Here’s a little about my personal history that informs who I am and influences the way I understand and relate to the people I work with:

 

I grew up just north of Birmingham in a big, blended-family in a small working-class home.

Prior to becoming a counsellor, I spent many years working in cafes/restaurants/pubs, a service station, shops and various factories (the best was McVities on the mini-cookies line); work that I really enjoyed because of the interactions with people from all different walks of life.

I went to Norwich School of Art and Design in my early twenties with dreams of becoming an artist and although that didn't happen, I still love making things.

In adult life I set up a successful online business and I'm a proud parent to two  brilliant young adults.

My special interests are knitting, dinosaurs, cycling, dressmaking and reading. 

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Over the course of my life so far, I’ve had periods of feeling weird, invisible and like an outsider due to growing up in a fractured and often volatile family environment; neurodivergence; and my own particular flavour of queerness.  These aspects of my experience and identity combine to give me a personal insight into what it feels like to struggle to find a sense of steadiness and a place in the world.​​

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Claiming identities such as queer or neurodivergent and stating that my early years were tough hasn't always felt straightforward. The inevitable questions of 'am I queer/neurodivergent enough?' or 'was it really that bad?' have arisen over the years. If I can forget about trying to judge whether I'm enough to fit how other people might define these identities, and focus on my own sense of self, I come to an easier resting place.

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Nowadays I feel I exist on much steadier, firmer and more stable ground. I have a good sense of who I am, where I belong and my place in the world. Lots of things have contributed to arriving at this place of greater ease, but the most relevant here is perhaps my experience of counselling and the person-centred approach. The person-centred approach allows me to define and understand myself on my own terms and in a way that holds meaning and makes sense to me. It helps me to live my life authentically and in a way that honours who I am and that is meaningful to me.