About Me
I am a mixed race (Chinese Malaysian and British) fully qualified and insured Integrative Therapeutic Counsellor and registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), a governing body who are regulated by the professional standards authority. This means I am bound and governed by the the BACP ethical framework for good practice and professional conduct and have been assessed to their standards of proficiency. I run my private practice full-time in Totnes, Devon where I work online, face to face or utilise walking and talking outside where I see both young-people and adults for a whole host of different reasons. Some people see me because they need some help with communicating how they're feeling, or trying to figure out what's going on for them and need a private space to just talk it through, others have been referred to me by the Private Sector, Charities, Police/Victim Support, Schools or other children and adult support services. I specialise in some areas which you can read about below, but mostly, I work with a lot of other areas too which you can read about here.
I am also a member of the Devon Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) Network with a team of committed professionals who work with children, young people and adults with complex mental health and behaviours that challenge. I am also a partner of fantastic charity Teens Unite Fighting Cancer.
I am a qualified (NSPCC CPSU) Safeguarding Lead for both children and adults, an Advanced Coach (Level 3) in Traditional Chinese Martial Arts under the British Council for Chinese Martial Arts where I am an Assistant Coach for Hu Long Temple and am enhance DBS checked. Counselling and Psychotherapy can be hugely valuable support for individuals training at Competition or Elite level, as well as attending their chosen sport(s) for fun, rehabilitation, or to enhance their wellbeing. On the flip-side, the traditional concepts of ancient Qi Gong, meditation and mindfulness can also help individuals coming for counselling or psychotherapy to help with their nervous system, mind-body connection which can help trauma, depression and anxiety.
My career began in predominately working with special educational needs and at-risk young people within secure alternative provisions in London and Devon for mental health and complex behaviours, as well as mainstream educational settings to provide them with the most holistic person centred support in order for them to thrive healthily. This relied on a whole host of integrative practices and approaches such as THRIVE, art therapy, music therapy, canine assisted therapy as well as intensive mental health support and much more. It is in Devon where I decided to focus my work on both young people and adults on a more one to one basis, bringing about the emergence of my private practice.
Areas of Specific Interest
If you have or are supporting someone who has Cancer
Since 2010 I have been working alongside the wonderful charity that is Teens Unite Fighting Cancer, supporting 13 to 24 year olds and their families who have been affected by cancer. This involves not only the diagnosis, but also the entire journey such as treatment, remission and life after cancer. I provide counselling support to individuals, friends and family members who have been affected by cancer for as long as they need it.
If you are grieving
I provide Counselling support to anyone who is going through a period of change or loss. Grief in particular can differ from person to person in terms of how they communicate grief, how they process it and how long they grieve for. Grief does not have to be grieving a friend, family member or someone they know, it can also extend to a loss of a pet or animal they were very close to, through to losing their home, a job, or a significant change in routine.
If you have been diagnosed or are supporting someone with Trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Complex PTSD
I have worked with PTSD and CPTSD, personality disorders and dissociative disorders within young people and adults for several years. What causes trauma for one person may not cause trauma to another and is entirely unique to that individual. We can also experience trauma from watching/hearing something distressing happen to someone else, or learning about a distressing event by hearing or reading about it too (also known as Secondary Trauma). Therapy for trauma, particularly complex trauma or personality disorders, is long-term work (several years for some) and requires a lot of commitment as well as healthy breaks away from therapy too. It requires an approach that helps the person explore at an appropriate pace, with the awareness to not re-traumatise the person by delving into too much too quickly, or for too long. There is a big emphasis on the safety, trust and autonomy of the therapeutic relationship.
