About Me
Welcome to Hope Floats Counselling!
It takes courage and a leap of faith to place our trust in a therapist at a time when we are feeling most fragile and most vulnerable. For that reason, it’s important to find a therapist who we can feel safe and comfortable with. Someone we feel ‘gets us’ and wants to hear our true voice, to connect with us in a way that perhaps no other person in our personal life can…
For me, it’s all about you and me ‘meeting you’, connecting with you in a way and at a pace that feels right and makes sense to you. I am an experienced Integrative Humanistic Counsellor with a specialist knowledge and over a decade experience in neurodivergence and neurodiversity.
Alongside my counselling practice, I work as a Therapeutic Mentor for Calmer Lives, a charity supporting neurodiverse families and individuals; many young people I support have not met a criteria for support by CAHMS because their needs are assessed as ‘neurodivergence’ rather than ‘mental health’ – I can offer professional expertise and understanding of the overlap between the two and work around the needs of the individual to empower them to find their voice in a world that can feel overwhelming and chaotic.
I work with young people and adults and, whether you are neurotypical, neurodivergent, or you’re not sure, all are welcome to join me and together we can work through what’s important to you!
I will support you to be your true self and be side by side with you to work through your struggles in a safe way so that you leave therapy feeling a lighter and happier version of yourself!
I am a member of both the BACP and NCPS and as such work to the standards and within the ethical guidelines of both.
Personal Background:
I am a mum of 4 wonderful children, married to my best mate Dan and I’m totally loved up more and more every day by our gorgeous Bailey (pictured) who is always happy to see me and gives the best cuddles on the planet.
I grew up in London and moved to Devon when I was 19 to study Music at Dartington College of Arts.
Music has been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember and is great form of therapy for myself as well as a beautiful and enriching source of pleasure and creative outlet. I am very open to clients (if they choose) to bringing music (or art) with them to therapy – it can be a very powerful facilitator to processing emotion whilst also offering a helpful stimulation and sensory integration.
I love to spend time out in nature and I spend much of my free time out and about walking on Dartmoor or by the sea.
Basic breakdown of how I got to where I and now:
Dartington College of Arts – Music BA (HONS)
Goldsmiths College London – Teacher training
Birmingham – Teaching Music
Devon – moved back to have a family – worked as a Teaching Assistant
Trained to work with complex needs and neuro-divergence
Trained and studied to become a professional Counsellor
Therapeutic Mentor, Calmer Lives, CEDA (formerly BIS-net)
Counsellor for the Dartmoor Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy
What can I personally offer you?
As an Integrative Counsellor, I believe that we all have the answers within ourselves and we all have the ability, when supported well, to find them. I can offer a safe space, connection and the professional skill to help you navigate a purposeful way forward in a way that makes sense to you and at your own pace.
We can only truly work through our own personal struggles if we are ready to face all ‘parts of ourselves’ and so in order to do this, we need to feel safe and accepted – I will always offer a professional non-judgmental and empathic shoulder for you to lean on and a gentle openness to help you explore and overcome your deepest struggles.
My aim is that from day 1, you feel as comfortable as possible and that you leave your sessions with a small glow of optimism that you are taking control of your life, allowing yourself to heal, to grow and to nourish so that you will eventually leave therapy with a renewed energy hopefulness for the future.
Training and qualifications:
I studied and trained for 4 years with the Devon Counselling college to become a qualified counsellor and have been a volunteer counsellor for the Dartmoor Centre for Counselling Psychotherapy for the last 5 years in addition to my therapeutic role with Calmer Lives.
Additional CPD (this list is not exhaustive but gives a snapshot overview):
Professional certificate in Telephone and Online Counselling – Counselling Tutor.com
Suicide and Self-harm – KRD training
Trauma and Neuro-divergence – Kelly Mahler & Kim Cary
Supporting and Recovering from trauma based Dysregulation –
Ruth Buczynski, PhD with Stephen Porges, PhD, Bessel van der Kolk, MD, Pat Ogden, PhD and Ruth Lanius, MD, PhD
Autism, ADHD, PDA – enhanced training through CEDA BIS-net/Calmer Lives
Autism and PDA – enhanced training program through Babcock
Safeguarding Adults levels 1 and 2 – Mind Ed – NHS England
Safeguarding Children levels 1 and 2 – Mind Ed – NHS England
