Welcome
Seeking the right support is a gift to your future self.
It can be a life changing experience.
However you have found yourself here today, and whatever is going on for you at present, my goal is that you leave feeling hopeful.
Whatever your age, seeking support is a hugely courageous and admirable step. It demonstrates your strength. You recognise that something needs to change to enable you to thrive, living free from the shackles of whatever is holding you back.
You may feel nervous or reluctant for all sorts of reasons and this is understandable. You can be assured of a safe place to explore whatever challenges you are facing.
Hello
I'm Laura, a friendly and experienced Counsellor.
Thank you for exploring these pages. I hope that my words here help you to feel seen, and leave you feeling hopeful of a better tomorrow.
I am passionate about normalising seeking support when you need to. It is a gift to yourself and your future generations.
In my experience people can feel uncomfortable about seeking external support for personal reasons. Often there are feelings of unworthiness or anticipated judgement around weakness or indulgence. Seeking support could ironically be the strongest and bravest thing you'll ever do!
Read on to discover more about my work and how I can help.
My experience
I re-trained as a counsellor after 10 years practising as a lawyer, most of which I spent at a global top-tier firm. I now have the privilege of supporting people in a completely different way, a way that is more aligned with my values.
I am trained in a humanistic, person-centred approach to counselling. Without giving instructions, with empathy and patience I will support you to discover your needs, how to meet them and how to make long lasting positive changes so that you leave understanding yourself better than you did before.
Over the years I have worked with many men, women and children facing a wide range of issues. These have included resilience, anxiety, depression, grief, loss, loneliness, trauma, obsessional behaviours, life transitions, parenting challenges, relationship struggles, workplace stress, overwhelm, abuse and low self esteem.
This however is not an exhaustive list and many issues are interlinked. For example, you may be facing family or work challenges which start to affect your relationships. Anxiety, depression or grief might be affecting your day to day functioning which leaves you feeling isolated and lacking in confidence. You may be depressed, questioning the point of life and feeling like a complete failure. Low self-esteem may be inhibiting your ability to be assertive and decisive in life. A family member may be in crisis and you are struggling to support them and yourself.
With warmth, compassion and honesty I will help you to find a clear way forward.
Particular interests
I have a particular interest in working with young people as they navigate the transition to maturity/independence, and also corporate professionals who are at a crossroads. Read on to see if any of these concerns resonate with you or a young person you know.
Teens
The teenage years can feel extremely challenging, both on the young person and their caregivers. There is so much change going on hormonally and neurologically that it can be difficult to see progress when there is disharmony. Through counselling, I support young people to better understand and accept themselves by:
-
Recognising what it is they feel.
-
Determining what is contributing to the way they feel.
-
Considering how their feelings are impacting their behaviours and choices.
-
Questioning what is serving them and what is impacting them.
-
Acknowledging their needs.
-
Exploring how they can help themselves.
-
Identifying positive pathways for the future.
-
Utilising healthy coping strategies to boost resilience, self-esteem and self-regulation.
Students
Leaving home for university and everything you know, IS a big deal. Even the happiest and seemingly most confident young people can struggle with the adjustment. I understand how the transition to independence can feel unsettling. Common concerns include loneliness, homesickness, overwhelm, stress and anxiety, some or all of which can manifest in the following feelings:
-
I don't know if I want to go. How will I cope?
-
I won't know anyone. What if I don't make any friends?
-
Who can I call on when I need someone/something?
-
Home will feel so far away. I will feel trapped.
-
I'm the only one who feels this way.
-
Everyone else is excited but I feel anxious.
-
My current friendships will never be the same again.
-
My family will forget about me.
We will work through everything you are feeling. We will focus on empowerment, resilience and self-regulation so that you can tackle these challenges whilst maintaining healthy coping strategies as you adjust. You can do it!
Corporate Professionals
As a former corporate professional, I have an authentic understanding of the workplace environment and how this can impact other areas of life. I have highlighted below some common issues that people raise when working with me:
-
In your job you may be feeling demotivated, undervalued or overlooked. A sense of job satisfaction may be non-existent and every day feels like groundhog day.
-
You may have been sucked into the ever-consuming 'comparison culture', feeling like you're not good enough and never will be.
-
You might be climbing a continuous career ladder, giving your all yet never feeling seen or satisfied.
-
You may feel unsuited to your chosen job/career path but feel like you have no other options or it's too late to make a change.
-
You could be under pressure to meet impossible targets and fear for job security.
-
Does being the breadwinner leave you feeling trapped? Does not being the breadwinner leave you feeling worthless?
-
Is your job impacting your work-life balance, your relationships, your health? Are you relying on unhealthy coping strategies?
With my knowledge of working with the above issues, and experience of making a career change in mid-life, I am very well placed to support you as you face these challenges.
“If a person is understood, he or she belongs.”
Carl Rogers
Is Counselling for me?
-
Am I desperate enough?
-
I am suffering enough?
-
Am I deserving of that time?
-
Will it change anything?
-
Am I weak for considering this?
-
How can I trust a stranger to support me?
It's important to know that we ALL experience times in our life that are overwhelming, challenging and sometimes paralysing. Life can catch us completely off guard and problems can manifest for months, even years.
You absolutely do not need to have experienced something catastrophic to justify why you are finding things difficult. There is no criteria for needing professional support; it is an investment in yourself your future.
You matter, your feelings matter and your happiness matters. If anything is impacting that, with my support you can work things through.
What you can expect
Central to my approach is a trusted and confidential working alliance where you feel safe to express yourself.
I work hard to immerse myself in to your world so that I can understand your experiences as closely as possible.
My insight and intervention will help you to identify how your feelings could be impacting your behaviour, your choices and the quality and depth of your relationships, particularly the relationship you have with yourself.
I will help you to discover a new way of moving forward which feels positive, and is aligned with who you are and what you want for your life.
Working Online
I am trained in working therapeutically online and I successfully provide therapy via Teams, a secure end-to-end encrypted video conferencing platform.
Online therapy offers an important level of flexibility. All you need is privacy, a device and an internet connection. It is particularly effective for those with busy working schedules and students away from home in term-time.
Some benefits of online therapy are that:
-
it's available anywhere that is comfortable and convenient.
-
appointments times are widely available.
-
you can wear your slippers, clutch a warm cup of tea and have your pet on your knee if you wish!
-
the choice of professional is wider; you're not limited to location.
-
you're less likely to experience interruptions to your sessions due to conflicting commitments like being at Uni, holidays or work travel.
Your progress can really be consistent and stable, which is integral to its success.