After 20 years as a Psychotherapist, Supervisor and Clinical Service Manager, I decided to hang up my therapist's boots, to focus on other interests, and enjoy the Gloucestershire countryside, I had moved to. I was delighted to get the position as admin assistant at the Equine Therapy Center, as it enabled me to continue to support the work of others working in the field of trauma, that I am passionate about. I am happy taking a back seat in the Equine Therapy office doing all things admin so as to support the therapeutic team and the everyday functioning of the organisation.

I accompany you when you are finding life a challenge and have lost your sense of direction following a bereavement, loss, traumatic event, life changing circumstance or a work-related transition. I believe that all distress has its origins in early relational experiences and can only be repaired in the context of a human relationship. Therefore, I offer to work in partnership with you to explore a wide range of emotional and relationship experiences including depression, anxiety and stress-related conditions. My personal experience and my experience as a therapist have taught me that painful events, or difficulties that arise from choices we may have made, that often feel insurmountable, can be the catalyst for change. During my 15 years as a counsellor and therapist I have gained experience by working with differing age groups, cultures, religious backgrounds and sexual orientations who have presented with a wide range of issues. My clients observe that I have the capacity to sit with them through very difficult life situations, helping them to feel seen and heard, often when friends and relatives have been unable to do so. I enjoy seeing adults re-discover a sense of themselves and their connection to others and the world around them.

On moving to Gloucestershire I took a sabbatical from clinical work to adjust and orientate myself to my new location.I started work as a telephone counsellor to aid my transition, as it fitted well with my interest in workplace counselling and particularly workplace trauma.It was a pleasure to be back conversing with a highly qualified, diverse team of therapists and information advisors.In this employment, I learnt that difficulties presented as work based were often related to unprocessed issues in a person's private life. Frequently underlying bereavement, loss, change or relational difficulties that required more than short term focussed therapy allowed for.I left to pursue my interest in working with people presenting with these issues face to face.

I left the Grief Encounter Project to concentrate solely on my private practice. The charity and work had expanded alongside my private practice so that working at both was untenable. It was at this time that I discovered mainly through running bereavement workshops for adults that my heart lay in working with adults. I, therefore, decided to stop working with children and teens to focus solely on working with adults. In my practice, I was contracted by Employee Assistant Programs, Church internship programs, Insurance companies as well as Private referrals. Following a short course on Attachment at the Bowlby centre, I became interested in early developmental trauma and attachment. I continued my professional development by training in Somatic Experiencing which changed the way I worked to incorporate body, soul and mind. I loved the work and after a short spell in an EAP decided to set up in private practice again in Gloucestershire.

I came to work for Grief Encounter Child Bereavement Charity following an actual dream in which I was talking to the CEO about working for the charity. As a Transpersonal Psychotherapist, I work with dreams and take them seriously which motivated me to enquire about possible work opportunities.The charity had grown so I was initially employed to work with children, teens and adults experiencing bereavement, as a Counsellor and workshop facilitator. Later I became the Clinical Services Manager overseeing the clinical work of the charity and leading a large team of paid and voluntary Counsellors.I thoroughly enjoyed working with a team that shared the vision of supporting children and families through bereavement.It was a time of immense growth for myself as a Counsellor as I was encouraged to stretch and develop skills of leadership,training and group facilitation on top of learning more about working with different types of bereavement. I became passionate about accompanying people through traumatic bereavements such as by homicide and suicide.