Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strengths.
Sigmund Freud
When Might Counselling Help?
You don’t need to be at breaking point to come to counselling.
Perhaps something in your life has changed, you’re living with anxiety or low mood, navigating loss or relationship difficulties, or simply feeling overwhelmed, stuck or disconnected from yourself.
To protect ourselves from pain, we often develop ways of coping that help us get through difficult experiences. While these may serve us for a time, they can gradually become patterns that leave us feeling anxious, low, lost or disconnected from what we really need.
Emotions such as grief, shame, guilt or fear are a natural part of being human, but they can feel difficult or vulnerable to express. Counselling offers space to pause, understand what may be happening beneath the surface and gently explore what you need now.
What is Counselling?
Counselling is a confidential space where you can talk openly about what you’re experiencing, without judgement or pressure to have everything figured out.
You might come with something specific you want to explore, or simply a sense that you’d like to understand yourself better. Our conversations might include how you’re feeling now, experiences from your past, relationships, recurring patterns, difficult situations, or the beliefs you hold about yourself and the world around you.
My role isn’t to give you advice or tell you what to do. Instead, I’ll listen with care and curiosity, helping you explore what may be happening beneath the surface and recognise the patterns or experiences that have shaped you.
Over time, counselling can create space for greater understanding, acceptance and trust in yourself, helping you consider changes that feel meaningful and right for you.
A place where you don’t have to perform, have the answers or be anything other than yourself.
Not Sure if Counselling is Right for You?
Taking the first step can feel daunting, particularly if you’ve never had counselling before or you’re not quite sure what you need. I offer a free, no-obligation introductory call by phone or online. It’s a chance to tell me a little about what has brought you to counselling, ask any questions you may have, and get a sense of whether working together feels right for you.
You can also find answers to common questions on my FAQs page:
My Approach
I’m an integrative humanistic counsellor, which means I don’t believe there is one way of working that suits everyone. At the heart of my approach is the relationship we build together, creating a space where you can feel heard, understood and accepted without judgement.
My work is rooted in person-centred counselling, so you set the pace. You can bring whatever feels important, and we’ll explore it together with curiosity and compassion. I believe you hold valuable insight into your own experiences, even when that feels difficult to access.
Being integrative means I can also draw on different therapeutic approaches when they may be helpful. These include CBT and DBT, attachment theory, mindfulness, polyvagal and somatic approaches, and transpersonal coaching, alongside optional creative and reflective exercises.
This allows our work to respond to the whole of your experience, including your thoughts, emotions, relationships and the ways experiences can be felt in the body. There can also be space for questions around identity, meaning or spirituality if these are important to you.
There is no set formula - our work together will be shaped around you, what you need and what feels right for you.
What I Can Support You With
You may recognise yourself in more than one of these areas. Explore the sections below to find out more about some of the areas I can support you with.
Life can shift in ways that leave us questioning who we are, what we want, or where we belong. You may be navigating a relationship change, a new stage of life, changes at work, midlife, loss, or simply a growing sense that the life you’ve known no longer quite fits.
Counselling can offer space to pause and make sense of what is changing, explore what you may be leaving behind, and reconnect with what feels important to you as you find your way forward.
Anxiety can show up in many ways. You might find your mind constantly running through possibilities, replaying conversations, worrying about what might happen or questioning whether you’ve made the right decision. Sometimes it can feel difficult to switch off, relax or feel fully present.
Counselling can help you understand what may be driving the anxiety, recognise patterns that keep you caught in worry or self-doubt, and begin to develop a calmer, more trusting relationship with your thoughts and yourself.
Sometimes the demands of everyday life can build gradually until you realise you’ve been running on empty for far too long. You may feel emotionally or physically exhausted, easily overwhelmed, unable to switch off, or as though you’re constantly trying to keep up.
Counselling can offer space to slow down and explore what has been contributing to the pressure, including expectations, boundaries and the ways you may have learned to keep pushing through. Together, we can begin to recognise what you need and find ways of creating more balance and space for yourself.
Sometimes life can begin to feel flat, heavy or lacking in direction. You may feel disconnected from yourself, find it difficult to enjoy things as you once did, or have a sense that you’re simply going through the motions without knowing how to change things.
Counselling offers space to explore what may be sitting beneath these feelings, including experiences, emotions or patterns that have been difficult to process. Together, we can gently make sense of what’s happening and explore what might help you feel more connected to yourself and your life again.
You may find yourself questioning whether you’re good enough, comparing yourself with others, being highly self-critical or finding it difficult to recognise your own needs and strengths. Perhaps you’ve spent so long adapting to expectations or putting others first that you’re no longer quite sure what you want or who you are beneath it all. You may be exploring your sexuality or another part of your identity, and want a safe, accepting space to understand what this means for you without judgement or expectation.
Counselling can offer space to explore the experiences and beliefs that have shaped how you see yourself. Together, we can begin to understand these patterns and support a stronger sense of who you are, what matters to you and greater trust in yourself.
Relationships can bring connection and belonging, but they can also bring old fears, insecurities and familiar patterns to the surface. You may find yourself people-pleasing, worrying about rejection, struggling to express your needs, or losing sight of yourself within relationships. You may also be navigating the ending of a relationship, separation or divorce, and making sense of the loss, change and uncertainty that can come with it.
Counselling can offer space to explore how your experiences have shaped the way you connect with others, including patterns around attachment, boundaries and communication. Together, we can understand what happens for you in relationships and explore ways of relating that feel healthier, more secure and more authentic to you.
If you experience the world deeply, you may notice subtleties others miss, feel emotions intensely, or become easily overwhelmed by busy environments, relationships or the demands around you. Or you may identify as introverted and need more time, quiet or space to process your experiences and recharge.
Counselling can offer a space where your sensitivity is understood rather than something to overcome. Together, we can explore your needs, boundaries and patterns, helping you understand and work with your sensitivity while recognising the strengths it can bring.
Loss can take many forms, and grief doesn’t always follow a predictable path. You may be grieving the death of someone important to you, another significant loss, or adjusting to a life that feels different from the one you knew before.
Counselling offers a compassionate space to talk openly about your loss and whatever feelings come with it, without expectation about how you should be coping. Together, we can make space for your grief while gently exploring how you begin to live alongside what has changed.
Face to Face Counselling In Exeter
If you prefer to meet in person, I offer counselling from my therapy room at The Exeter Wellbeing Hub in Exeter city centre. It’s a calm, welcoming space where you can settle in, slow things down and have time that is entirely focused on you.
Please note:
The therapy room is on the second floor with several flights of stairs, and unfortunately there is no lift.
Online Counselling
If meeting online feels more comfortable or convenient for you, I offer online counselling that allows you to access support from your own private space.
Online sessions offer the same dedicated time to slow down, reflect and explore what’s happening for you, without the need to travel. They can be particularly helpful if you live further away, have a busy schedule, or simply feel more at ease talking from familiar surroundings.
I’m additionally trained in online and telephone counselling, and sessions can take place by video or telephone depending on what feels most comfortable for you.
Support Beyond the Session
Sometimes it can be helpful to have something to return to between counselling sessions. The Insight Space offers a private collection of therapeutic resources, reflective worksheets and self-guided tools that you can explore at your own pace.
Access is free for counselling clients.
REFLECTION • UNDERSTANDING • SELF-DISCOVERY
The Insight Space
A private library of therapeutic resources, reflective worksheets and self-guided tools to support deeper understanding.
