About Me

My story

I came to counselling following my own experience of early loss. In therapy, I began to understand how bereavement — and the quiet defences I’d built to cope — had shaped my relationships, my sense of self, and how I moved through the world.

For a long time, I created an identity around achievement, both professionally and personally. On the outside, I appeared capable and steady. Inside, I doubted myself often — replaying conversations, questioning decisions, and holding myself to impossibly high standards. When things went wrong, even outside my control, I assumed I must somehow be at fault.

Socially, I carried similar uncertainty. Even with familiar people, I worried about how I came across and whether I truly belonged in the rooms I’d worked hard to reach. Outward confidence masked a much quieter sense of not quite being enough.

My work is shaped both by professional training and lived experience of carrying responsibility while quietly questioning myself.

What therapy helped me understand

Therapy helped me gently unravel these patterns. Over time, I began to see how early experiences had shaped my expectations of myself and others — and how hard I was working to stay in control and avoid vulnerability.

As the pieces came together, I found more ease, more clarity, and a softer way of relating to myself. That process didn’t happen quickly, but it was deeply transformative. 

How this shapes my work

This lived understanding informs how I work today. I know what it’s like to appear capable while feeling uncertain inside, and how difficult it can be to let yourself slow down and be seen.

In my work, I offer a steady, relational space where insight can develop gradually. Rather than focusing on quick fixes, I support clients to understand the emotional patterns that have shaped them — so change comes from clarity, not pressure.

I work in line with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Ethical Framework and offer weekly, confidential counselling for adult women. Sessions are relational and reflective, providing a steady space to explore emotional patterns over time.

Why The RelationSHIFT Counsellor

I named my practice The RelationSHIFT Counsellor because meaningful change often begins with small, compassionate shifts in the relationship we have with ourselves.

As understanding deepens, those shifts ripple outward — shaping how we relate to others, our work, and our lives more broadly.

The way I work with clients is shaped by both my training and lived experience — you can learn more about therapy in Essex and how I work here.