FIND A WAY . . . FIND YOURSELF . . . .

NB:  FOR COUPLES EXPERIENCING SEXUAL DIFFICULTIES, I AM CURRENTLY OFFERING SESSIONS AT THE REDUCED COST OF £30 PER SESSION.

PLEASE CONTACT ME TO DISCUSS WHETHER YOU MIGHT BE ELIGIBLE TO BENEFIT FROM THIS CONCESSION.

SUCH DIFFICULTIES CAN INCLUDE ISSUES SUCH AS VULVA OR PELVIC PAIN/ANXIETY ON PENETRATION, ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION, ANORGASMIA, DELAYED EJACULATION, PREMATURE EJACULATION, VAGINISMUS, LACK OF DESIRE, AND OTHER AREAS OF RELATIONSHIP DISTRESS CONNECTED TO THE SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP.  (This is in connection with studies for the Diploma in Psychosexual Counselling with Tavistock Relationships.)

During the present Coronavirus situation, I am working by Zoom rather than meeting clients face-to-face.  This is a mode of therapy that I have used for a number of years and it is possible for effective therapeutic work to take place.  I have completed the UKCP Covid-19 Online Working Guidance, and the counselling on-line primer jointly developed by the Open University and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, and I am currently studying with Online Counselling Services & Training for their OCST4 training programme, "Online counselling," in order to improve my familiarity with this mode of therapy.

I offer confidential sessions for both individuals and couples, which can either be short-term work on specific problems, or longer-term work on more deep-seated personal issues.  I specialise in sexual and relationship difficulties, but am also accustomed to dealing with a wide range of issues, such as low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, stress, bereavement, trauma, study or career difficulties, and the psychological and emotional consequences of abuse.  I aim to listen to you in a non-judgmental way and to provide a consistent and reliable resource that will enable you to understand and accept yourself better and gain a greater sense of control over your life.  Clients say that I am someone with whom it is possible to be at ease and to speak openly about troubling and sensitive matters.

I have over thirty years' experience as a counsellor and psychotherapist, and am registered as a Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist with the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), as a Senior Accredited Counsellor with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), and as an accredited member of ATSAC (Association for the Treatment of Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity).  I am a member of the European Society for Sexual Medicine, a trainee member of the College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists, and am registered with the Information Commissioner's Office for the protection of personal data.  (See below for my Privacy Policy.)

I worked for many years in the NHS as Principal Adult Psychotherapist and Senior Counsellor, and before that as a University Counsellor. I am currently a Consultant for the Churches’ Ministerial Counselling Service, which offers counselling to ministers of religion and their spouses.  I have also had extensive experience, in both the NHS and private practice, as a clinical supervisor of other counsellors, including trainees.

I believe strongly in equal opportunities for all, and strive to understand differing cultural backgrounds and to maintain an approach that does not discriminate on grounds of sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation.

PRIVACY POLICY

I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office as a controller of sensitive data and follow their recommendations for storing sensitive data.  Laws apply to the use I make of anyone’s personal information and everyone has rights regarding how their personal information is handled.  This statement tells you what information I may collect about you and how I store it, what I use your personal information for, who (if anyone) I pass it on to and for what purposes, and your legal rights.

 What information I collect and how I store it:  When you contact me to ask for counselling, I will record your name and contact details on my password-protected phone in order to recognize communications from you or to get back in touch with you.  I will also open a file on my computer, in which I will record why you are requesting counselling, along with any other information which will help me assess how best to assist you in providing therapy or making other recommendations, and I will add to this file as the counselling continues.  This information will be retained for professional insurance purposes for a period of seven years after you have completed your counselling and all financial aspects are complete, whichever is later, and will then be deleted from my computer and phone.  Anything that you tell me that is written on paper will be immediately shredded once the information has been transferred to an electronic format.  Electronically stored information will only be accessible to me, or to a designated professional colleague in the event of my disability or decease.

 What I use your personal information for and who (if anyone) I pass it on to and why:  I use your personal information to communicate with you and to help me remember our discussions.  I will not reveal any of your contact details or details of our discussions to anyone, unless I am compelled to do so by a court order or other legal requirement, or if you and I in our discussions believe that it may be helpful to you to inform, for example, your doctor, or if there are ethical considerations as covered in the professional codes of conduct by which I am bound.

 Your rights:  You have the right to ask me not to process or to cease from processing or to correct or erase your personal data.  However, I may be unable to provide counselling for you if I am unable to record and process the information you have provided.  You also have the right to ask for a copy and explanation of your personal data, and the right to compensation for any substantial damage or distress caused by the processing of your data where applicable.