I started my career in health and social care in 1990 starting out as a social worker with children and families, developing particular interest in the areas of parenting and adoption.  I started my training in systemic family therapy in 2007, eventually qualifying as a psychotherapist in 2013 and then working in child and adolescent mental health for several years supporting young people involved with the young justice system and children’s social care.   I am currently working part time as an approved mental health professional assessing people who are experiencing mental health difficulties.  Having completed certified training as a systemic supervisor, I have establishing an independent practice in therapy and professional development.    My approach to this practice has been to draw from my experience and work in the different and various employments I have had.  Working in private practice enables me to work more flexibility and allow clients to decide how and when they want to engage in therapy and development. 

My therapeutic approach is influenced by both my professional and personal journey. I am dual heritage Irish and Chinese and my younger siblings have Irish and Jamaican heritage, but I consider myself to be of Hackney origin.  We grew up in a dysfunctional and chaotic environment with a single mother struggling to provide, but we also experienced and enjoyed the differing cultures and diversity of East End London, and we shared a lot of love in my family.   Community struggles and life problems were everywhere and influenced my outlook on life whilst also nurturing an interest in trauma, attachment, and resilience which I have explored more fully through my learning and professional training.

I can see that most people have good understandings of their own complex lives, but this can sometimes be a struggle, and I see my role as a facilitator and therapist to help resolve some of the various issues and help support a personal journey of discovery and growth. At times we can experience life as stressful and with unstable emotions and fears, and I would hope to support ways to lessen their impact and find ways to take back control and start to thrive. A life is a dynamic collection of experiences and emotions, and my role will involve helping to make sense of this, posing the questions why you do the things you do and why you are the way you are.