About Me
I have been in the vocation of helping people for almost 25 years. I believe my love of supporting others is hard-wired through my DNA!
For many years I worked in sport and fitness; personal training people of all levels of fitness plus coaching and competing in endurance sports. In a field that can have a fine line between healthy stress and distress / burnout, I was continually drawn to helping others maintain good mental and emotional wellbeing, not just physical form or performance outcomes.
Even back then what I always loved the most, and settled into easiest and most authentically, was holding stories, helping people be at ease within themself, and supporting their emotional stability.
Despite doing this work well for others, I was in denial that I was dealing myself with anxiety, panic and a long term eating disorder. Facing up to my own challenges, I discovered therapeutic movement practices and talking therapy. The positive impact they had on me influenced how I wanted to work and who I most wanted to help. I left competitive sport in 2010 and worked therapeutically with movement; supported people with pain, fatigue and illness and eventually more psychotherapeutically, supporting trauma, anxiety, eating disorders and mental health issues.
Training and qualifying in counselling & psychotherapy was a natural evolution for me, almost inevitable really. It became the final piece to solidifying my practice as it is now.
Other Things You Might Like to Know About Me:
I've been described as being 'pragmatically positive', 'down to earth' and with 'unwavering hope' . I know that life isn't full of unicorns and rainbows, yet I also know that we each have a great capacity within ourselves to unstick, overcome and to enjoy a fulfilling whole life that we can thrive in.
I am continually inspired by the uniqueness of each person I meet and respecting this individuality is core to how I work. My values are compassion, respect, non-judgement, integrity, hope and trust.
I’m also a yoga teacher and movement therapist. I use these skills to integrate the body and mind in sessions where it makes sense to and somehow it naturally seems to happen when needed. Combining talking therapy with body based therapy, can help tap into awareness, connection and resolutions that talking alone can’t always reach.
I first started working with disordered eating and eating disorders 10 years ago after talking publicly about my own recovery from anorexia, bulimia and exercise dependency. Clients seemed to find me and it became clear to me that this was my passion work. I went on do various specialised training courses and qualifications. It is what ultimately led me to train as a psychotherapist.
From 2020 – 2022, I worked as an eating disorder specialist within the multi-disciplinary team at The Recovery Centre (TRC) in Edinburgh. I set up my private practice in 2022.
I am a qualified Eat Breathe Thrive facilitator and was honoured to co-host their first courses in Scotland in 2017.
I love to swim, mountain bike, snowboard and hike up hills. I equally love being in my pyjamas, drawing, reading & writing.
Professional Qualifications:
Postgraduate diploma in CBT, Counselling and Group Therapy
Advanced Diploma in Eating Disorders and Neurodiversity
Certified therapeutic yoga teacher
Certified Therapeutic Pilates teacher
Level 3 triathlon coach and coach education triathlon tutor
Qualified personal trainer
Certifications in:
NLP
Schema therapy
Somatic parts
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy
Compassion Focused Therapy
Mindfulness
Dialectic Behaviour Therapy
Specialist trainings:
Excellence in Practitioner Skills for Eating Disorders
Neurodiversity, Autism & ADHD, Autism and Eating Disorders
CBT for Eating Disorders
Schema Therapy for Eating Disorders
Body image in teenagers
CBT for body image
Trauma informed Movement Therapy
Somatic trauma therapy
I am a Registered Member (MBACP) of British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP) (Membership number: 01014388).
I am committed to regularly attending webinars and CPD events and reading to keep my knowledge and practice up to date. I am in regular supervision, have been through in-depth therapy myself and I have been abiding by the code of ethics set out by BACP since 2016.