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I offer integrative counselling and coaching. 

This means I am trained in a wide variety of therapeutic approaches and tools, as well as in coaching theories and techniques. We can work flexibly together to find the most relevant useful tools, theories and techniques to support you with your needs right now. Sometimes that is much more like coaching, setting goals and making plans to achieve your aims. Sometimes that might be very inward focused, working to make sense of past experiences and/or inner conflicts.  Whatever your current need my approach is: 

• flexible, 
• practical, 
• led by you and agreed together, 
• trauma and neurodiversity informed and responsive.
  

The brilliant thing about counselling and therapy is that we have so many options out there. I am trained to draw on a wide variety of approaches from counselling and coaching and use them in a process that takes us together through different phases:

• Building the relationship and understanding where you are,
  
• Reflecting on past experiences, processing them and resolving inner conflicts,
  
• Looking at solutions and future goals
  
• Making sense of your journey, and ensuring that you have the right support for when you finish this phase of therapy.
  

Put simply, I have a context and shape for what the process or stages of therapy can look like - a bit like planning a road trip, we know we will need petrol, and maybe somewhere to eat and to stay, but the exact route and landmarks on that journey will be different for everyone and I have the freedom to choose from a wide variety of options.  

If you don't know which specific type of therapy you need - or you have had some therapy but it needed to cover more than one approach alone could do, an integrative approach could be right for you. 

You might know you need some counselling and some coaching and you don't want to have to find separate practitioners, and build separate relationships. A coach therapist practitioner, like me, could be what you need.

The most important thing about how I work is that it is led by you - you don't have to know all the answers but you always have the final say on how we work.  You are the expert on your life,  I am trained in processes, approaches, tools and theories. I can offer and suggest things but you choose what works for you and what doesn't. 

• I always explain why I suggest things.
  
• You can always say "no thank you"
• We will always agree together what to do next.
• We will create a space where you can tell me what is not working for you - this can take a bit of practice.
• I am trauma and neurodiversity informed and responsive. This means I've worked with trauma and neurodiversity a lot and am confident adapting my approach to respond to those things. 
• You decide what outcomes you are aiming for - it is not for me to decide what any client "should" try to get out of their therapy. 
• I will always be honest if I feel I don't have the experience you need - and I will help find a suitable practitioner to refer you to.  
• I am affirming of all gender, sexuality and relationship diversity. You are who you tell me you are, your humanity is not up for debate. 
• When I work with a client with lived experience of oppression  that I don't have experience of, I have a responsibility to educate myself, and also to be honest about the limitations of my knowledge or cultural competence where this could impact the work negatively. 

I'm an integrative counsellor and coach. I've been trained in various different approaches to counselling and different models of coaching. I combine these in a process model that helps both of us know where we are in the therapeutic journey including:

• building the relationship and understanding where you are, 
  
•  looking at past experiences, processing them and resolving inner conflicts,
  
• in a proactive stage where we look at solutions and future goals 
  
• making sense of your journey, and ensuring that you have the right support for when you finish this phase of therapy.

I usually suggest a short (15/20 minute) video call (I use zoom) as a first contact.  In this call we will go through contracting (which includes things like cost, how often we meet, confidentiality and safeguarding). This is free of charge but any sessions after that will be charged at the fee agreed.

I recommend this initial call whether you are looking to book short or long term work and whether you are interested in coaching, counselling or coaching/therapeutic combined approach.