That's great to hear, although it's always good for us to check to see if we can work together as not every therapist is the right fit for every person -- we are all different. Use the contact form to get in touch and I will contact you as soon as I can to let you know if I have any availability. If I do, I will email you over a risk assessment to fill out. This will be a Word file which you can also print off and post if you can't fill it out digitally. The document is there to help me understand a bit more about you before we book in an initial assessment. On some occasions I may have to sign post you to another therapist or organisation which may be better suited to your needs.

An Initial Assessment is a session where we discuss what has brought you to therapy and what your goals would be if we were to work together. I use your answers from your Risk Assessment that you would have sent me via email or post, and explore them in more detail with you. This is also an opportunity for you to ask questions about the sort of therapy you'll be receiving. It is here where I explain confidentiality information, what happens to your notes, etc. and usually by the end of the session we have an idea of whether or not we will be going forwards to working together. If that's the case, we usually book in your first session and discuss how frequently you'll be receiving therapy which may differ per person. The maximum amount of time an Initial Assessment lasts is for 1 hour, but some have only needed 30 minutes based on how they process. Initial Assessments are compulsory if you have never had therapy with me before.

Due to the confidential nature of therapy, and in order for you to be able to safely speak about what's on your mind, your sessions will be just you in the room with me. Some people have brought a parent or partner to an Initial Assessment for the first 10 minutes, and then their guest has quietly left the room with their consent and waited in our reception area or gone for a walk/into town or waited in the car. On rare occasions, a parent or partner has sat in on the entire Initial Assessment only (not therapy sessions) to help them with their nerves or to remember what to say/what is said. If you feel you would like to bring someone with you for the entire assessment, please do let me know, and be aware that I will be speaking to you directly and not to the person you have brought with you. Please be aware that if the person you have brought is distracting, disruptive or not allowing you to speak, they may be asked to leave.

Absolutely! If your child consents to this first! As much as we may worry and care about our family members, we still have to make sure that they are aligned with wanting to have therapy in order for the therapy to work. Children and young people especially, due to their age and circumstance, often do not have the control to be able to make decisions particularly regarding their healthcare. This is why if I am to work with a child or young person, I will only do so if they want to be there and understand what therapy is. Just like adults, if a person doesn't want to engage, the therapeutic process cannot take place. Please also keep in mind the importance of confidentiality if your child does come to see me for therapy. I will not be able to share any information with you unless for safeguarding or health reasons. Likewise, you may wish to ask your child lots of questions about their therapy when they come out of a session. Please be mindful of their processing time and their privacy. They may wish to share those things with you on their terms and in their own time.

Please don't worry. The two categories are simply just there for me to know what I am booking you in for. If you turn 18 whilst we are working together, I will then book you in for Adults Therapy. Nothing else will change regarding the nature of your therapy other than the safeguarding aspects.

Every session is booked in via my online diary and a paper diary. You will receive an automatic confirmation email by my website when your session has been booked, and another auto reminder email when your session is coming up. Please check your junk emails for these. Remember that it is down to you to remember when your appointments are. If you really struggle to remember or have a condition that affects your memory, please tell me and I can send you a text/WhatsApp reminder of your appointment day and time. I usually do this with you at the end of your session so that you have it on your phone way in advance for your next session day.

No, a therapist has to be specifically trained in couples therapy in order to provide that service. I only do individual therapy but can recommend couples therapists if you are looking for one.

Yes, I work with high-functioning individuals who either have suspected neurodivergence, or are diagnosed with being neurodivergent alongside any co-morbidities such as dyslexia or auditory processing disorder. I have also aided both young people and adults in getting their official diagnosis; in some cases this has come out of the therapeutic process, and in others it has been an area they have already identified and wanted to explore. In doing so, I have, with consent, worked alongside both the NHS or private healthcare professionals who have been involved in the assessment and ongoing treatment. If you have suspected or diagnosed neurodivergence, we work together at your pace based on how you may be presenting that day. We get to know emotional regulation and coping strategies, perhaps using more interactive image or figure references as tools of learning and exploring instead of simply talking. You may prefer to sit on the floor, go for a walk or move around more during your session. Sometimes, talking through really challenging emotions may cause more distress than good, so we may time-bound these areas before we then focus on more positive things.

There are many benefits of being outside in nature, the sort of therapy outside I practice is more for walking, talking, observing, reflection, nature as metaphor and stillness. There can also be other more practical aspects such as connecting with nature, learning to be outside again, practicing peaceful breathing or meditation exercises, or simply being able to move/be outside after being stuck indoors or with your own thoughts. There are 3 main locations that outdoor therapy can take place with me. These are all separately risk assessed and require a separate contract that is different to the initial agreed contract we have. This is because outdoor therapy requires other uncontrollables that we have to take into account such as the weather, trip hazards, allergies, potential confidentiality being breached by passers by, or what to do if you see someone you know, etc. It's important that we talk through these things to set expectations and make a plan of what to do in case these things happen. Sometimes it can be handy to have an outdoor contract ready just in case, especially if you'd like to go outside the office where one of the locations is by the river. There are lots of places to sit, and there is a walkway along the riverside that is ideal for walking and talking. Again, it would be something we would prepare for first, but once everything is in place it can be very useful. The other 2 locations are further away from the office site; one is in Dartington Deer Park and one is by South Hams Council offices.

If you can't come to the office, or you've preferred to have online therapy for any reason, all sessions including your initial assessment will take place online using Teams. This is free to use and opens up in either a web-browser or the app, on your laptop, phone or tablet. To access the session, I will send you the link when we have booked in your session. This will be emailed to you, so please check your junk mail. When your session time comes, you will need your microphone and webcam to be switched on -- try to use headphones if possible as this helps you maintain privacy. Try to be somewhere with no distractions and by yourself so you can speak freely. When you click on the link, you'll be held in an online 'waiting room' until I allow you into the meeting. The session will not be recorded and will last an hour. When the session finishes, I will end the meeting for all and delete the meeting so anything sent in the 'chat' or documents will be deleted. If there's an issue with the internet connection or Teams isn't working properly, I will text/WhatsApp/email you and we can default to speaking over the phone or rearrange for another day.

This will not be possible in relation to these circumstances. If you turn up to a session under the influence of drugs or alcohol, I will have to ask you to leave.