EXPERIENCE
I have experience working as a therapist within several NHS trusts providing psychological therapy for adults experiencing a wide variety of psychological difficulties and also within private practice.
Difficulties may present themselves in response to current or recent events, or can be longstanding problems resulting from earlier experiences or relationships which can continue to influence us, often without our knowledge. You may notice recurring, and often destructive, patterns in relationship with others or yourself which are unwanted or confusing.
I have a specific interest in the psychological impact of trauma; this could be a ‘one off’ overwhelming event, such as car accident, violent attack, significant loss, or a series of events or experiences stretching back to childhood, such as abuse or poor relationships with early attachment figures. Such experiences can continue to cause difficulties in the present with symptoms often being anxiety, depression, hypervigilance, hopelessness, dissociation, alterations in self-perception, difficulty managing emotions, nightmares or panic.
I am a qualified EMDR therapist and have completed advanced training with Dr Laurel Parnell, the developer of Attachment-Focused EMDR (AF-EMDR), which approaches trauma from a relational perspective. Relational trauma (or Complex-PTSD) occurs in the context of relationships where there has been a profound violation of human connection and where healthly attachment is significantly impared. This can be in adult life, but it is also very common for this to occur in the formative years with a parent, primary caregiver, teacher, relative or any significant other. It may result as a failure to provide adequate care or attend to a child’s emotional needs; it may follow neglect, bullying, abandonment, traumatic loss, physical, sexual or emotional abuse committed by a person of trust or being raised in a dysfunctional family.
