As someone who was diagnosed as neurodivergent very late in life, I have lived experience of how difficult life can be without the right help, support, and understanding, and what a huge difference it can make to have the right understanding about myself. Since discovering my own neurodivergency, I have also discovered how difficult it can be to get the right support and understanding. I offer a very human experience, and, always aim to be authentic in my responses. I will draw on real-life experience to help you unpick and uncover the root causes. I have no magic wand, and I cannot fix everything for you - however, I will offer what I can to aid you in finding the right answers for you. Coming to counselling could be the start of something life-changing. You might not know exactly what is “wrong”, and we will try to find these answers together. Having an unbiased perspective from someone who is not emotionally invested in your life, from someone who is not going to be offended or hurt by your truth, yet offers you the chance to speak freely and discuss things you might not feel comfortable saying out in your real world. That's me. That's how I can help.

Most of my clients come to me because they are struggling with the traits and difficulties related to ADHD, Autism, and often AuDHD. Some already have their diagnosis, and need support knowing what to do with this life altering bit of information. Some are questioning if they may be neurodivergent, or maybe already on a waiting list for an assessment. Wherever you are in your journey, it can be difficult learning how to accept yourself for who you are, and how to manage life now that you know you are different. A lot of the work is about losing the shame that many of us build up, and to reach a place where you are ok with your difference, and are able to start being more you than you have ever been. I work with individual adults and couples. I am also a supervisor.

My journey into counselling started when I worked in mental health services. It was part of my role to assess new clients and support them to access the right services for them. Time and time again I was told that I was the first person who really listened to them, the first person who actually seemed interested in who they were. This made me incredibly sad that this was the experience for many people, and this started my thinking about how I could support others more effectively, without the constraints of organisational rules or someone else telling me how to do my job. The restrictions in these roles were difficult as I never felt I was able to offer what my clients really needed. Many people have commented that “having a chat” won’t solve their problems, and have criticised how therapy could possibly help. What I learned in my own therapy was how powerful it was to have someone hear, and accept, my truth. To help me consider other perspectives, start to recognise that I was not the person I had always been told I was, and, to learn to accept myself and see myself in a better light. Having a trusted professional helped me on my journey to healing childhood traumas, recognise behaviours that had hurt me time after time, and learn to be the best version of myself that I could be in many situations. This is why I chose the name I did for my practice, as I had experienced for myself that Talk Helps.

I do not use a specific format or theory in my work, as I feel no one approach fits all. I encourage an authentic, free flowing approach. We will focus on whatever is most important on the day, and go from there. Once I have more of an understanding of what you need, and what suits you most, we can then discuss tools and strategies that work for you.