Talking therapies are not done to you by someone else: you play an active part in the development of it. This can be empowering at a time when you may feel you have lost control over part of your life. We often find it helpful to talk problems through with a friend or a family member, but sometimes they cannot help us and we need to talk to a professional therapist.

Talking therapies involve talking to someone who is trained to help you deal with your negative feelings, it can help anyone who is experiencing distress. You do not need to be told by a doctor that you have a Mental Health problem to be offered or benefit from a talking therapy.

Talking Therapies give you the chance to explore your thoughts and feelings, and the effect these have on your behaviour and mood. Describing what is going on in your head and how that makes you feel can help you notice any patterns which may be helpful to achieve the change you aspire.

It can help you work out where your negative feelings and ideas are coming from and why they are there. Understanding all this can help you make positive changes by thinking or acting differently. Talking Therapies can help you take greater control of your life and improve your confidence.

I am an Integrative Therapist, which allows me to use many different models of care and tailor our sessions to your individual needs. I am a fully Qualified Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Cognitive Behavioural Therapist with over 30 years of experience which has covered all aspects of mental health problems and illnesses, including Dementia care.

My approach is to create a very interactive relationship with you and work through all emotions together, including laughter to help get a better perspective to moving you forward and facing the future with a much more positive attitude. I consider myself to be a non-judgmental and empathic therapist and I enjoy building a therapeutic relationship with my clients.

Qualifications

• BSc (Hons) Mental Health Nursing
• Dip HE
• INP
• CBT
• ENB-998
• Transactional Analysis Counselling

This method aims to change behaviours and thought processes through therapy/talking sessions to help you deal with anxiety, depression and grieving. It works towards you learning to deal with problems in a positive way, helping to find a way out of your current unhappy situation but also creating a long-term solution for dealing with problems that may arise in the future.

I cannot take the originating problem or pain away but through our therapy sessions you will learn to deal with the emotions and behaviours caused by that trauma, supporting you the entire way. We will talk through how you are feeling and combat the root of the anxiety or depression.

The idea of CBT is that events can trigger thoughts, which can affect your emotional state and often the logical parts of your brain can stop working as effectively, blowing the problem up to a point where it seems like there is no way out. This can also leave you feeling isolated and vulnerable but I can help you to conquer this, using CBT for depression, anxiety, grief, bereavement and more.

It is normal to feel some amount of anxiety under times of difficulty or stress. Some amount of anxiety serves as a helpful function: it is our body's way of responding to danger and triggers a 'fight or flight' response that helps keep us safe and alive. But...

...it becomes problematic when it is constant or overwhelming.

When you are troubled by fears or your daily life is affected by feelings of worry, dread or apprehension. If your anxiety is stopping you from doing things, going places interfering with your relationships, preventing you from enjoying life or you are using substances or other distractions to help manage your anxiety then it is time to seek professional help.

It is the feeling of being anxious about almost everything and anything for no real apparent reason. Often, people affected by GAD will feel overly worried about a wide range of things related to a variety of topics including health, money, work, school and relationships.

While most of us worry or feel anxious at some point in our lives, those who experience Generalised Anxiety find it particularly difficult to control their worries. On the whole, their feelings of anxiety are more persistent and often begin to affect their daily lives. Depression and Anxiety are typical alongside burnout and stress. One danger is turning to addictive substances or medication in order to keep going or to try and manage symptoms. This only worsens the stress state in the long run.

Chronic long-term stress has a serious and detrimental impact on psychological and physical health. Many people only seek help after a serious related health problem. It is important to seek professional help as severe anxiety can have devastating effects in every area of your life: mental and physical health, relationships, family, friends and work.

Psychological trauma can have a long-lasting and debilitating impact on a person's quality of life, daily functioning and relationships, until professional help is received. Trauma can be experienced from any kind of negative experience. Most often, trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder occur as a result of an event or series of events that threaten our usual sense of safety, security and survival. It is experienced in the brain and body when an overwhelming amount of stress occurs.

The source and cause of stress can come from traumatic events such as witnessing or being involved in war, terrorist attacks, abuse, violence, accidents, personal attacks and sexual abuse. Also from other experiences that people may not necessarily regard as 'traumatic': embarrassment, harassment, bullying, discrimination, earlier experiences of abuse or neglect and divorce or separation.

This is very real and often sudden physiological response then interferes with the way our brains process information, including our emotions about the experience. The traumatic memories become 'blocked' at a neuropsychological level and can cause anxiety, phobias, stress, irritability, flashbacks, intrusive memories, difficultly sleeping, tearfulness, fears, nightmares, psychological responses when thinking or talking about the event (sweating, shaking, heart racing, etc.), avoidance, feelings of anger, tension, feeling detached or numb, depression and more.

Unresolved trauma has devastating and long-term implications for a person's sense of safety, sense of responsibility and control, issues of trust, self-esteem, relationships and intimacy.

This can start when you can't cope with revision or feel pressure from your school of family. You might worry you are going to fail or you won't get the grades you need for the course or job you want. It can also seem very scary to talk about your study anxiety or your low mood.

You might feel like nobody else is feeling this way but bottling up stress and trying to deal with it on your own can often make the stress worse. So it can really help to have someone outside the family to talk to and discuss your concern.

We can also work on creating your own personal study chart. Whether you are taking your A levels, attending University or a Mature Student in further education, I am here to help you achieve your goals.

Feeling sad and down from time to time is normal, particularly after related situations such as a relationship breakdown or bereavement - but depression is a sense of sadness and hopelessness that occurs seemingly regardless of circumstance.

Research shows there are usually a number of aspects involved in why somebody might be feeling depressed or have another debilitating depressive related conditions, like seasonal effective disorder, post-natal depression, major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder.

Symptoms of depression can include:

Low mood, lasting for several weeks - Tearfulness - Loss of interest in social interactions/hobbies - Change in sleep patterns - Changes in appetite (overeating or loss of appetite) - Irritability - Loss of libido - Difficulty making decisions - Feeling unable to cope - Sense of hopelessness and helplessness - Suicidal thoughts and feelings

The responsibilities that carers have will depend solely on the illness of the person they have responsibility for. A carer has to juggle other commitments and responsibilities such as work and family, hospital appointments and overseeing medications, etc. This is very difficult and it is common for carers to suffer from heightened stress, making them more susceptible to experiencing anxiety and low mood/depression.

For many carers a huge amount of their time is spent on others. This allows them little time to focus on themselves. Talking Therapy allows you time to vent your own thoughts and feelings, and gives you time to think about your own needs. When you are feeling mentally and physically fit as a carer, you will be in a better position to provide care for your loved one.