About me
Who am I?
I’m a psychotherapist, supervisor and trainer, and a survivor – of a challenging childhood, and of cancer. I’m also a wife and mother, a chocaholic, a recovering workaholic, and a believer in the hidden depths of people.
Cancer took me to the core of myself, revealing the deepest longings of my heart, the most complex wounds and defences I carry from childhood, the destructive forces and the enormous potential for healing that lie within us all. The work I’ve done in processing my life experiences has left me stronger in vulnerability, slower and calmer, more compassionate and more resilient (a sort of inverse bionic woman). Cancer was my bootcamp for COVID-19 in so many ways.
Learning from cancer has given me more to offer to others facing challenges in life – whether it be pandemic or personal past, shame, vulnerability, anger, grief, fear or confusion. I’ve acquired some tools to work with these complex experiences that have helped me to grow and develop through them.
Why “Foxtales for Soulbuilding”?
For many years now I have had a strange affiliation with foxes. Maybe it’s the red hair (now grey-white after cancer), or maybe the link between foxes and survivors is the point of connection. Foxes have shown up at the most interesting times – as I’ve been coming out of my therapist’s office having started to face some particularly nasty inner demons; four of them passing alongside my parked car as I’ve needed to feel support and encouragement; one of them lying peacefully in sunlight when I’ve needed the reminder to take it slowly and enjoy the moment. People I’ve taught or supervised have sometimes given me gifts and cards with foxes on, and some even tell me that foxes have literally shown up just as they were talking or thinking about me. So I’ve decided to accept the honour of the affiliation, and bring my passion for nature and my love of “tales” story, metaphor and archetype together, here. Here are the stories that have emerged from the processing of life, sometimes arriving with the sunlight through trees, or on the wind blowing across the stone circle, or in the glimpse of a red tail with a white tip passing by.
What are my qualifications?
I am a United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) registered psychotherapist, a Certified Transactional Analyst, and have completed a Masters degree in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy. I have been in practice as a psychotherapist for over 25 years. I am also an internationally accredited trainer and supervisor through the European Association of Transactional Analysis (EATA) and the International Transactional Anaysis Association (ITAA).
I am a member of UKCP, and of the United Kingdom Association for Transactional Analysis (UKATA), and I abide by their codes of Ethics and Professional Practice.
Check out the various ways we can connect and the different ways we can move forward together.