
I can help you feel lasting relief from whatever flavour anxiety you have.
Hi! I'm Sam. Nice to meet you.
Can you believe I began my private practice having never had received therapy myself? Yes, me a mental health professional who has been in this field for a decade, and I had zero experience as an actual client, on the receiving end of therapy.
A little bit like my father who was a builder and plumber, but our house was always the last on his to-do list.
What I do know is that I have spent so much time and training learning how to provide a great experience when it comes to counselling that when it came time to receive my own therapy, I realised then just how transformative vulnerability can be in therapy.
Being in front of a therapist is hard, right? I totally get it, because I have been there.
That’s why it is not enough for me to provide great therapy for you. Yes, I will be able to listen nonjudgmentally and guide self-discovery. But I also want to create a safe and cozy sanctuary that is equally as accepting of your joy as your struggles. I want us to create a therapeutic relationship that supports the essence of you and allows your authentic self to shine. I want you to leave your sessions having felt deeply seen, heard and understood.
A bit about me.
-
Even though my wardrobe is full of clothes, I tend to wear the same five outfits on rotation.
-
My favourite comedian right now is Ali Wong.
-
I suck at handstands, keeping plants alive, and being ready on time.
-
Cooking and vibing in the kitchen with my husband, our son and dogs is my favourite time of day.
Needing more than self help?
Its finally time for your first therapy session and you’ve been counting down the days and the hours, deciding and re-deciding what it is you want to talk about. Its exciting to be starting your therapy journey and you can already envisage feeling better.
But you’ve been here before, where you’ve been excited before committing to something that promises to help you. You want lasting relief from all this anxiety, but you’re starting to doubt this is actually going to help any. You’ve been managing well enough so far up until now, is it worth risking spilling your guts to a total stranger, for them to tell you all the same things that your good buddy Joe has been saying for the past five years?
You have tried getting your mind where you want it, and have worked hard on your own self help journey, to the point where you could be your own damn therapist!
But now you want to experience healing in the context of a therapeutic relationship. You want the chance to talk through everything with another person and feel heard, understood and challenged.
You’re sick of going around in circles and ready to see if therapy can help you carve out a new path.
The search for a new therapist is over.
Imagine being able to release a big old exhale of relief. As before, you were holding a healthy dose of apprehension and skepticism, and even some hope and excitement. But now, all of your fears have been dispelled as you can really sense that things are about to get really good.
You are going to be so relieved when you realize that the search for another therapist is over, and you’ve finally got someone in the bag who you can be real with. You are going to leave each session feeling that kind of freedom, like you don’t need to ruminate about everything in your life anymore because you can save it for your next session… and go live your life.
As you’re a little scared, but super ready to experience the momentum on this new trajectory, you dive in and hit “start session”. That stuck feeling is losing its stick as you start to peel away from that vicious, vicious cycle.
Settle in with your cup(s) of tea, and lets. dive. in.
You may not have expected to feel this comfortable with a therapist. You felt more and more at ease even just as you were talking. There were no raised eyebrows at what you were saying, you didn’t feel judged and your insights were appreciated.
You feel heard and you’re not having to waste time, repeating a story you told two sessions ago, and so the contexts are being linked up, and they’re actually listening to you like they give a sh*.
And you have the space to process things and can take the time to make some connections without being interrupted or steered in another direction.
You’re getting the validation and understanding you hope for, while being gently guided into some other ways to peer at what is going on. There’s always some solutions, directions and options up a sleeve, but there’s also a time and a place for those.
It feels amazing to be able to talk through all of the things, from the seemingly more benign to all the nitty gritty, without aching from an emotional hangover afterwards.
And what is really cool, is that your therapist seems to be down to earth, and far from the stuffy dinosaur image that traditional psychotherapy would have you imagine.
I’m hanging out with you, cheering you on and totally have your back. Your commitment totally pays off, as you settle in with your cup(s) of tea, and as you edge further and further towards your goals.
Qualifications.
-
M.A. in Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University, Canada.
-
PG Diploma in CBT from Reading University, UK
-
B.A. in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting) from Derby University, UK
-
B.A. in Mental Health Nursing from Nottingham University, UK.