Counselling for relationships, adults and young people
Services
Whether you’re looking for therapy for yourself, your relationship or your teenager, I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation if you’d like to have a chat before booking a session.
I work in a neurodivergent-friendly way and recognise that people communicate, process and express themselves differently. Therapy doesn’t need to look the same for everyone, so I adapt the way I work to suit the person in front of me, without assumptions about how you should talk, respond or engage.
The initial call gives you the opportunity to tell me a little about what has brought you to therapy, ask any questions and get a sense of whether working together feels right for you.
Teenagers and young People
Working with young people has been a big part of my professional life, long before I became a therapist. I spent 15 years working in education and I also have three children of my own, so I have a good understanding of the pressures and challenges that can come with being a teenager.
Sometimes it is easier to talk to someone outside of family, school and friendships. I connect well with young people and my sessions are relaxed and conversational, with humour often finding its way in too. There is no expectation to arrive knowing exactly what to talk about or to be able to put everything into words straight away.
I work with young people experiencing anxiety, low self-esteem, friendship or relationship difficulties, school and exam pressures, family changes and the many other things that can feel difficult during adolescence. I also work in a neurodivergent-friendly way and adapt sessions to the individual, recognising that young people communicate and process things differently.
For parents, I know choosing someone to work with your child can feel like a big decision. I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation before booking, and parents are welcome to join us briefly at the beginning of the first session. After this, sessions are usually one-to-one, giving the young person their own confidential space while keeping appropriate communication with parents where needed.
Adults
People come to therapy for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes something specific has happened, a relationship has changed, anxiety has become difficult to manage or life simply feels too much. Other times, there isn’t one obvious reason. You might be functioning perfectly well on the outside but know that something doesn’t feel right, or find yourself caught in the same thoughts, feelings or patterns without really understanding why.
Therapy gives us the opportunity to look at what is going on beneath that. We might think about how past experiences have shaped the way you see yourself, why certain situations or relationships affect you as they do, the expectations you place on yourself, or ways of coping that may once have been useful but are now getting in the way.
Our sessions are a chance to slow things down enough to look at them properly. I’ll listen, but I’ll also ask questions, offer observations and help you notice connections and patterns that can be difficult to see when you’re in the middle of them. Understanding yourself differently can change how you respond to things, the choices you make and, importantly, how you feel about yourself.
Relationship Counselling
Relationships can become stuck in patterns that are difficult to shift from the inside. You might find yourselves having versions of the same argument again and again, becoming defensive or withdrawing, feeling increasingly disconnected, or wondering why something seemingly small can trigger such a big reaction.
In relationship therapy, we look beyond the surface of the conflict to understand what is actually happening between you. Often there is much more underneath an argument than the thing that started it, including hurt, fear, resentment, unmet needs or old experiences that influence how each person responds when the relationship feels under threat.
The focus isn’t on deciding who is right or wrong. It is about recognising the part each person plays in the pattern, taking responsibility where it is needed and learning how to communicate more directly, listen differently and respond to each other without automatically falling back into familiar defences.
I work with couples as well as other important relationships, including parents and adult children and adult siblings. Sometimes the work is about repairing and rebuilding connection; sometimes it is about understanding whether a relationship can or should continue. Either way, the aim is to have more honest conversations about what is happening between you and what needs to change.
Can I help you?
Making the decision to start counselling is a brave step, and it’s natural to feel uncertain about where to begin. What matters most is finding the right counsellor for you. The relationship you have with your counsellor is at the heart of the process, and it’s important that you feel comfortable, safe and understood. It’s absolutely okay to take time to find someone who feels like the right fit.
Having been through counselling myself, I know first-hand the difference it can make. It gave me clarity and a greater sense of peace with life. My aim is to offer the same opportunity to those I work with, supporting each person to find what feels right for them in their own time and way.
Issues I have worked with;
Depression
Anxiety
Grief and loss
Divorce
Abuse
Loneliness
Self-harm
Loss of purpose
Relationship issues
ADHD/Neurodiversity
Sexuality
Gender identity
Illness
Trauma
Bullying
FAQs
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Counselling is sometimes known as talking therapy. This is because it gives people the chance to talk about their problems with a trained professional in a safe and confidential environment. The term ‘counselling’ means different things to different people, but at its core, it’s a process that gives us a way to explore our feelings and emotions. By delving deeper into our thought processes, it helps us to understand why we feel, think and act the way we do' and take the last sentence out. As well as how its root cause can direct how we think and act because of it.
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I offer a full 60 minutes whether face to face or online.
The amount of sessions you have will depend on your individual circumstances. Some people opt for shorter term counselling and others choose to spend longer. You can stop the sessions whenever you want.
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Level 2 Diploma in Counselling Skills ~ Place2be
Level 3 Diploma Counselling Children and Young People ~ Place2Be
Level 4 Diploma Therapeutic counselling ~ Stockport College
I am a registered member of the BACP.
Most recently I have completed a certified training course in Relationship Therapy.
Other recent training; Neurodiversity Specialist Training, Anxiety and ADHD, ADHD and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, Psychology of People Pleasing, Rebuilding Self-worth, Embracing Compassion Focused Therapy - Theory and Practice, Perspectives on Bereavement and Grief
Continuing professional development is very important to me, I very regularly attend workshops, training courses and read A LOT! I’ve always had a ‘life long’ learning approach, way before I qualified as a counsellor. Nobody can ever know everything about anything and always being curious enables the development of knowledge and experience.
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Face to face sessions take place at my garden room in Wilmslow. It is a private space which is really calm and peaceful.
I can also offer online sessions.
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Face to Face sessions - £75
Online sessions - £75
Relationship counselling - £95