Professional Training
Professional Counselling Qualification
I completed my professional counselling training (Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling) at the University of Brighton in 2001. This is a recognised qualification to practice as a counsellor. I also hold an MSc in Counselling Studies (with Distinction) from the University of Edinburgh.
Continuing Professional Development
Since qualifying as a Counsellor, I have further enhanced my professional skills by completing a range of CPD courses including: Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology; Supporting Clients Following Pregnancy Loss; Cultural Competency; Solution Focussed Therapy and Motivational Interviewing; Drug and Alcohol Counselling; Counselling Children and Young People; Conducting Clinical Assessments. My commitment to ongoing CPD is in keeping with the BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions.
Telephone Counselling Specialist Training
Professional counselling by telephone is recognised as a specialism by BACP, requiring therapists to acquire specialist knowledge, skills and training around the aspects of the work that do not present in the same way as face to face counselling. I have completed a further specialist training course in this area that meets all the core competencies outlined by BACP. In so doing, I ensure that my professional practice fully adheres to the BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions. I am also a former Samaritans Volunteer, experienced in working with people in distress by telephone.
Professional Background
Prior to entering the counselling profession, I spent several years working for Lloyds Bank and West Midlands Police, before training and qualifying as a Social Worker. For the next few years I undertook a wide range of roles, employed by drug and alcohol agencies; the Criminal Justice Service; a women’s refuge; an adult learning disability service; youth work projects; and a university student welfare centre. I have also been involved in a number of international voluntary work projects in various settings including an orphanage in Romania; a leprosy colony, a centre for street homeless boys, and a ‘home for the destitute and dying’ in India; a bush fire service in Italy; a project for socially disadvantaged children, and a soup kitchen for homeless people in New York. My counselling practice at times draws upon aspects of the knowledge, skills and life experience obtained in this wonderfully rich and broad professional background.
Please see my ‘Clinical Experience’ page for more information on my post-qualifying professional counselling experience and background.
Academic Qualifications
- BA (Hons) Degree in Communication Studies (2:1) (1992)
- Master's Degree in Social Work (MSW) (1996)
- Diploma in Social Work (DipSW) (1996)
- Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling (PGDipCouns) (2001)
- MSc in Counselling Studies (with Distinction) (2015)
- Diploma in Supervision (2022)