Counselling and Psychotherapy
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in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Northumberland

Having completed B.A. (Hons) in English at University College, London in 1991, I trained in Therapeutic Massage in Edinburgh and maintained a successful practice in the city for 12 years, developing my understanding of the interaction of body and psyche - the way stress and trauma impacts our bodies and how our physical resources can contribute to healing. 

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I studied Process Work with Claire Hill, Conor McKenna and Lane Ayre, drawing on ways of working with the 'dreaming' body, which holds unconscious pain and also resources for new, healthy parts of ourselves to emerge. I also learned  and practiced the method of Authentic Movement with Fran Lavendel, Kedzie Penfield and Tina Stromsted. Both of these modalities are based in Jungian psychology and continue to inform my work as a psychotherapist.

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A highlight of this time was working with my friend and colleague Joette Thomas in designing and facilitating a course for women 'Your Body to You: uncovering the wisdom of the Female Body' which ran for several years and helped women reflect on stages and aspects of their physical lives, listening to themselves more deeply and bringing about profound, enlivening changes in their lived experience.

 

I founded and directed a complementary health centre, Energetics, which brought together a team of practitioners to offer a range of treatments and classes to the public. We ran retreats in Scotland and Spain and also hosted the first Oncology Massage trainings in Scotland with Gayle Macdonald and Jamie Elswick.

 

In 2009 I completed the MSc programme in Complementary Therapy (Bodywork) at the School of Integrated Health, University of Westminster.

 

Moving to Northumberland with my family in 2011, I have enjoyed a return to my roots and the development of my therapeutic work in this beautiful place. I qualified with the BACP and UKCP approved Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling from the Northern Guild  in 2019, and Diploma in Psychotherapy in 2022,  having had training placements in a GP practice and a community counselling service for 5 years.

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​My interest in working with loss, conflict and illness, in recovery and integration and in growth and our collective development, is informed by my own long personal journey and my work - through touch and words and relationship - with a broad and rich range of individuals. It is always a privilege to be trusted with the personal stories, feelings and dilemmas shared, and I seek to offer the best of myself and my learning over the years to support you in your healing.