Qualifications & Experience
I have been working in social care for over 25 years and my passion has always been mental health and how to support people in taking those important steps to self-care. I started as a care worker in residential home for people with mental health issues. After this I moved on to become a social worker, specialising in mental health. I worked as a deputy manager in a day centre for people with dementia and together with various charities such as Mind. I decided to become a counsellor 15 years ago because I wanted to have the time to build a meaningful relationship with my clients and to have the time and flexibility to understand people’s needs and how best to support them. I understand that we are unique, and we need different ways of being supported.
As a counsellor I have worked for a variety of organisations, including as a parent counsellor in one of the major charities offering counselling to parents and families in schools. In this role I have also coached parents in parenting skills. Through working as a full time as a counsellor, I have completed over 4,500 hours of counselling individuals.
- BA (Hons) Degree Integrative-Relational Counselling
- Personalised Individual Parenting Training (PIPT)
- In-house training, including Suicide Prevention Training, Adult Safeguarding, Assessment & Formulation, Domestic Abuse and Substance Misuse while working for Place2Be
- Mindfulness and Meditation Training for Teaching
- Forest Bathing Leadership Training
- Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Diploma of Higher Education in Social Work (Specialised in Mental Health).