Hello and thank you for choosing to find out more about me.
My career in this field started off in sex toy retail in 2008 and it is in this role I found that it was the conversations around connection to pleasure that was the most meaningful. I seemed to be good at helping people feel comfortable talking about sex and everything surrounding it. In this role as a retailer I found how much shame, trauma and not feeling ‘good enough’ impacted on a person’s capacity to connect with pleasure, so I began my training to become a Psychosexual Therapist in 2016, qualifying right at the end of 2020.
The messages we all receive about sexual pleasure are affected by the culture in which we grew up. The stories we are told (by family, friends, education establishments, media) affect the way we look at our relationship to sex. Our first experiences of sex, the history of our relationships, our jobs, our mental health and emotional wellbeing, as well as our physical wellbeing all affects how we feel about having sex. Unfortunately, oppression of marginalised identities plays into this too.
As a therapist who can see these influences, my style of therapy is holistic and takes all of the above into account. An important part is about giving you the space to reduce your shame and slow things down so you can make more sense of the factors impacting your sexual identity – never with any judgement.
I love my job and I love supporting my clients in reconnecting to desire, enjoyable sex and pleasure!
My practice
I am a pluralistic therapist. Pluralism is based on the view that no one therapeutic approach can resolve all client presentations and that different clients are likely to want, and benefit from, different interventions in therapy. Working pluralistically involves working with the client and making you an active part of therapy. It will be collaborative and consent-based. We won’t be stuck within any particular model of therapy and can, together, find out what works specifically for you. I won’t assume I know what’s best for you, which is why team work is important. I may have a good idea of what will ‘probably’ be helpful for you, based on my experience so far in this job, but the more honest you are able to be with me, the more I know the ways in which I can support you. I can be more directive when you need it, but also slowing it all down and thinking about how your relationship to sex has been affected by the factors around you is an important part f this work.
Being a contemporary therapist, it is my job to continually learn and keep up to date with ways in which sex and relationship therapists practice, guaranteeing a good quality of support to you.
In my therapy space, you will expect to feel affirmed, understood and heard with no judgement. It can feel difficult to have discussions about your sexual identity but all of my previous clients will tell you that you have nothing to be worried about with me.
Qualifications and Memberships
Level 7 Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Sexology with the Contemporary Institute of Clinical Sexology
Level 4 Certificate in Relationship Counselling with Relate
Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills (CPCAB)
BA (Hons) in the Performing Arts – 2:1
I am a registered member of COSRT (Membership Number – 3022)