person. From tone, presence, energy, body language.
AI can mirror what you say, but it can’t read what you mean. It can’t offer perspective, or hold silence in the way another human can.
Perhaps it has a place in the helping profession, but not as a replacement. Because therapy, at its core, isn’t about efficiency.
�It’s about presence and connection. Therapy is the felt experience of being witnessed, seen, accepted, and understood.
28/11/2025
How do we raise emotionally healthy boys in a world that often tells them not to feel?
There’s no perfect formula, but one thing feels clear:
When boys are met with empathy and allowed to be fully human, they grow into men who can feel and can then do the same for others.
21/11/2025
Alone and lonely - they’re often used interchangeably, but they mean very different things.
Being alone can be restorative. It’s space to process, reflect, and come back to yourself. Some people need more of that time than others - especially if life feels “on” all the time. Alone time can be a form of self-care.
Time needed to recharge - especially that social battery that seems to be “on” all the time.
But not everyone finds alone time comfortable.
For some, being alone can feel confronting or even anxiety-inducing. If that’s the case for you, it can be worth asking why. What comes up for you in that quiet space?
“Lonely”, loneliness or feeling lonely, on the other hand, is something different. It’s often triggered by change: children leaving home, shifting routines, breakups, or even simply the passing of a season. Loneliness is experienced in the absence of connection, not the absence of company.
In those moments, it’s the small interactions that matter even more. Being greeted by the familiar barista, smiling at someone on your morning walk, starting a brief chat with a neighbour. They’re tiny moments of connection that we all need and that remind us that we’re part of something.
If you’re feeling lonely, try to push yourself gently toward contact. Not just a text, but a phone call, a walk, a shared coffee.
It’s okay to feel lonely. It’s part of being human. What matters is recognising it, and reaching out, even in small ways, when you do. You’ll be amazed at what will come up.
12/11/2025
It’s encouraging to see the NHS incorporating menopause checks into routine health assessments for women aged 40 and over.
For too long, women’s symptoms at midlife have been overlooked or misunderstood - often dismissed as stress, anxiety, or simply “getting older.”
This new initiative marks an important step forward in recognising menopause as a key health consideration, not just a passing phase.
As a psychotherapist working with midlife women, I always include both physical and emotional wellbeing in my assessments.
Understanding how hormonal and physiological changes intersect with mental health is crucial - because so often, what looks like anxiety, low mood, or loss of motivation has deeper roots in perimenopause.
When healthcare professionals ask the right questions, women feel seen, understood, and empowered to get the support they need.
This is progress - and hopefully the start of more holistic care for women in midlife.
11/11/2025
Why does friendship feel harder in midlife?
Maybe the group chats go quiet. Maybe people move away.
Maybe old friendships no longer fit- but the idea of making new ones feels overwhelming.
Midlife brings change: children leaving home, career shifts, divorce, hormonal changes - all of which can prompt questions like: Who am I now?
And somewhere in the middle of it all, loneliness can quietly creep in.
Not because anything has been done wrong, but because life has shifted.
The truth is, friendship often looks different in our 40s, 50s, and beyond - and that’s okay.
It’s not about having a large circle. What matters most is having a few people who truly see you.
10/11/2025
In my work, I see every day how important it is that we speak openly about menopause and the many transitions that come with midlife.
Menopause isn’t just a stage of symptoms to “get through”
It’s a powerful phase of life. A true transition that offers opportunities for growth, strength, and connection.
This year's World Menopause Day centred around Lifestyle Medicine - a theme that deeply resonates with my work. True support is holistic.
Practicing as an integrative psychotherapist, this is the lens through which we work: it’s about movement, nourishment, rest, and meaningful relationships. It’s also about access to good medical care, informed choices, and knowing what works best for you.
When we view menopause through this wider lens - as an evolution, not a decline - we give ourselves permission to thrive.
This clip is from my conversation with Dr Louise Newson on Hormones Unlocked, where we explored how mental health and menopause are deeply connected - and why awareness and open dialogue are key to supporting women through this transition.
07/11/2025
We talk so much about beginnings and endings.
�The breakthroughs, the milestones.
But what about the messy middle - that space in between?
In psychology, it’s called the liminal space.
Naming it can be powerful, because having language for a feeling helps us understand and make sense of what we’re experiencing.
Liminal space is where someone has outgrown what once fit - an identity, a role, a routine - but hasn’t yet stepped fully into what comes next.
It can feel scary and lonely. Almost like being suspended between two worlds: the one left behind, and the one not entered yet.
In my clinical work, I see how unsettling this can be - especially for women in midlife.
�Children grow up. Bodies change. Priorities shift.
We evolve - and that often means letting go of environments, habits, and even relationships that no longer serve us.
It’s important to remember: this in‑between isn’t failure, and it isn’t being stuck.
�It’s growth. It’s the bridge.
And while it may feel strange and sometimes lonely at first, it’s also where possibility lives.
If you’re here right now - in transition, in the “liminal” - trust that it’s not wasted time. It’s the passageway to what comes next.
06/11/2025
I had a remarkable few days at Masters Events Oxford 2025 back in September.
Each year, this gathering continues to grow richer and more inspiring - bringing together the leading voices in psychology, wellness, and
the arts.
This year’s theme, Transform Trauma: Healing Our Relational World, set the stage for profound discussions and moving insights on how we can better understand, connect, and support one another.
It was an honour to be part of this extraordinary community again this year, surrounded by so many brilliant minds and heartfelt conversations. I’m leaving with a deep sense of connection, curiosity, and gratitude - and inspired by the collective work being done to create real change in our relational world.
24/09/2025
"Are they upset with me?" "Did I say something wrong?" "Do they still like me?"
If these thoughts sound familiar, you might be experiencing what psychotherapist and New York Times bestselling author of Are You Mad at Me? calls Fawning.
Fawning is a form of people-pleasing where we mask parts of ourselves to keep others happy, avoid conflict, or feel safe in relationships.
It’s a survival strategy that can quietly disconnect us from who we really are. And while it can start early in life, midlife shifts - in roles, relationships, and identity - can make it show up in new ways.
You may find yourself smoothing things over, keeping quiet, or saying yes when you want to say no, all to hold on to a sense of security.
Noticing it through awareness is the first step. The next is gently practising honesty in small, safe ways- allowing yourself to be seen, little by little, even if it feels uncomfortable at first. Over time, this helps build trust in yourself and in your relationships.
18/09/2025
Back to front.
Why do we hear that phrase as a criticism - as if itWhy do we hear that phrase as a criticism - as if it’s wrong?
Sometimes doing things “back to front” is simply how your brain makes sense of the world.
In one of my art classes, we visited an exhibit that showed the backs of pieces normally never displayed. The scratched notes, scribbles, and markings - meant only for the artist or the gallery hanger - revealed a whole other side to the artwork.
The layers beneath the surface. The unseen process. The parts we’re usually not meant to see.
This visit really resonated as it mirrored the work I do in the therapy room.
I have the privilege of hearing what’s behind the scenes.
The hidden layers, the thoughts and feelings that aren’t shared publicly.
It’s the part that’s hidden, that seems less presentable and not for show.
And just like with the art, it’s an honour to witness and be let in to these parts of someone’s life. The parts that tend to remain “hidden”.
It’s a responsibility I never take lightly.
Front and back. Hiding and revealing. Layers of emotion.
What we choose to show, and what we hold in reserve.
And sometimes - the parts we keep hidden are the most beautiful and important of all.
02/09/2025
This summer has been one of both endings and beginnings.
Our eldest graduated from university - a milestone that closed one chapter of his life and marked the end of a stage for us as parents, too. And at the same time, our youngest began university abroad - a whole new chapter beginning with anticipation, change, and the unknown ahead.
Much of this summer felt like we were moving through a giant to-do list of ceremonies, preparations, and rituals. Each one marking the passage of time. Each one reminding me that life doesn’t pause - endings and beginnings often arrive side by side.
I noticed my role shifting too.
Learning a new phase of parenting adult children - no longer leading at the front but instead walking alongside. A shift from “director” to “consultant”.
That’s the adjustment all parents eventually face.
And so, as my children step into their next chapters, I do too. Because life isn’t only lived in the milestones - it’s lived in the in-between, in the letting go, and in the small adjustments that carry us forward every single day.
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I love stories! I work with people’s stories everyday... so here’s mine.
I grew up in Montreal in a close knit community where friends and family were very important and came with lots of stories... we spent a lot of time talking! I had an easy time talking and listening to anything from friends and family, to fitness and food, to fashion and finances. Early on, I came to be known as the resident therapist, always listening to people’s problems and stories.
This led me to earn a BA in Psychology from McGill University and then I got an associate’s degree in Fashion Buying and Merchandising from The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). Putting theory into practice in the buying office at Bergdorf Goodman taught me what it meant to be a high end buyer in the fashion industry in New York City. That experience was invaluable in that it showed me what I did NOT want. I knew I wanted to validate the positive aspects of the fashion industry (i.e. creativity, textures, fabrics) despite the chaotic nature of the industry. Needing to dig deeper, I was determined to reveal the complexity of fashion, appearance and image and how that impacted people. But how was I to negotiate my love for all things sartorial and my desire to help people?
This lead me back to university to further my studies where I worked to marry my interests of both fashion and psychology. I earned an MA in Social Work from New York University (NYU), emphasizing body image and the external impact of physical appearance on self-esteem. I wanted to understand the link between our appearance and our internal worlds; the ambivalence between who we appear to be, and who we actually are.
My international experience allows me to be sensitive to cultural aspects of what it means to be living in a different country. As a working mother of 3, I fully understand the complexities, expectations and anxieties that often accompany 21st Century London life. My combination of compassion, understanding and experience enables me to connect positively with my clients, allowing them to make the positive changes in their life that they are seeking.
Whether it be a physical part of yourself that you don’t like or a physical change brought upon you by accident, scarring, burns, pregnancy or aging, I help people overcome the limits and challenges that prevent them from living their lives fully.
I work with clients through a body image lens which allows me to help them in a more holistic way by looking at how they feel in their bodies, what roles food and appearance play, and how to be able to ultimately tie up their experience of their physical selves internally, to feed their self-esteem.
