Having spent five years counselling young people at a high school in St Albans, and a further two years in private practice, I have had the privilege of working with the most amazing young people. I have also seen really painful struggles as young people grapple with a world and experiences that can at times feel utterly overwhelming. I want to reassure you that it is normal to feel anxious at times. It’s normal to fall down and need help getting up. And you will get up.

If you have something that is worrying you or getting you down, that is getting in the way of your life either at school or at home then I would love to see you. And I very much hope that I might be able to help.

Unfortunately counselling isn’t a magic wand to fix things, though sometimes I wish it was, but it is an opportunity to talk to someone who is trained, in a confidential setting, about anything that is worrying or upsetting you. We all deserve to feel confident, secure and valued. Talking to someone, whether that be to me in counselling or to a parent, a teacher you feel close to or to a trusted friend, can, I believe, help us begin to change the way we feel about ourselves and the way we behave towards others. And I guess one of the advantages in talking to a counsellor is that sometimes it can be useful talking to someone who is outside of your normal everyday community, someone who doesn’t already know lots about you and someone who you won’t be seeing every day. I won’t judge you or criticise you. I will try and understand how it feels to be you and through that understanding I work with you to make positive changes in your life.

I mentioned that the space is confidential. That means that I will not report back to your parents, carers, school or anyone else about what we talk about in our sessions. Everything you say when we meet will remain between you and me unless you ask otherwise. The only time I might share what we talk about with anyone else is if I am concerned that there is an immediate risk to either yourself or someone else. The trust you place in me and the counselling relationship is of utmost importance so please be assured it will only be broken under extreme circumstances and even then you will always be included in the process.

So if you do think counselling might be something that could support you please do get in touch with me.

If you are under 16 I will require a signed consent form from your parent or guardian, and we can discuss this either on the phone or when we first meet. I look forward to meeting you.

I’m based in Edlesborough, Buckinghamshire UK, between Dunstable, Luton and Tring.