Trauma

Trauma results when a situation overwhelms our nervous system and shatters our sense of safety, which can then change our view of who we are and the world we live in. This can be due to a single event, such as an accident or an assault, or multiple events over a long period of time.

The following can all result in trauma:

Being involved in a serious accident

Witnessing a life-threatening incident

Being assaulted (physically or sexually)

Being in an abusive relationship

Being raised in an unhealthy environment (such as with an alcoholic parent, witnessing domestic abuse, having parents that were emotionally cold, multiple house moves, etc)

Working in a role that exposes you to extreme situations or the darker side of humanity (such as the emergency services, military, prison or probation service)

Trauma causes physical changes in the brain that change how we react to situations; this can be confusing and frightening, but it doesn't have to be permanent. Therapy can help to heal these changes and to find ways of adapting that enable you to live a happier, fulfilled life.

Sexual or Domestic Abuse

Have you experienced sexual and/or domestic abuse? Perhaps you've been in a relationship where your partner made you feel crazy, or you were unable to speak freely for fear of how they would react. Perhaps a parent harmed you, or made you feel that you weren't good enough. Experiencing these forms of abuse can leave us lacking in confidence, or even blaming ourselves for some of our experiences.

I will help you make sense of the things that have happened to you, and I will help you to understand that experiencing any form of abuse is the responsibility of the perpetrator, no-one else. Often, we can 'know' this, but we don't 'feel' it; this will change with therapy.

Or perhaps you have found yourself harming someone you love because of ingrained patterns of behaviour that you feel you have no control over. I will help you to make sense of your behaviour, to heal from the past experiences that cause you to react in unhealthy ways, and to find ways to be the person you want to be.

Problematic Pornography Use

We live in an online world and there is a vast array of information and entertainment on tap, often freely available, within the privacy of our own homes. People are increasingly being exposed to content that they would not ordinarily come across in real life, but the internet has addictive qualities, it stimulates our dopamine pathways and can compel us to keep searching for more and more stimulation, whether we really want to or not. Sometimes this can lead us to viewing things that are not in line with our morals and values, that impact on our daily living and that could get us into trouble.

If this sounds like you, please know that you are not alone in this, and that, no matter how troubling your online habits have become, this is not a permanent change in you and it can be reversed. Whether it's excessive porn use that is causing you problems in your real-life relationships, or you are viewing images that could get you in trouble with the law, you can come and speak to me in confidence and we can work together to stop the behaviour and get your life back on track.

So often, we can find ourselves doing these things to distract us from something else that is troubling us; we will work together to identify whether your usage is down to a previous trauma or is simply a habit that has developed through access to the freely available content online, and then we can work to change it.

Men's Mental Health

Boys are often raised with the implicit message that they must be strong, not show any weakness, not talk about their feelings. This is something that is perpetuated throughout our culture, from the media, our peers, and often our own family. It's no surprise then, that, in the UK, 94 men per week die by suicide. This is a heart-breaking statistic, mainly because it's so unnecessary and so avoidable.

Instead of discussing how they feel, men will often turn to more self-destructive outlets: alcohol, drugs, pornography, social isolation, video gaming, rage and violence. This usually results in creating more feelings of shame and hopelessness. But there is always something at the root cause of this; identifying what this is, processing it, moving forward and overcoming it, will enable you to live in a way that allows you to feel at ease with who you are, to become the man you want to be, and to be someone that your loved ones are happy to be around.

If you recognise yourself in any of the above, please get in touch; you don't have to live your life in misery.

Life Experience

This is my most useful 'qualification'; I haven't had the easiest life (although I certainly haven't had it as difficult as some), but I've learned some lessons the hard way and I struggled my way through life, right up until I started studying psychology and trauma. I worked hard to change myself into the person I am today, and I use my own experiences and the things that helped me to heal when working with my clients. I won't judge anyone on their past or their present, but I will help them to change their future into a more positive one, where their past makes them proud of who they are today, rather than holding them back.

Qualifications & Experience

RQTU: Registered Qualified Test User (Forensic) Certification
MSc Psychology of Coercive Control
MA Counselling & Psychotherapy
Foundations in Forensic Psychotherapy
PG Cert Forensic Psychology
BSc (Hons) Psychology
Advanced Diploma In Therapeutic Counselling
EMDR Practitioner
Diploma in Clinical Hypnosis & Mind Coaching
CBT (Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre)
Trauma-Focused CBT

I am currently a PostGraduate Researcher (Forensic Psychology)