My Story (in brief!)
My journey as a therapist has been an organic and personal one.
From 13 years in the music industry managing record producers and working with some of the most successful artists in the world, to now a decade of supporting clients at vulnerable and exciting chapters in their lives. It’s been a rollercoaster at times!
As MD of a hugely successful company I thrived on the stress during my twenties and early thirties, it was a crazy and exciting time. As with all demanding lifestyles though, something had to give and stress began to take it’s toll on my health to such an extent that a change became essential and in 2008 I left behind my career unsure of my future. Suffering with severe depression and anxiety, and as a result of seeking help myself, I became intrigued and fascinated by the body-mind connection and how we hinder, and can learn to help, ourselves on life's sometimes challenging journey.
I had trained in Aromatherapy, Anatomy & Physiology and Therapeutic Massage in 2004 and amongst my most satisfying experiences was being able to use this training to help a friend through a much longed for pregnancy and birth. Attending my godson’s birth in 2004 blew my mind and it was after attending the birth of her second son in 2008 and leaving behind the world of music management that I became very passionate about empowering women to achieve a satisfying birthing experience. I trained with Middlesex University on the only University accredited Doula course in the UK.
My work as a doula and volunteer on the labour ward at a local hospital in Hackney immediately led me to train as a hypnobirthing teacher in 2009; I knew the difference it made to birth and wanted to share it with everyone I worked with.
Having worked with hundreds of couples in London and throughout the world and having seen the power of hypnosis in changing attitudes towards childbirth, I was keen to broaden my training to help others and so studied with the College of Cognitive Behavioural Therapies to combine CBT psychotherapy training with hypnotherapy. This in turn led to further training with ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy) and a Masters in Mindfulness Based Approaches at Bangor University.
image : @ritaplattsphoto, with thanks to @survivaltechniques and @atomgallery
The last ten years have been an unfolding of training and clinical practice as a hypnotherapist, a CBT therapist, doula, author, aromatherapist and mindfulness and meditation teacher. I have attracted a large number of clients with general anxiety issues that a combination of all these tools have helped alleviate.
My passion for learning and exploring different disciplines continues both personally and professionally. Yoga, mindfulness, meditation, Buddhism, Menstrual Cycle Awareness, working with the lunar cycle and natures' rhythms, sound healing - I use all of these practices in my own life and bring them to the conversation, if appropriate, when working with all of my clients.
My Experience
My experience has been recognised by others; Pinter and Martin, the highly respected independent publishers, commissioned me to write “Why HypnoBirthing Matters” - an introduction to using hypnosis for birth for a mainstream audience which is out now!
My practice has been informed by personal experience and has evolved quite naturally to such an extent that I bring a broad range of techniques and expertise to whomever is sat in front of me. I consider us to be a team working together and often use a combination of REBT, CBT, ACT, hypnosis, meditation, mindfulness and aromatherapy.
I consider it a privilege to work closely with people at challenging and exciting times in their lives - whether it’s preparing to welcome a baby or dealing with difficulties, be they emotional or physical. Having spent decades being "busy" I now craft my work life balance very carefully so that if we work together you have my full attention and care.
Whilst I am based in Hackney I work with people from all over London and beyond.
Although I prefer the face to face contact, I can offer Skype appointments and have worked with people all over the world.
I look forward to hearing from you to see how I can best help you. Please feel free to drop me a line and we'll arrange a time to chat.