Hello!
My interest in people and their uniqueness began as a teenager observing the different social dynamics around me and figuring out how it all worked. I took Psychology as an A-Level and this sparked and fed my interest. I loved all the different theories around how people are different as well as similar.
I hadn't considered a career in Psychology, and instead was pretty set on being a Primary School Teacher (which I was for 5 years!). It was when I realised I cared much more about my pupils having the skills to navigate life with confidence and acceptance of who they are compared to whether or not they knew their times-tables, that I felt a pull to change my career.
And this is where my career as a Psychotherapist began....
My training and experience
I gained an MA in Person-Centred Experiential Counselling with Psychotherapy Practise from the University of Nottingham. Here I studied the theory and practicalities of Person-Centred Psychotherapy in an immersive teaching environment. I learnt alongside my peers while being guided by facilitators and tutors who are contributing to current literature and research in the person-centred field. Once qualified, I became a Accredited Registrant member of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society. My membership number is NCS22-0458.
I have worked for The Human Flourishing Project which supports adults within Nottingham City Centre through free Psychotherapy sessions. After moving away from Nottingham to St Neots, I began my private practice. Chestnut Cottage offered the perfect space (a little imagination was needed initially!) where I can see clients in-person and remotely. Since starting up my practice in 2022, I have been privileged to work with many clients, all seeking therapy for various purposes. Please see my testimonials page to see what clients have kindly shared about our time together.
In 2023, I began to reflect on my life experiences as a child/teenager at school, as a teacher, as a trainee therapist and as a private practice owner and found that shyness followed me throughout all of it (perhaps unknowingly to other people!). Realising that it has been present throughout my life, despite it often being viewed as something people should 'grow out of', made me wonder if there were other people who have similar experiences. It turns out that it's pretty common and something people struggle with in isolation. I love supporting people to challenge and find acceptance in their shyness.
Find "5 ways to work with your shyness" by getting a copy of my free guide.
Discover what working with me as your therapist is like and the type of therapy I offer.
Subscribe to my monthly email Positively Shy.