Hi, I’m Ella
What I offer
Tailored therapy for people who want something more personal and flexible than a standard model.
I bring over 20 years’ experience from advocacy, domestic abuse and trauma-related work, and I value therapy that feels caring, connected, and genuinely useful.
My work draws particularly on:
Transactional Analysis (TA): we explore patterns in relationships and communication, including roles, boundaries, and the “rules” you learned early on.
Psychodynamic therapy: we notice how past experiences and relationships may still be shaping feelings, choices, and dynamics in the present.
Existential therapy: we explore meaning, identity, freedom, responsibility, and how to live alongside uncertainty.
I’m a psychotherapeutic counsellor offering in-person sessions across North Cumbria and online via Zoom. I work with adults who want a helpful space that is honest, thoughtful, and supports them to make sense of what is going on and begin changing patterns that no longer serve them.
I work pluralistically and integratively; we agree goals together and adapt the approach as we go.
Read more about pluralism and integrative therapy here.
I love working with clients who are curious about themselves, even if they feel messy, stuck, or unsure where to start.
I’m especially interested in supporting women through life transitions, health changes, and relationship patterns, though I work with adults of all genders. A lot of my clients are living with the after-effects of trauma, difficult relationships, or patterns they cannot seem to break. Others are exhausted from holding it together. You don’t need to have it all figured out before we begin; we’ll work together to untangle what’s going on for you.
Welcomed clients include LGBTQIA+ people, neurodivergent people, disabled people, people in sex work, and people exploring kink or non-traditional relationships.
I do not pathologise identity, sexuality, relationship structure, or survival strategies.
I will not pressure you to forgive, reconcile, disclose, or ‘look on the bright side’.”
I do not frame distress as personal failure or lack of resilience.
“Ella is warm and straight-talking. I felt understood, and also gently challenged in a way that helped me change things rather than just talk about them.”
My style is warm, attentive, and direct.
I’m good at hearing what’s between the lines. We’ll look together at the patterns you keep getting pulled into, as well as the things you find hard to say.
My approach is intersectional, feminist and trauma-informed. I pay attention to power, consent, and social context; including how sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, classism, stigma, poverty, and coercive relationships can affect mental health and self-worth.
I am sex-positive and kink-aware. You are welcome to talk about sex, desire, porn, shame, identity, BDSM, power play, and non-traditional relationship structures without being pathologised or treated as a problem to fix. My focus is on how your choices fit with your values and wellbeing.
If you have been shamed, silenced, or misunderstood by services before, I aim to offer something different: respectful curiosity, clear boundaries, and support that does not require you to edit yourself.
Shame and other painful feelings can be heavy and isolating to carry; I handle them gently and with care so you’re not carrying them on your own.
If I think something is keeping you stuck, I won’t dance around it. I’ll bring it up, and we’ll work through it together.
Many clients arrive feeling wary, especially if a previous experience of therapy felt too brief, too structured, or not personal enough. We’ll make room for all your messy bits, and focus on changes you can stick to, at a speed and intensity that is right for you.
“I’d tried therapy before and it felt too structured for me to fit into it. I felt like I’d “failed” at therapy. This felt personal and flexible, and I could go at my pace.”
“With chronic illness I’ve often felt dismissed and misunderstood. Ella didn’t do that. The work helped me feel less alone and more able to advocate for what I need.”
Working with me
I offer:
In-person sessions across North Cumbria (Carlisle, Crofton, Wigton, Keswick)
Online sessions via Zoom; I work with clients nationwide
Hybrid options if you prefer a mix of in-person and online sessions
I work with adults (18+). If I think you would be better supported by a different specialist input, I will say so clearly and help you consider options.
Availability
Next openings: April 2026.
If you would like to work together, please get in touch and book a free phone call to ask questions, talk through what you are looking for, and decide next steps.
Training and professional registration
Qualifications
Advanced Professional Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling Practice
Diploma in Counselling
Certificate in Counselling
I am fully insured and committed to ongoing supervision and continued professional development. I regularly update my practice through further training.
Professional registration matters because it is a public commitment to standards; ethical practice, appropriate supervision, continued learning, and a clear route for accountability.
I am NCPS registered. The NCPS register is accredited by the UK Professional Standards Authority, which means it meets recognised standards around training, supervision, ethics, and complaints processes; it’s one of the ways clients can check they are working with a properly accountable practitioner.