Anxiety emerges as one of the most common challenges my clients face.

Have you experienced the jittery, flighty, uncomfortable feeling, which can destabilise us for days, months or even years? Pounding heart rate, raised temperature, relentless worry, the overwhelming sense of impending doom, convincing us that something ‘bad’ is just around around the corner? If this resonates with you, then you are far from alone.

Numerous factors contribute to anxiety. From childhood trauma to present day stressors, challenging life situations, genetics and the pressures of modern life all can impact our nervous system, leading it to become dysregulated and trapped in a cycle of fight or flight (anxiety).

Have you been told to, take a deep breath, go for a walk or ‘think positively’. Whilst all these suggestions can potentially help alleviate anxiety, unfortunately these activities alone may not provide lasting peace you want and deserve.

Therapy offers an opportunity to address the deeper roots of anxiety that reside in your unconscious mind. Understanding the underlying causes of your anxiety empowers us to explore strategies to address and navigate through these feelings. I often incorporate psychoeducation during sessions; when individuals gain insight into their inner world, they realise that anxiety is a natural response and becomes easier to manage.

Together we can begin to untangle your anxious thoughts and feelings by recognising and understanding your triggers. Our triggers are biggest teachers as we often unconsciously project our past events, hurts, and fears onto the present moment. By bringing these fears to the surface, we can identify the root cause of your anxiety, providing clarity and healing to past wounds. During therapy we can also seek to identify any behaviours which could be keeping you in stuck in the anxiety loop and look at alternative ways of coping.

Finally, you will learn tools to help reduce heightened anxiety and panic in the moment to feel more in control.

Are you trapped in a cycle of relentless self doubt, feeling inadequate or as though you're continually falling short? Sadly, low self-esteem affects many of us, hindering our ability to live fully and authentically.

Low self-esteem can manifest as feelings of inadequacy, people-pleasing behaviours, constant comparison with others, self-loathing, and excessive self-criticism. These feelings and behaviours can profoundly impact our mental health, relationships and work.

In therapy, we delve deeper to identify the root causes of your low self-esteem. The way we perceive ourselves is often shaped during our formative years. You were not born criticising and hating yourself, which suggests that the views and beliefs you hold about yourself have developed over time. Experiences such as having overly critical parents, abuse, discrimination or bullying can all contribute to a negative self-perception.

Current circumstances also influence our self-perception. Perhaps you're navigating challenging life circumstances or experiencing significant stress? Social media exacerbates these challenges, fostering relentless comparison and undermining our self-esteem.

Many clients embark on their therapeutic journey with their self-worth at rock bottom, engaging in a critical internal dialogue that leaves them feeling deeply unhappy. Through therapy, we unpack these uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, cultivate new, healthier ways of thinking about yourself and transition from self-loathing to self-compassion and kindness. Clients often enter therapy feeling disempowered but emerge empowered after making positive internal and external changes during the therapeutic process.

“Never Worry Alone'“ - Dr Ned Hallowell - American psychiatrist ADHD Specialist

I have a special interest in working with neurodivergence. I know what it’s like to grow up feeling different, to mask without realising, to burn out trying to keep up. That lived experience shapes how I listen and how I hold space for difference, complexity and the grief that can come with being painfully misunderstood for so long.

A late diagnosis can stir up a complex mix of emotions: relief, validation and clarity. However, it can also elicit sadness, anger, confusion and a sense of not knowing how to move forward. Looking through a new lens can be disorientating and vulnerable, especially if you’re trying to navigate it alone

Expert Dr. Ned Hallowell the brilliant mind behind ADHD 2.0 explains that toxic worry is rampant because people are so disconnected. As he puts it, the antidote is human connection. He calls it “the other Vitamin C,” or Vitamin Connect:

“Toxic worry is rampant because people are so disconnected. … Our prime antidote to toxic worry is another person.”

https://drhallowell.com/2018/01/31/managing-toxic-worry/

“The human connection is like an essential vitamin. I call it the other vitamin C; this is vitamin connect.”

https://drhallowell.com/2018/04/27/harnessing-the-power-of-vitamin-connect/

So, the take away is to find human moments. Talk, reach out and find spaces with like minded people.

Many people with ADHD, ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) or AuDHD learn to mask their neurodivergent traits in order to appear more neurotypical. Often, this becomes an automatic way of being: copying, pushing through sensory sensitivities, adapting to avoid judgement, rejection or simply to get by. Over time, it can become second nature.

Masking can help you stay safe but it does come at a cost. It can disconnect you from your real needs, contribute to burnout, detrimentally impact mental health and leave you unsure of who you are underneath it all.

In therapy, we notice these patterns together. We don’t rush to change them. Instead, we explore what feels like performance, what feels like protection and what it might be like to show up more fully as yourself,  in your own way, at your own pace. As someone who has been and continues to be, in this process myself, I bring both empathy and insight to the work.

My approach is relational and strengths based. That means the relationship we build together will foster a healing experience where you can begin to feel safe to be your true self. We also pay attention to what has helped you survive, the creativity in your adaptations. We find ways of working with your neurodivergence and not against it.

If you're navigating this process, I would love to support you in making sense of your experiences and finding a way forward that feels self compassionate and authentic to who you are.

When we think about trauma, our minds often gravitate towards harrowing, life-threatening events such as warfare, car collisions, acts of violence, sexual assault, terrorism or natural disasters. These dreadful occurrences can induce profound psychological and emotional distress, what we commonly understand as trauma.

However, there are other circumstances that, while not necessarily posing an immediate threat to life, nonetheless cause significant internal turmoil. Examples include instances of bullying, childhood neglect both emotional and physical, financial anxieties, divorce, or relationship ruptures. At times, individuals may inadvertently overlook these experiences or remain unaware to the impact they have on their mental and emotional wellbeing.

Exposure to distressing events, whether singular or recurring, can overwhelm our nervous system, creating a state where our innate threat response mechanisms become stuck in either a fight-or-flight (anxiety) or freeze (depression). Manifestations of such distress show up in various ways, including fragmented recollections, erosion of trust and feelings of safety, dissociation from our sense of self, diminished self-esteem, emotional numbness and debilitating flashbacks.

Throughout our therapeutic sessions as a Trauma Informed Therapist, my gaol is to cultivate a strong therapeutic alliance with you, fostering an environment of safety, where you feel empowered to share your experiences.

I incorporate psychoeducation to help you understand the physiological and psychological effects of trauma, including how it impacts your brain and body.

Together, we will explore safety-oriented grounding techniques and adaptive coping strategies, equipping you with the tools to navigate through the tumultuous terrain of overwhelming emotions and bodily sensations.

I approach my work with kindness, compassion and unwavering support.