Why I became a therapist
What led me here?
Before training as a therapist, I worked as a journalist and later as a senior leader in a European Parkinson’s charity. Both roles were about listening, understanding and helping people find meaning in what they were living through. Looking back, I can see how curiosity – initially outward-facing and investigative, then increasingly relational and human – drew me towards becoming a therapist.
Over time, I found myself less drawn to solutions and more towards people’s inner worlds. Therapy offered a different kind of conversation – one with more space, more honesty and more room to be fully human.
My turning point
Therapy became more than an idea for me when I found myself at an emotional crossroads. My partner wanted to take a step in our life together that brought up resistance and fear in me. We knew this challenge could drive us apart, and I felt compelled to understand the feelings that were showing up so strongly. So I did something I could easily have avoided: I sought therapy.
And there, I met someone who met me – where I was. Who listened without judgement. Who was curious about my inner world. Who joined me in my exploration rather than trying to fix me.
Years later, I can see starting therapy as one of the most important steps I’ve ever taken. What began with one issue opened into years of exploring countless areas of my life far beyond what first brought me there. That, for me, has been the magic of therapy – I thought I knew what I needed, but the process led me where I truly needed to go.
I often wonder where I would be now if I hadn’t taken that leap and explored the honest thoughts and feelings that lay beneath the surface. Therapy helped me understand myself in a deeper, more authentic way, and it continues to shape how I live and relate today.
How I show up
My style is relational, warm and reflective. I bring theoretical grounding and lived experience – but more than that, I bring myself. I believe therapy is a collaborative process, where we learn and grow in relationship. It’s not about someone else (ie, me!) deciding what you need. It’s about you working things out in your own way – with someone who’s alongside you, really seeing, hearing and accepting you as you are. That’s what I offer and how I believe change becomes possible.
Outside the
therapy room
When I’m not working, I spend most of my time with my small family, especially watching my wonderful daughter grow and change. I love listening to records, reading, getting outside – whether through sport, exercise or spending time in nature – and playing in a brilliantly terrible band with friends. Like therapy, these things are about connection, creativity and being fully present in the moment.
