Growing up as a young carer with a feeling of being broken, I continuously searched for answers as to why I was so different and misunderstood. As I grew up and continued down the path that I was sent on, I often wanted to scream "stop the world, I want to get off!" 

Being the sort of person who was living life feeling on edge all of the time, it is no surprise that I was diagnosed as autistic and ADHD at a later stage in life. 

Feeling lost and broken brought with it low self worth from not feeling good enough. Anxiety showed up in ways that meant I had find the answers to 'why' for everything. Doubt kept me on edge and going round and around, and the need for control was overwhelming.   

During my counselling training, I had to attend therapy sessions as part of my course. I began to understand that having to adult way before I was ready to had a lot to do with how I was experiencing the world. I could start to look at what my own beliefs were and get rid of the ones that I'd thought I had to take on as my own. 

I have also had the privilege of seeing the transgender journey of someone I care about and this has taught me so much about resilience and acceptance. I can understand the difficulties that parents and young people face.  

Learning about being real and stating what my needs are helped anxiety to lesson its grip. I began to realise that it is possible to start to feel calmer, more confident and start making my own choices. 

With over 40 years of care experience, I have seen how being misunderstood impacts people, leading to exhaustion and burnout from trying to keep up. Since I have trained as a therapist I have supported adults and young people to start accepting themselves for the person they always were but never dared show the world. I have worked for Manorlands where I gained the experience of helping clients through their grief which is certainly something that comes into my work now. I also worked with young people at Place2be where I supported teenagers through gender identity concerns as well as dealing with difficult home lives, and neurodivergent clients. I also have experience of working in children's care. 

I am a fully qualified counsellor, registered with the BACP. Previous clients have told me that they have been able to understand themselves much more, have felt understood and have started to make plans for the future. If this resonates with you, I would love for you to get in touch. I can arrange an introductory call so we can see if we would work well together.