My background and why I became a psychotherapist and mindbody practitioner

My first neuroplastic pain experience was at 2 ½ years old during the breakdown of my parent’s marriage and faced a whole host of adverse childhood experiences (‘ACEs’). I was eventually taken to Gt Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London, UK for intense abdominal pain and gastric symptoms. The diagnosis was that my extreme pain and symptoms and waking in the middle of the night screaming in pain was ‘for attention’ and that there was ‘nothing wrong’ with me.  This lead to a lifetime of denying my pain experiences, which grew in number and variety. During my Master’s degree in psychotherapy, I was naturally drawn to somatic approaches and how our bodies express trauma, anxiety and depression. I conducted a two-year research project on the lived experience of chronic pain for my dissertation, which lead me to finding out more about neuroplastic conditions. As I was constricted about what I could write due to the nature of my Master’s degree, after qualifying, I continued researching and began to specialize in working with clients with mainly chronic conditions and trauma, reading and attending conferences on chronic conditions. This is how I ran across Georgie Oldfield, the founder of SIRPA (Stress Illness Recovery Practitioners’ Association), and then became aware of the depth and breadth of this field, and became a SIRPA practitioner.

By the time I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, I was able to see it as a blessing; I finally accepted that all of my symptoms were neuroplastic, and have fully recovered from all these symptoms and many more! I am passionate about this work and I am proud and delighted to have supported 100s of clients with their recoveries.

Anxiety, trauma and chronic symptoms are different echoes of the same sensitized system

When you live with anxiety, trauma, or chronic stress, your internal alarm system can become highly sensitized. This is an active protective response — your brain and body are working overtime to keep you safe.

This persistent state of protection can show up in many ways, often without any obvious emotional trigger. You may experience a constant hum of anxiety, or your system may communicate through the body instead — manifesting as persistent pain, fatigue, or physical sensations that feel stuck or unexplained. These are not separate issues; they are the language your system uses to signal a need for safety, even when the connection to past or present stress isn’t immediately apparent.

We work where your emotional and physical experiences meet

What makes my approach different is that we don’t just talk about your experiences — we work with the way they are held in your system. Whether you are navigating emotional distress, persistent physical symptoms, or a blend of both, I integrate psychotherapy with neuroscience to help your nervous system find a new way of responding. Together we explore the learned responses and experiences that are keeping your system in this protective loop.

I have been there myself — so I know that change is possible, and that support is here for you.

Qualifications

As a SIRPA practitioner, I have completed SIRPA’s extensive training in chronic conditions and stress related illness, and am also trained in Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) and Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET) and other mindbody approaches.

I am an experienced BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) registered and accredited psychotherapist and clinical supervisor. Being an accredited BACP psychotherapist means that I have met the BACP’s higher and rigorous standards of training, competence and experience and have demonstrated and evidenced my knowledge and development as an experienced and ethical practitioner

Please contact me for a free 20-minute introductory consultation so we can see how I might support you.