The lens through which I look out over the vista

It's not always clear to those who ask me about my practice and the areas in which I specialise.  I have never sought to be able to do everything.  I'm not sure it's possible.  I was drawn towards the addiction field.  It called me, and I landed.  I paused a while, as there was a great deal to absorb.  

I learnt what I know about addiction from the inside out, and I was supported in my development by some fabulous individuals whom I met along the way.  But addiction is, I came to see very quickly, but a symptom.  People do not, generally, fall into drink and drugs, or other self defeating behaviour quite by chance.  We are taken to dark places by dark things, and most people who find themselves in the grips of the cunning, baffling illness that is addiction, have experienced some dark events.  

So, whilst working with those seeking to heal and recover from their addictive behaviours, I became increasingly aware of the layers that so often lie beneath these behaviours which are often most usefully conceived of and addressed as maladaptive coping styles that no longer work, and that will be required no longer should appropriate substitutes be located, and implemented.  Trauma and addiction are wedded to one another.  The correlation between the two is convincing.  Where there is addiction, there is usually (though not always) trauma.  So, to work therapeutically and effectively in the addiction field, one must equip oneself to recognise, and understand the implications of trauma.

And here's where it got really complicated.  When working with trauma, safety is paramount.  The therapeutic environments in which I honed my skills was well suited to this work.  Trauma first needs to be contained before it can be unpacked.  And the unpacking needs to be done with great care and attention.  But the unpacking is not, itself, sufficient to bring about the healing that survivors need and deserve.  Voids will be exposed.  Light may begin to shine through the cracks, perhaps for the first time.  Unless we can make meaning, the light will likely shine too bright, and cause blindness.  Acceptance is but a first step in a process that can take a long time, and may involve an arduous journey.  There is a lot more working through to be done.

So, addiction and compulsive behaviour was a starting point.  But, I believe we are more than our behaviours.  I am interested in what drives our behaviours, and why we become mad, bad and sometimes dangerous.  

I seek to meet the whole of every being I encounter.  And so I bring different parts of myself into my work.  Everybody has a family.  Everybody has relationships.  These may have served us well.  And they may not have done.  

Therapy presents an opportunity for a different version of a relationship.  My approach, and the ethos which underlies it, is about meeting our true selves in the here and now.  Whilst making sense of the past may be useful, there is much (and potentially more) to be made in the present.  I am all about who do you want to be, rather than who have you been told you are...       

To me, my work today reflects a journey I have been on.  I have been accompanied by some truly incredible individuals who have guided me to places I could not have come to know without actually visiting.  And I have paused along the way, and taken in the vast panorama.  I occupy only a small part of that.

I have come to know the terrain in the only way I know how - by exploring it thoroughly.  I have climbed steep hills, and taken time to get to where I am now.  I have never stopped learning.  And I learn in all I do.  I am still climbing but today have a rather sophisticated map and the bonus of knowing my limitations and an excellent network of colleagues working on the nearby peeks and also in territories lying further afield.   

I hold an MSc in Addiction Psychology and Counselling; I trained as a postgraduate to work with couples and families and continue to enjoy working with more than two chairs in the room.  I have undertaken additional specialist trainings to equip me to work ethically with those addressing disordered eating and currently work with individuals addressing issues relating to preoccupations with shape, weight, size and body image.  I have a passion for my work with those who identify as gender and sexual diversity clients and feel well qualified to support those who feel themselves to be queer or questioning.