About Me

I am based in Shaftesbury, North Dorset which is on the Dorset/Wiltshire border and within easy reach of Motcombe, Gillingham (Dorset), Sturminster Newton, Fontmell Magna, and the surrounding villages.

My therapy room is in the attic of the Old School House, in Shaftesbury (SP7 8BP). There is parking in the Bell Street car park.

I also offer some online sessions.

I work with individuals and couples. I am also a UKCP registered supervisor.

I have a Masters in Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy (MA, Dip HIP) from Bath Centre for Psychotherapy and Counselling/Middlesex University.


I am trained within a humanistic and integrative framework and am particularly interested in dialogical and intersubjective perspectives. This approach puts the relationship between client and therapist at the heart of the therapy. As a psychotherapist, I regularly attend lectures, seminars and cpd training events.


I am especially interested in working therapeutically with stories and dreams and have training and experience in these fields.


My background is in higher education. I have a doctorate in English Literature and have worked particularly on representations of bodies, sexualities, cultural differences and marginalised identities. In other words, I have a long standing interest in issues of identity and the ways in which we might feel a sense of belonging and connection in our lives.


Before setting up in private practice as a psychotherapist, I volunteered with the Dorchester Trust for Counselling and Psychotherapy. I have also volunteered at the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust.


I have many years of experience in teaching and have taught on the Foundation course at BCPC. I currently work for BCPC as an external tutor on the MA in psychotherapy.


My UKCP Registration number is: 2011164332.

Blue Bird Image by Zara McQueen

Zara McQueen, Blue Bird

About Psychotherapy

The Space to Talk

I work from a humanistic and integrative framework and am particularly interested in dialogical and intersubjective perspectives.This approach puts the relationship between client and therapist at the heart of the therapy.

I respond to what you, as the client, bring to therapy. That might, at times, focus on day to day challenges and problems. At other times, you might share stories, memories, dreams and images. Sometimes it’s hard to find words to describe what we are feeling. In those times, if it feels right for you, we might use drawing, shapes or symbols to explore your experiences. Sometimes you might need silence…and therapy allows space for that too. In all these ways, I aim to be sensitive to who you are and what you need.

Psychotherapy is not always easy or comfortable. It doesn’t provide easy fixes. It can hurt. But it does allow space to look at difficult issues, to feel what you really feel, to be heard and seen for who you are.

We each have our own memories and associations, our own emotional vocabulary. As a psychotherapist, I’m interested in this inner language. Together we can explore who you are and who you might become…

Psychotherapy can work at depth with many aspects of life. These include:


  • Relationships
  • Sexuality Identity
  • Loss
  • Anger
  • Life changes
  • Hopelessness
  • Overwhelming emotions
  • Feelings of emptiness and despair

Ethics & Code of Conduct

I believe that trust is essential within a therapeutic relationship. From our first meeting, clients can be assured that the ethics of my therapy practice are important to me. Within a safe and accepting space you can share who you really are.

I work from an open-minded and non-discriminatory position and am committed to an ongoing consideration of issues of diversity. As a psychotherapist I aim to be sensitive to a range of differences. These include, but are by no means limited to, matters of class, disability/ability, age, gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation.

My work is closely supervised by a UKCP registered supervisor and I abide to the ethical principles and codes of conduct outlined by BCPC and UKCP.

Supervision

For more information, see my supervision page.


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