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About Anne
I came to therapy following the breakdown of a significant relationship and the pervading sense of loss of purpose and meaning that followed.
Therapy helped me to re-assess my life choices and find a new direction. This positive experience led me to the realisation that I would love to be able to share this wonderful journey with others and decided to start training.
I began practicing as a volunteer in 2006. Volunteering for the Mental Health charity Mind for several years has broadened my understanding of mental health issues and my ability to work with clients from very varied backgrounds and with a wide range of presenting problems.
Many years down the line, I now work in private practice where I have found the right balance between a rewarding and useful professional life and a rich family life
My Background
My orientation is integrative. I have learned from Object Relations theory, Psychodynamic theories, Humanistic and Person Centered approaches and have developed my own relational therapeutic mode of intervention. I am a qualified Integrative Counsellor and Psychotherapist, holding a diploma in Integrative Counselling from the Minster Centre as well as an MA in Integrative Psychotherapy from Middlesex University.
I have also completed levels 1,2, and 3 EMDR training (Eye Movement Desensitization and reprocessing), a technique particularly recommended for the processing of trauma. I am a member of the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) and registered with the UKCP (United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy). I receive clinical supervision and regularly expand my understanding of new theories and practices through continuing professional development.
My belief in the therapeutic benefits of talking therapies is anchored in personal experience both as a client and a professional.
I am a French national and have developed a particular sensitivity to issues of difference and diversity. This has made me more able to accept difference in others, and to cultivate open-mindedness and a non-judgemental attitude. I practice in English or French as needed.
My Approach
Throughout my training and in the ever growing and understanding involved in the practice of counselling and psychotherapy, I have developed an interest in particular theoretical and therapeutic models which emphasise an exploration of an individual's life through dialogue and the telling of personal stories. Through this exploration, we may discover significant events (traumatic or otherwise) or modes or relating (with parents or carers) that may have influenced a person's development and growth and affected their ability to cope with current difficulties.
In the course of this extended conversation, the building of a genuine relationship between therapist and client will allow the identification of patterns, behaviours, cycles, blocks. Also it will allow experimentation with different behaviours and open up the possibility of change. My aim is to help the client find answers that will facilitate this change and offer challenges to their habitual mind sets.