Focus areas

As a clinical psychologist I am able to work with a wide range of difficulties. I have a special interest in working with the following issues:

Depression

People experience depression in many ways – it can be deep sadness, but also irritability, anxiety, or a feeling of numbness. Often, it is more than a 'mood' - one's body might feel heavy and slow, agitated and on edge, or both. Ordinary tasks are impossibly hard; thinking is often foggy; and eating and sleeping out of kilter. Often, a person that is depressed feels that they ought to 'snap out of it', and feels guilty about not being able to do so. Well-meaning friends and relatives may offer comfort or encouragement, adding to guilt when this doesn't seem to help.

With understanding and support, it is possible to uncover the underlying drivers of depression, resolving this painful, paralysing state.

Anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, or threat that is often experienced in uncomfortable physical sensations - for example a knotted tummy, pounding heart, or tight chest. No matter how hard one tries to relax, one stays on high alert. Some people are troubled by specific fears (for example phobias or health anxiety); others experience a more general feeling of tension or notice that their minds jump from one worry to the next.

I can assist with anxiety in its many forms, helping you to find a greater sense of ease and calm.

Trauma

Traumas are intensely frightening or disturbing experiences that shock one to the core, shaking one's sense of safety and trust in the world. Most people recover naturally from traumatic experiences but sometimes people get locked into the memory, causing suffering long after the event has passed. At times one may feel on edge, anticipating something bad happening again; at other times one may feel numb and disconnected from one's life.

I offer gentle, supportive treatment to come to terms with trauma and return to a sense of normalcy.

Complex trauma

Sometimes people experience the effects of trauma without being able to pinpoint one specific traumatic event. It may be that one has had multiple traumatic experiences; or it may be that one has experienced something as being traumatic that others may not recognise as such (for example, experiences that were scary and hurtful to one as a child).

Therapy can help to heal the invisible wounds of complex trauma, making it possible to live with less pain and numbness.

Issues related to parenting and becoming a parent

Raising children is a hugely meaningful but often frustrating, confusing, and exhausting experience. One may experience a lot of pressure - both internal and external - to be a certain kind of parent. One may long to 'get it right', but often feel that one is falling short.

I can help to navigate parenting issues.

I also take a special interest in the experiences of those who are thinking of becoming parents, trying to become parents, or struggling to become parents. Infertility can be a very isolating, all-consuming experience, and one that is often poorly understood by those who have not experienced it first-hand.

I am interested in assisting clients wherever they may be in the process of becoming – or not becoming – parents.

Student support

The student years are often portrayed as a carefree, enjoyable time. Yet for many, the reality is quite fraught. Students often face considerable stress, adjusting to new academic demands, new forms of independence, uncertainties about the future, and different types of relationships.

I offer caring support to students at various levels.