A down-to-earthspace to make sense of what you are carrying.
Counselling & Psychotherapy in North Cumbria and Online
Trauma-informed therapy for anyone navigating people-pleasing, boundaries, relationship patterns, anxiety, grief, loss of identity, or the after-effects of difficult experiences.
If life looks “fine” on the outside but feels heavy, tangled, or exhausting on the inside, therapy can help. Many of those I work with have been carrying too much for too long; they are managing everyone else’s needs, second-guessing themselves, and feeling stuck in familiar relational roles.
I take power, privilege and social context seriously. Distress is not a personal failure; sometimes it is a sane response to the conditions you are living in. I pay attention to the ways sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, classism, stigma, poverty, and coercive relationships can impact on mental health and self-worth.
I offer in-person sessions across North Cumbria and online via Zoom.
Book a free call to see how we can work together.
A brief, no-pressure chat to ask questions, share what you are looking for, and see whether working together feels right.
Areas I’m often helpful with
My work is caring, connected, and hopefully genuinely useful. I want to help you make positive changes that stick. I bring over 20 years’ experience from advocacy, domestic abuse, and trauma-related work. I work with adults aged 18+ who want a thoughtful space to make sense of what is going on for them and to begin changing default patterns that no longer work.
Women’s life transitions and changing identities
Pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period, perimenopause, menopause and how changes in our bodies, our societal roles and our responsibilities affect how we think and feel (including low mood, anxiety, identity shifts, relationship strain, and losing our sense of self).
Trauma, domestic abuse, and sexual violence
A calm, trauma-informed space to work with safety, trust, boundaries, self-worth, and the ways past trauma can keep echoing into the present.
Grief, loss, and bereavement
Support to explore what is there without shame or judgement, and to find ways of living alongside loss.
Living with chronic illness
Therapy that does not minimise symptoms or push a mind-over-matter narrative; we can work with pacing, identity, boundaries, self-advocacy, grief, and the emotional impact of dismissal and disbelief.
You might be here because…
You feel anxious, on edge, low, or emotionally exhausted
Relationships feel confusing, intense, or hard to trust
You recognise repeating patterns but cannot seem to shift them
The past is still showing up in the present
You feel stuck, overwhelmed, numb, or disconnected from yourself
You want to understand yourself more clearly, and make changes that last
Therapy that is collaborative, flexible, and tailored for you
Some people come to private therapy after finding previous support too brief, too structured, or not personal enough. The way I work with you is collaborative and tailored. We choose approaches together, review what is helping, and adjust as your needs change. You are not expected to fit yourself into a template.
We’ll agree what you want from therapy, check in on what’s helping, and adjust as we go.
My approach is pluralistic and integrative, with a particular focus on Transactional Analysis, psychodynamic and existential therapy. I can work with patterns, emotions, meaning, relationships, and practical change, in a way that fits you.
Find out more about counselling, psychotherapy and pluralistic/integrative ways of working
Practical details
Session fee: £65 for 50 minutes (in person or online)
Concessions: limited spaces at £35 for student counsellors and people on means-tested benefits
Locations: Carlisle, Wigton, Penrith; plus online across the UK
You do not need to know where to start; we will start wherever you are.