I do not offer a crisis or emergency service. I don’t monitor emails or text / WhatsApp or voicemail messages outside of working hours.

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, feel unsafe, or need urgent support between sessions, please contact your GP or access one of the free, confidential 24/7 UK emergency services listed below:

Immediate Risk & Urgent Care:

Emergency Services: Call 999 or go directly to your nearest A&E department if you are at immediate risk of harm to yourself or others.

NHS Mental Health Services (24/7): Call 111 (Select Mental Health Option) to speak with an urgent NHS care team.

24/7 Confidential Listening Services

• Samaritans: Call 116123 (free, 24/7) for confidential, non-judgemental emotional support.

• Shout Text Line: Text SHOUT to 85258 (free, 24/7) for instant confidential text-based support.

Therapy works best when it feels like the right fit - both personally and financially. If my service isn't quite what you are looking for, please don't be discouraged as we can still chat about other options available, including reduced rates and where to find other support.

‍To discover local charity and community groups in your specific area, I highly recommend searching your postcode on Hub of Hope, the UK’s largest mental health support directory. It shows you listings of mental health support services and organisations in your area, either for yourself or if you want to support someone who is struggling.

‍If you are seeking a different private practitioner, you can search the official register on the BACP Website and review different types of therapy options here. There are many other ways to find a therapist online too, I have listed my own professional body, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

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The easiest way to start is to contact me via email, text, WhatsApp, or phone call to book a free 20-minute introductory chat.

We can do this introductory chat over the phone, online, or in person. It’s simply a chance for us to say hello. You can share a little bit about what’s on your mind, and I can answer any questions you have about my practice. There is absolutely no pressure to commit during this chat - it is genuinely just an opportunity to see if we feel comfortable working together. If it feels right, I will take some details from you and look at booking your first session.

Once we have had our initial chat and decided to work together, here is what happens next:

• Booking Your Slot: We will find a 60-minute slot that suits your schedule.

• Our Working Agreement: Before our first session, I will email you a copy of our Working Agreement and a seperate Privacy Notice. These documents describe our therapeutic boundaries and how I securely look after your data under UK GDPR. I will reference this during our introductory chat and I’ll go over the main points before we sign it together during our first session so you feel completely secure and know what to expect.

• Choosing Your Timeline: You have full control over the length of your therapy. For some, a single standalone session or a short handful of weeks is exactly what they need. For others, an extended period feels more supportive for exploring deeper issues. We will move entirely at your pace.

Yes it is. Privacy is the foundation of effective therapy, and what you share in our sessions is kept strictly confidential.

There are a few exceptions where confidentiality must be broken:

• If I have your explicit written consent to contact an external party.

• If there is a serious, imminent risk of harm to yourself or others.

• If I am legally compelled by a court order or statutory law (such as safeguarding children or vulnerable adults, or legislation surrounding terrorism and money laundering).

• Within routine clinical supervision, where my work is monitored to ensure high professional standards. All client details in supervision are strictly anonymised.

We will discuss these limits together during our initial chat and again when reviewing our Working Agreement so you feel completely clear and comfortable. Unless prevented by law or immediate safety concerns, I will always communicate with you first before taking any action.

To provide a dedicated space for every client, all sessions are arranged by appointment only. Sessions run from Monday through to Friday (9.30am to 5pm, with Friday availability until 6pm). I also hold a limited number of online slots during early evenings and some in-person weekend availabilty. As my schedule changes each week, I welcome you to contact me to find a mutually convenient time. I will reply to an initial contact as soon as I can within 48 hours Mon- Fri.

Session Fees & Payment Terms

• Standard Fee: £50 per 60-minute session

• Concessionary Fee: £40 per 60-minute session (for students and those on lower incomes).

  If fee flexibility is something you need, please feel free to ask during our initial conversation.

• Block Booking: 10% discount when paying for 4 or more sessions in advance

How Payment Works

To keep our time together focused entirely on your space, payments are made via bank transfer (BACS) ahead of each session, or in cash. Bank details will be shared when we review our Working Agreement. If you'd like to explore concessionary rates, we can discuss current availability during our initial consultation.

Room To Be You is a light-filled, private therapy room tucked away upstairs in The Barn at Cedar Farm in the rural village of Mawdesley in Lancashire (Postcode: L40 3SY) and only 15 minutes from Junction 27 of the M6. It’s not far from Chorley and Ormskirk in south Lancashire.

To make your visit as smooth and stress-free as possible, Cedar Farm offers excellent practical facilities:

• Free On-Site Parking: There is a large, free car park right on site, including accessible parking spaces. Bus routes (Service 337 and Service 347) drop off in Mawdesley village with a 10-minute walk to Cedar Farm.

• Full Accessibility & Lift Access: The site is level, and my therapy room (Room To Be You) is located upstairs in The Barn, which is fully accessible via a spacious passenger lift or stairs.

• Convenient Facilities: There are modern, accessible toilet facilities located within The Barn.

Walk and talk therapy routes are based in south Lancashire close to the villages of Parbold and Mawdesley.

If you find you can’t make our scheduled appointment time, please let me know as soon as possible. I offer a 24-hour cancellation policy; as long as you give me a day's notice, there is no charge.

If a session is cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice, the full fee will still apply (but I will always take your personal circumstances into consideration). It is often difficult to offer that time to another client at short notice. Thank you for your understanding and for valuing the time we set aside to work together.

No, not at all. You have complete flexibility over both how we work and how often we meet. My practice is entirely client-led, meaning there is no rigid formula you have to follow.

• The Timing: You can book a standalone, one-off session like Room to Reflect, or we can work together over several sessions. You are welcome to book weekly, fortnightly, or at intervals that suit your lifestyle and budget.

• The Format: You can mix and match the types of sessions you have. You might choose talking therapy in my studio room one week, take our conversation outdoors for a Walk & Talk the next, or integrate Expressive Arts when words alone feel stuck.

You don't have to decide everything at the start - we will always work in whatever way feels most supportive to you in the moment and of course, outdoor sessions are weather permitting.

I hold specialist qualifications that form the foundation of my safe, ethical, and collaborative practice:

• MSc (Master’s Degree) in Psychotherapy and Counselling: Contemporary Creative Approaches (with Distinction) – Edge Hill University

• MPH (Master’s Degree) in Public Health – The University of Liverpool

• Online & Phone Therapy Module meeting the BACP learning outcomes detailed in the BACP Online and Phone Therapy Competency Framework document - Edge Hill University

• Orange Button Scheme Holder: Trained by PAPYRUS under Lancashire's community suicide prevention initiative to provide open, non-judgemental conversations and signposting for those in crisis or experiencing suicidal thoughts.

• Foundation Course for Fertility Counselling - British Infertility Counselling Association (BICA)

  In addition to these qualifications, I regularly attend specialist training courses, workshops, events and conferences, as part of my continuing personal and professional development.

Your safety and privacy are my highest priorities. My practice meets all current professional, ethical, and legal requirements:

• BACP Registered: I work in strict accordance with the BACP Ethical Framework, ensuring integrity and accountability. You can view my entry on the BACP Register here.

• Confidential & Secure: Our sessions are strictly confidential, within standard legal and safeguarding boundaries. I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) [Registration Number: ZC076421], and handle your personal data in line with UK GDPR - see my Privacy Policy.

• Vetted & Insured: I am fully insured for all counselling and outdoor work, receive monthly professional supervision, and hold a clear, current Enhanced DBS check.

A complete copy of my Working Agreement & Privacy Notice will be provided ahead of our first session, outlining these protections in full detail. Please feel free to ask if you’d like to see any of my Certificates and Registrations.

He’d love that! But alas, no, my focus is on our session time together, and as Barney is a fluffy cuddly and “talkative” boy, he would take my attention. But if you’d like to bring your dog on a walk and talk session, that’s fine by me, on the basis that you retain full responsibility for them.

Whilst I’d welcome the chance to meet and work with you in person, I fully recognise the complexities of modern life often make this a challenge. I can offer online sessions as another way of working if this is your preference. I can also work with you on the phone.

I have a social media presence on LinkedIn and Instagram to maintain my professional networks and provide news and updates on my practice. To protect your privacy and ensure secure communication, I do not process booking requests, therapeutic enquiries, or confidential messages via LinkedIn or Instagram Direct Messages (DMs). Please use the contact methods listed here to arrange an introductory call or session appointments. My social media accounts are not monitored for crisis support; if you require immediate help, please refer to the FAQ on crisis support).