Choosing a Therapist is a big decision and you will probably not know if you have found the right person until we meet, which is why I offer a free half hour consultation. This section is designed as a starting point, to give you some insight into my background and training as a therapist. My role is that of facilitator within the therapeutic process, so it is important that you feel ready to put in the work necessary to move forward. I believe one advantage that helps me as a therapist, is that I have a wealth of experience in working with different people in a range of different environments. After University, I spent 3 years in the Army before working 22 years in several different line-management roles. At the end of that phase in my life I then became a counsellor, psychotherapist and cognitive hypnotherapist. I have also been a Samaritan and mentored young offenders. In 2005 I started training as a counsellor and since then have been very focused on my own personal development, training and learning a wide range of therapeutic techniques, including counselling, psychotherapy and cognitive hypnotherapy. Everybody is different and so I believe that therapy requires flexibility to achieve the best results. Neuroscience and the art of therapy are constantly developing and I believe it is important for me to keep abreast of new thinking and to incorporate that into my practice. Using this broad skills base, I work collaboratively with you, to find a positive, helpful way forward, that you are comfortable with. I am passionate about making a difference and helping people to rediscover their own strengths and resources and in supporting them to make the changes that enable them to break free of the unhelpful beliefs and destabilising emotions they have become locked into. As well as many years running my own practice, I have worked as a therapist at a GP Surgery, Loughborough University, Age Concern, at a Private Occupational Health Service helping people with workplace stress and at the Nottingham Counselling Service. I have strong Professional credentials, being a Registered Member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), a Member of Quest Cognitive Hypnotherapy, a Member of the Human Givens Institute and of the National Hypnotherapy Council (NCH), and I am bound to work according to and within their ethical frameworks.
