my background

I have a lifelong interest in people and I continue to be intrigued by the diversity and uniqueness of each one of us. I have been enriched by living in different countries and experiencing their cultures: I grew up in Germany, spent a number of years in Australia, and I have lived in the UK for the past 21 years.

I entered formal counselling training, because I wanted to learn more about how our internal worlds work, how this manifests in a person’s life and how each of us makes sense of life’s journey.

I have worked as a counsellor/psychotherapist since 2005, and I have wide ranging clinical, supervision and teaching experience:

I have worked as a therapist with adults, presenting with a diverse range of issues, in a number of agency settings and in private practice. I also have several years experience in counselling adolescents (11-18yrs) in schools and special educational settings through working for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in Essex. This also involved consultations with parents/caregivers and staff.

I am a qualified clinical supervisor with experience in supervising trainees and experienced counsellors/psychotherapists in organisational settings and in private practice. I have taught on BACP accredited counselling course in Chelmsford, Essex, and I am currently lecturing in counselling at the University of Suffolk in Ipswich.

I am also a founder member of the Open Adult Counselling Service (OACS), a community based counselling organisation in Essex.

I have a longstanding interest in the interface between spirituality and counselling/psychotherapy, and people’s psychchospiritual development. In my view all aspects of life are interconnected and my therapy approach recognises all four dimensions of a human person: emotional, mental, physical and spiritual.

As part of my current doctoral studies, I am researching dimensions of ‘presence’ in the therapeutic relationship.