WHAT IS BESPOKE TRAUMA HEALING?

Bespoke Trauma Healing™ offers an integrated therapeutic approach that differs from regular talking therapy in that it is multidisciplinary and utilises several therapeutic modalities to best support your individual healing journey.

No two clients are the same although they may present with similar issues, therefore I tailor my interventions according to the needs of the individual and not their symptoms alone.

I offer a varied, creative and flexible approach to healing, trauma resolution and self exploration.

As a UKCP accredited therapist, all my interventions are underpinned by my psychotherapy background, however I do not exclusively focus on this modality as the abiding healing approach. Therefore during your initial assessment we will explore which specialisms will be the most effective for you. As the work proceeds, it is also important to remain open and flexible to allow for other options to be included if required.

No matter the reason why you are looking for therapy at this time, I am committed to providing the most up to date approaches that are both creative and flexible and that resonate with your own innate sense of what is most healing for you.

I am a Somatic Experiencing Trauma and Addictions Specialist and EMDR Practitioner and offer an extensive approach to trauma relief as well as providing stand alone Co-Active Coaching for individuals and professionals.

My training in Psychosynthesis Psychotherapy is my 'base camp' and underpins all my interventions, as its philosophy is to see the individual as a whole being rather than being captivated by ones psychopathology and symptoms alone.

In my on-going professional and personal practice I continue to be dedicated to researching the most effective training resources to best serve my clients and have developed an integrative approach by training in several fields. A number of these include Psychosynthesis, Somatic Experiencing, Co-Active Coaching, EMDR, Neuroscience based re-patterning, AST, CRM, NARM, Addictions work and 12 Step Recovery, Shamanic and Ritual work, Women's Rights of Passage, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Group Facilitation, Supervision, Esoteric Energy work, Creative Visualisation, Meditation and Mindfulness and Triple P (Positive Parenting Programme). I have also trained and worked as a Foster Carer for Barnet Council. I therefore employ any and all of these resources where appropriate and together we build a way of working that utilises what is required to provide the most beneficial healing approach for you.

NOT SUFFERING IN SILENCE

Trauma can manifest in many forms and crosses a wide spectrum of experience including anxiety, stress, insomnia, low self-esteem, depression, bereavement, relationship issues and endings, loss of meaning and purpose, procrastination, negative self-talk, addictive processes, eating disorders and body dysmorphia, self-harm, sexual difficulties, PTSD, recurring health issues, etc. (please see individual Specialism pages for more detailed information of the symptoms and trauma I work with).

I am passionate about redeeming our experience of suffering and exploring it as a threshold towards a deeper relationship with ourselves and others. I view it as an initiation that often takes us by surprise, but held with compassion and allowing, it can lead us towards transformation and a sense of wholeness that is deep and enduring. After all, suffering in its original translation means 'to undergo' ones process in times of change rather than being held captive in fear of life’s challenges.

Einstein said that within adversity lies opportunity. This is a powerful re-frame on what could otherwise be seen as suffering without meaning or opportunity. It also provides me with a resting place from which to approach my client work and my life in general, which is with compassion, curiosity, empathy and drive. The unknown then becomes a place of creativity rather than an experience to be feared.

Symptoms are sign posts that can lead us towards greater understanding and wholeness so that we have the freedom to express ourselves as fully as we can, rather than merely being problems to be rid of in order to function again.

WHAT I OFFER

Dependent on the issues you want to work with, there are a number of ways we can approach this together, from traditional psychotherapy to trauma and addictions specific therapy which includes approaches such a Somatic Experiencing (and EMDR when I feel it would be beneficial). My suggested path is that we book a number of agreed sessions with a specific context in mind, and regularly review your progress. As a rule of thumb I would see you on a weekly basis at a regular date and time to contain the process we are working with. This can vary however, dependent on the type of therapeutic programme we decide on.

If you are coming for psychotherapy, as a somatic psychotherapist I will likely invite you to explore what body oriented presentations are also surfacing in you. If you are unfamiliar with this way of working, it can be difficult to explain the process without giving you an actual experience of it. Broadly speaking, working somatically means that we include our awareness of what might be going on at a physical level as well as what we are thinking and feeling emotionally. Often we are so engaged with what is happening at the mental and emotional levels of processing, that we forget that our bodies are what we actually live and breathe in. Therefore, by bringing our awareness to our body and listening to the different ways in which it is communicating through us, we allow for further insights to emerge, leading to a deeper healing experience.

I also offer Co-Active Coaching as part of our integrated work together or as stand alone coaching for your specific projects or work related transitions, etc. Please see the page on CTI Co-Active Coaching for more information.

I teach meditation and mindfulness as well as creative visualisation techniques which are deeply supportive approaches that help clients recognise and cultivate their own innate natural wisdom. Many clients experience this approach alongside therapy as an empowering tool particularly in times of stress, anxiety and crisis. Mindfulness techniques help foster remaining steady and present rather than becoming overwhelmed by our emotions and external circumstances. If this is something you would like to explore today, go to my Meditation and A Moment Of Pause pages where you will find a number of resources including guided meditations.

For more details about the different therapeutic ways we can work together, look at my Specialisms Offered section.

A LITTLE ABOUT ME AND MY TRAINING BACKGROUND

My therapeutic background began almost 30 years ago with my own crisis of meaning which catalysed an extensive journey of self exploration and personal development that is on-going.

My training began with learning how to meditate in my early 20’s which led me to do an extensive 2.5 year Energy Healing training, namely Esoteric Healing, with the INEH, and I went on to become a registered Healing Practitioner and body worker. Whilst I no longer specifically offer this form of therapeutic intervention, energy work forms a fundamental part of all my therapeutic interventions as it is what happens in the space in between the client and therapist, in that inexplicable yet pregnant void, where something so intrinsic is exchanged in the mystery of the therapeutic alliance.

Esoteric Healing included a psychological as well as psychospiritual element to the training which inspired me and led me to embark on a 5 year training as an Applied Psychosynthesis Practitioner, completing my Masters in 2005. I chose the Applied route as I wanted to explore the creative process aligned to one's essential creative expression, in particular to those working creatively and in the performing arts. I later returned to complete my Diplomas in Counselling and Psychotherapeutic Counselling.

Laterly I decided to add Somatic Experiencing and EMDR to my practice, as I developed a nagging concern that some of my clients were unable to fully process more complex trauma issues and symptoms despite our best efforts. Over a period of time and research, I explored the field of neuropsychology as delivered by Dr Joe Dispenza, and Peter Levine's work with Somatic Experiencing and Stephen Porges’ work with Polyvagal Theory which have all been formidable additions to my therapeutic tool kit. There are many therapies currently available that one can choose from. The ones I have chosen to include in my practice resonate deeply with me and my ability to deliver these modalities with integrity, passion and expertise.

I am also a keen photographer, writer and musician, so you may find these aspects interweaved throughout these pages.

My Accreditation, Certification and Professional Indemnity Insurance: