Meaning · Responsibility · Potential

I see it as a massive privilege to be invited into the lives of those I meet through this work and because of this, a key value of mine is to offer my full presence when working with people. It is my belief that for any form of therapy to be effective, it is important to work towards building a strong relationship of trust, where people feel safe to speak about the things that are troubling them and to know that the person they are unfolding their troubles to is fully with them. Unfortunately, due to the busyness of peoples’ lives, it is not often that we have the chance to feel fully heard and understood. Therefore, should we find the opportunity to work together, my aim would be for therapy to be your space to feel fully heard and validated, perhaps for the first time in a long while, and to provide a safe space for you to fully explore the meaning of your experience in life.

Although I work pluralistically, meaning that I am able to draw on a range of approaches to the life challenges faced by those I work with, my underlying philosophy is existential, meaning that there is a key focus on understanding human predicaments in a philosophical way.

Central to the existential approach is a focus on making choices and accepting responsibility for our lives, which may mean examining any inconsistencies and contradictions in the way we think, feel and act in the world (our way-of-being in the world). In turn, this can help us to become more fully engaged with life, become more effective at working through life’s challenges, develop increased resilience against future adversities, and gain a greater sense of well-being and personal satisfaction.

• Some of the goals of existential therapy are to enable you to:

• examine your values and beliefs.

• become more truthful with yourself

• find clarity on your purpose in life

• create something valuable and meaningful to live for

• make sense of the paradoxes, conflicts and dilemmas of your existence.

Training, qualifications and experience: I am an existential psychotherapist and currently engaged in Doctoral training (DCPsych) as a Psychologist Practitioner, which leads to Chartership with the British Psychological Society (BPS) as a Chartered Counselling Psychologist.