Who / Why / Where
Who I help
I work with clients from across Sevenoaks and the surrounding areas of Kent, including Tonbridge, Otford, Westerham, Swanley, Borough Green, Kemsing, and Seal. I offer a calm and confidential space to explore whatever you may be finding difficult, overwhelming, or hard to make sense of.
My work focuses on adults aged 25+, and young people 15+.
Adults
Working with adults
I work with adults of all ages and backgrounds — people going through something specific, people who've been carrying something for a long time, and people who can't quite put their finger on what's wrong but know something needs to change.
Whatever brings you here, sessions are shaped around you not around a rigid programme or a fixed number of weeks. Some people benefit from short-term focused work. Others find longer-term exploration more useful. We'll work out together what feels right for you, and review regularly as we go.
Sessions can either be in person, online, or alternatively I also offer a walk and talk session.
Issues
Some of the things adults bring to counselling
People come to me with all kinds of issues. These are some of the most common, though this isn't an exhaustive list:
- Anxiety, worry and panic
- Low mood and depression
- Stress and burnout
- Bereavement and grief
- Relationship difficulties (with a partner, family members, or friends)
- Anger and frustration
- Trauma and difficult past experiences
- Life transitions (redundancy, divorce, retirement, becoming a parent, moving, loss of identity)
- Low self-esteem and confidence
- Loneliness and disconnection
- Feeling stuck without knowing why
If you're not sure whether what you're experiencing fits, the free initial call is a good place to talk it through.
There are no commitment and no pressure.
Young People
Working with young people
Working with young people is something I feel strongly about.
I'm a mother of three daughters who are now in their teens and twenties, and I have worked within the secondary schooling environment.
I have seen first-hand how much this period of life can challenge young people, and how rarely there is genuine support and space to talk openly about the specific issues impacting them.
If the young person is under 18 years old I will have an initial conversation with a parent or carer over the phone and they will be asked to complete a parental information & consent form before we begin our sessions.
Confidentiality and young people
Sessions with young people are confidential in the same way as adult sessions. What is said in the room stays in the room unless I have serious concerns about safety.
For clients under 18, I will always discuss with a parent or guardian how we'll work together before any sessions begin. This will include how consent is handled, and what on-going communication, if any, will take place.
The young person's trust and sense of safety in the sessions always comes first.
For parents and carers
If you are a parent or carer thinking about counselling for a young person in your life, I'm happy to have an initial conversation with you, with or without the young person present to answer any questions and help you work out whether this might be a good fit.
The most helpful thing you can do is give the young person the chance to make the first contact themselves if they are willing. Coming to counselling because it is their idea, rather than because a parent arranged it, tends to make a significant difference to how engaged they are and how much they will get from it.
That said, I understand that isn't always possible, and I'll work with whatever the situation is.
Issues
What brings young people to counselling?
The things that bring young people to counselling are often very different to what adults bring, even when those issues look similar. A 17-year-old dealing with anxiety isn't experiencing the same thing as a 45-year-old dealing with anxiety. The pressures, the relationships, and the sense of what the future might hold are all different.
Some of what I work with young people on include:
- Anxiety around school, sixth form, college or university (exams, performance, fitting in, the future)
- Social anxiety and difficulties with friendships or peer relationships
- Low mood, withdrawal and loss of motivation
- Family difficulties (conflict at home, parental separation, feeling unseen or misunderstood)
- Pressure to meet expectations (from family, school, or themselves)
- Traumatic or difficult experiences
- Self-esteem and confidence
- The transition from education into adult life (leaving home, starting work, taking on new responsibilities)
Ready when you are.
A free 30-minute call just to see if I'm the right fit for you. No pressure, commitments, or obligations.