How I work and why
In Sessions, You'll Notice
I'm real. I laugh when something's funny (which is sometimes during serious work). I won't pretend to have all the answers—if I don't know, I'll say so. I will ask precise questions, challenge respectfully, because I respect you too much to let you stay stuck.
I'm attentive to what's unspoken: your body language, what you're *almost* saying, the feelings beneath the surface. I notice when you're ready and when you're flooded. I follow your pace while gently guiding toward clarity.
Sessions are structured yet flexible. Your emotions are treated as information with intention. Patterns are traced with curiosity, not judgment. The relationship teaches you what real connection feels like. And you're always in control—of pacing, of what we explore, of what you do with what you discover.
My Approach
Emotion-Focused & Relational
We get specific about what you're feeling, what it's telling you, and what it wants. The relationship between us IS the work—authentic, boundaried, real. My honesty allows me to ask precise questions.
Pattern Recognition & Present Focus
Your patterns came from somewhere. We trace where they originated and ask if they still work. Neurodivergence, trauma history, attachment patterns—I work with these as resources, not deficits.
Clarity Then Choice
The work moves from confusion to clarity. Once you understand what you're actually dealing with, you get to choose what to do. That's where autonomy lives.
What this means: You get direct, human attention. I work with what's actually alive for you, not forcing your situation into theoretical frameworks. I'm skilled and also honest about what I don't know. I understand neurodivergence from the inside.
Professional Credentials
Credentials matter—they signal you're working with someone who meets professional standards, has training, and keeps learning. Here's what you need to know:
- BACP Registered Member - I work to the BACP Ethical Framework and maintain professional standards
- Level 5 Diploma in Integrative Counselling - Training in person-centered, psychodynamic, Gestalt, and somatic approaches
- Specialisations:
- Trauma-informed practice
- Neurodivergence awareness (autism, ADHD, dyslexia, aphantasia)
- Bereavement and grief work
- Suicide prevention (ASSIST trained)
- Ongoing training & supervision - Because good practice means continuous learning and accountability
- Professional indemnity insurance - You're protected
Not all therapists are suitable for every client, and not all clients are suitable for every therapist. Finding the right fit is important for effective therapy. To help you decide, below is a few insights into who I am and how this effects how I work.
A Welshman who's messed up more times, in my personal life, than I can count and continues to mess up. I've had serious issues—the kind that don't just vanish with insight. I've learnt to understand them, live with them and mostly forgotten about them. I'm also a BACP-registered counsellor who specialises in emotion-focused, relational work.
I understand that life isn't ever free of challenges. But I believe some challenges are worth the effort to work with, and some can live inside us with a comfort that's acceptable. I understand trauma, autism, ADHD, complexity, and the things that don't fit neat boxes. I've trained extensively in integrative approaches, which means I draw on what actually works for *you*, not what fits a theoretical framework.
I didn't plan to become a counsellor. For fifteen years I was a chocolatier and chef—making things, feeding people, creating in the kitchen. I enjoyed it but at the end I lacked that spark and I wanted to try something completely different.
A dear friend—one of the few people whose judgment I trust—told me I'd be a good counsellor. I thought she was being ridiculous. For many reasons. Including my own scepticism of therapy.
But I wanted to try something new, so I signed up for the first year's course. Just to see what would happen. I became fascinated by it. Stuck with it. Had profound moments of doubt during training and in my early years—wondering if I was deluding myself, if I was competent, if I actually understood what I was doing. But curiosity kept pulling me forward.
Now I understand that what my friend saw was someone who *listens* with curiosity and can comfortably inhabit the speaker's mindset without being caught up in it.
I'm genuinely curious about my clients' lives—their thoughts, their emotions, how they tell the story of their lives and the stories they tell themselves. I love watching people open up to themselves when they're not being judged by me or themselves. When they understand parts of themselves they've fought with for a lifetime.
I value the privilege of standing with someone as they move forward. Not fixing them. Not having the answers. Just genuinely being present while they find their own clarity. And I love the flexibility to do this work and live my own life in the Welsh countryside.
Want to talk? Get in touch →