Work With Me

As I do not provide a crisis service, I am unable to respond to therapeutic needs outside of agreed appointment times. You can contact the following services:

• GP or South Doc (if outside GP surgery hours)

• Samaritans freephone: 116 123

In case of a mental health emergency, please attend your local Accident & Emergency department or call 999.

In the case of general queries, I will respond within 3 working days.

When we start working together, I will ask you to sign a consent form. This will outline the limits of confidentiality (i.e. if there is a risk to you or another person). I will also ask for details of your GP and next of kin, in case of a safety need arising.

If a safety concern arises, I have a duty of care to act on this information. However, I will always inform the client before any action is taken, unless to do so would be unsafe.

I will record brief session notes, which are stored in line with GDPR requirements.

Supervision is a professional practice requirement for all Psychologists. However, client confidentiality is respected (names are not shared) and only information necessary for the task of supervision is discussed.

Therapy is an active process. In order to get the most out of therapy, practice is key. This may include completing agreed tasks in between sessions.

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based therapy, which is highly effective in alleviating distress following traumatic events, improving self-esteem, reducing distress regarding anticipated future situations and providing relief from bodily disturbance. This works by helping the brain to process memories of the trauma, which have gotten ‘stuck’ causing the person to relive painful memories. It is holistic targeting emotional, physiological, cognitive and sensory elements.

I offer EMDR for children (age 3+), adolescents and adults.

Who does it help?:

EMDR is effective for children, adolescents and adults. It is effective for all age groups and transdiagnostically. Adaptations can easily be added to support specific populations (e.g. those who are neurodivergent).

 EMDR works really well for people who find talk therapy too difficult or too painful as memories are not discussed in detail.

EMDR has been proven effective with:

• Early childhood adversity

• Following natural disasters

• Single event trauma (e.g. road traffic accidents)

• Complex trauma*

• Phobias

• OCD

• Anxiety  

• Depression

• Eating issues

• Grief and loss

• Transitions and adjustment issues

• Physical health issues (e.g. chronic pain, sleep problems, low energy, etc)

• Self-esteem, self-criticism and self-image concerns

*it is important to note that the experience of trauma is subjective. It is not necessarily about the event that occurred, but one’s experience. Therefore, what is traumatic for one person may not be for another. Similarly what is not traumatic for one, may be traumatic for another. If your experiences are not on this list, but feel distressing to you, please reach out for support

EMDR can target:

• Past experiences

• Current triggers

• Future potential challenges

What do you do during an EMDR session?:

Before processing memories, we will discuss your history and life events, to better understand what key memories to focus on and to determine if EMDR is a suitable therapy for you. We will discuss the phases of EMDR and treatment plan. We will then spend time building up your coping resources. This is an essential part of therapy, to equip or enhance your coping skills, for when we explore distressing memories. Once we move to the processing phase we will briefly discuss the memory, to bring this to your awareness.  You will then be asked to think about negative and positive thoughts, your emotions, the amount of distress you feel and where you feel it in your body.

Bilateral stimulation (stimulating left and right sides of the brain) is a core part of EMDR. Most commonly this is in the form of moving one’s eyes from left to right (hence the name!). However, it could also be hand taps or auditory tones. This stimulation helps to process the memory and integrate it, to alleviate distress (a process known as memory reconsolidation). Bilateral stimulation is used in every session. After each set of movements, the client will be asked to briefly describe what they experience (e.g. physical sensations, emotions coming up, or thoughts).

Sessions are typically 60 minutes in length, although we may agree 90 minutes if this is deemed more suitable. The number of sessions required will vary based on complexity.

Please note that EMDR is not hypnosis– you are under full control and conscious at all times

As an advocate of the neuro-affirmative paradigm, I strive to incorporate this approach into my work with neurodivergent clients. I have been fortunate in working with and receiving training from neurodivergent colleagues, which has shaped my practice. I am currently completing the Dawn Practitioner Program in Working with Autistic Adults and have worked with The Adult Autism & ADHD Practice since 2023 (specifically in the area of Autistic and ADHD identification). To enquire about booking an Autistic or ADHD assessment/identification with me, please see https://www.adultautism.ie/ for more information.

My work with neurodivergent clients strives to adapt therapy for neurodivergent brains. This is important so that you receive strategies and support tailored for you.

What does it mean to be neuroaffirmative?:

The neurodiversity paradigm views Autistic and/or ADHD brains as specific neurotypes, rather than disorders or conditions. This is not to ignore the very real challenges and discrimination faced by neurodivergent people, living in a neurotypical world. Neuro-affirmative therapy seeks to respect and value Autistic ways of communicating and processing emotions and sensory input.

For a deeper discussion of please see: https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/what-does-it-mean-be-neurodiversity-affirmative

What areas are focused on?:

Goals will be person cantered and individualised. Common goals may include:

• Support for Autistic anxiety

• Support to unmask

• Psychoeducation on neuroaffirmation

• Support processing Autistic/ADHD/AuDHD identity

• Cultivating a positive self-identity

• Empowering self-advocacy

• Learning self-compassion

• Prevention of Autistic burnout

Please see the references section for information and links to Autistic peer communities, which may be of benefit.

I offer two 90 minute sessions for adults who want to better understand their current challenges and tailored recommendations for therapy

In these sessions we will:

• Explore what has led you here today?

• Explore ‘what has happened to you’, how has it affected you, what sense you make of it and coping strategies you have used

• Look at your strengths, ways of coping and support system

• Consider what therapy and supports you have availed of to date

• Pinpoint which area is most pressing to focus on

I will then be in a position to recommend the most suitable therapy for you. This may not be a therapy that I currently offer. In this case I will endeavour to signpost you to a service/professional who can provide this service.

Who might this be helpful for?:

• Have you tried lots of therapies before but found nothing quite ‘fit’?

• Are you seeking to make a change, but not quite sure what areas to focus on?

• Are you seeking support, but not sure which mode of therapy to explore?

Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) is an evidence-based therapy, effective in helping those experiencing shame, self-criticism, low self-esteem and trauma. CFT integrates neuroscience, attachment theory, CBT, mindfulness and evolutionary psychology.

CFT focuses on supporting people to:

• Understand how the brain and body react to threat

• Learn techniques to calm the nervous system (by regulating threat-based emotions)

• Challenge self-critical thoughts

• Build self-compassion through somatic, cognitive and written techniques

• Enhance emotional resilience

Paul Gilbert (the founder of CFT) describes the “head-heart lag” whereby you may know that your thoughts are unhelpful or know how to challenge your thoughts, but you may not feel any better as a result. CFT looks beyond thoughts and actions, to the underlying emotions. CFT is grounded in an understanding of three affect regulation systems: the threat system, the drive system and the soothing system.

I offer CFT for adolescents and adults. Sessions are 50 minutes in length. The number of sessions required will vary based on complexity.

Who would benefit from CFT?:

• Do you struggle with feeling “not good enough”?

• Do you have high perfectionistic standards?

• Do you feel that you need to “earn” care and affection?

• Do you feel that you need to “earn” the right to rest or relax?

• Do you experience high levels of shame?

• Do you tend to judge yourself critically?

• Do you tend to motivate yourself by criticising yourself?

• Do you feel ashamed about things that have happened to you and/or often take the blame for others’ actions?

• Do you find it hard to accept kindness from others?

• Have you tried CBT but found that it didn’t target/change how you felt emotionally?

CFT has been proven effective with:

• Low-self esteem

• High levels of shame and self-criticism

• Disordered eating and/or anorexia, bulimia, binge eating

• Perfectionism

• Trauma

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Emotional regulation

• Chronic pain