The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are – C.G Jung
I am a dramatherapist and counsellor, specialising in LGBTQ+ mental health, compulsive behaviours, addiction and recovery. I use an integrative, psychodynamic and person-centred approach, drawing on the creative arts to powerfully fuse them with the therapeutic process.
Dramatherapy is a registered form of psychotherapy that focuses on the body as well as the mind, letting you solve your problems in a very different and imaginative way. Its process involves a playful and often somatic approach, allowing you to connect directly with your body and unconscious. It is here where unresolved life experience can cause the human psyche to stay split. This split often manifests in difficulties and problematic behaviours you might then experience in your everyday life - such as relationships, work, or with other substances.
Working individually or in group, your therapy can be created to suit your own needs to support your personal journey of healing and growth. I have a specific interest in healing the inner-child and authentic-self; the part of us that often needs recovery and re-parenting - especially after childhood trauma may have been experienced.
Approaching therapy in this way - rather than analytically, you will be invited to explore your life through metaphor, stories, archetypes, myth, play, and movement to help connect to your unconscious. Working at this deeper level, you’ll begin to discover powerful insights to the many different aspects of your own psyche and inner-world. This will allow the different and sometimes hidden parts of you to speak out, connect to each other, and be heard. You will begin to understand why it is you do the things you do, and more importantly, discover a more authentic and whole version of yourself. In this liminal space of possibility and potential, you will have time to reflect, process, move forward, change, integrate and heal.
I also run group therapy for gay men, exploring themes around intimacy and connection, as well as self-esteem, relationships, childhood trauma, internalised-homophobia, intimacy, trust, social anxiety and shame. Many people I have worked with, have connected these themes to their own risk-taking behaviour in relation to alcohol, drugs, relationships and sex. Where desired, they were able to begin implementing changes in their lives.
For those who may be in recovery from addiction, my practice is supportive and non-judgemental of 12-step and SMART recovery programmes. I also run the monthly gay and bisexual men’s community discussion group A Change Of Scene.
My areas of specialism are:
Addiction
Alcoholism
Anxiety
Body Image
Chemsex
Childhood trauma
Co-dependency & The Adult Child
Compulsive Eating & Eating Disorders
Compulsive Sex & Sex Addiction
Depression
Drug Addiction & Substance Abuse
Gender Queer and Non-Binary
HIV & Sexual Health
Inner-Child & Adult-Child
Internalised Homophobia
Intimacy & Connection
Isolation
Loneliness
OCD
Recovery
Relapse Prevention
Self Esteem & Self Worth
Sexuality
Shame & Self Loathing
Transgender
Trauma
Qualifications & Training
I qualified with a Masters in 2016 from Roehampton University
I am registered member of the following organisations, and practice their ethical codes of conduct:
· The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
· The British Association Of Dramatherapists (BADth)
· Pink Therapy
I remain in supervision and continue to expand my practice with personal and professional development training, which include:
· Inclusion & Diversity
· Intersex
· Childhood survivors of sexual abuse
· Chemsex Recovery
· Internal Family Systems (IFS)
· Art, Music, Movement and Play Therapy
· Psychodrama
· Gestalt Group Therapy
· Jungian Therapy
I have worked with, trained and delivered training workshops for many LGBTQ+ and sexual health organisations, including
· 56 Dean Street Sexual Health Clinic
· Acorn House Rehabilitation Centre
· Antidote
· Burrell Street Sexual Health Clinic
· Drink Aware
· Edward Carpenter Community
· Elop
· ICAAD International Conference of Addictions & Associated Disorders
· London Friend
· Loving Men
· Metro Centre
· Mount Carmel Addiction Treatment Centre
· Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline
· Terrence Higgins Trust
· Wimbledon Guild Counselling
What My Clients Have Said
“It felt good to connect to my body, rather than just be in my head”
“I found the little boy inside me who just wants to create"
“I felt connected to gay men in a way I have never felt before”
“I was able to connect with myself and listen to others”
“It had profound affect had on me”
“I discovered how to be more honest and more authentic – and how to reach out and ask for help”
“I noticed patterns emerging about my behaviour that I have not seen before".
“Stepping into the character I created, gave me the balance and confidence I lack"