Counselling, Therapy & Wellness

I am proud to be a fully-qualified counsellor, shaped by my long and varied career and life experiences. Throughout my career, I have worked with different people on a one-to-one basis. In the early days, while based in London as a personal fitness instructor, then later in life, I owned a guest house and restaurant. So it is fair to say I have heard many stories about people’s lives, what they felt was holding them back or what they have done to improve their lives. I have always enjoyed working with people and hearing about their dreams for the future. Some of their stories were about pain and discomfort in their life or problems within the family or relationships.

My partner and I decided to sell the guest house and restaurant; what would I do next? After many conversations with friends and family about my options, it became clear there was a common thread. I kept hearing how they thought I was great with people and how motivating I was. I couldn’t see this myself but thought I had to listen to what they were telling me.

How do I use my skills and transfer them in another direction? What line of work could benefit the most? Aware I wasn’t getting any younger, I decided fitness was not the way forward. (I have a few injuries that would prevent me from being the best I could be in that field.) One of my dear friends insisted I become a life coach, she would not let it go, and she gave me many reasons for her decision. So I had a long hard think and researched life coaching and counselling.

I chose to become a counsellor because it would give me the tools and an in-depth understanding of people; I wanted to help people to help themselves.  to show them that hope hasn't been lost; this can change with guidance.

As a counsellor in training, you have to unravel your thoughts and feelings, your life history, and your experiences. You pull yourself apart and rebuild yourself again. At least, that is what it felt like for me. I immersed myself in the process and my training.  For me, this was the best part of learning. I wasn’t the person I thought I was. It required lots of hard work and changes, tweaking and practice, and learning so many new skills. How to communicate better in life, how to negotiate relationships dealing with loss, which comes in many forms, not just grief, loss of employment, children leaving home, and even pets passing on. I became a better version of myself. My training opened up my mind, giving me understanding and reasons and answering many questions. I became a new and improved version of me! I love it.

Now I can work with people, helping them to make sense of their life experiences; how it has affected them; how and why the past has impacted their present life; how to make the changes required to live a settled life, to see clearly to achieve their goals and life dreams. Learning to become a counsellor has changed my life.