For women who hold everything together for everyone else - nurturing your path to self-discovery and healing

Individual Psychotherapy

You're the one people lean on. You know how to keep things running, at work, at home, in your friendships, for your parents, for your children. You've been doing it for so long you barely notice it anymore. From the outside, you're capable, dependable, competent. From the inside, you're tired in a way sleep doesn't fix.

The anxiety has been building for a while. So has the irritability you don't quite recognise. You can't remember when you last did something that was just for you. You're starting to wonder who you are underneath all the doing, and whether there's a version of your life that doesn't run on quiet, low-grade dread.

If any of that lands, this is the kind of work I love.

Who I most often work with

I see a lot of high-achieving, conscientious, responsible women, the ones whose first thought when something goes wrong is what could I have done differently? Often the work is around:

• Anxiety that's tipped from "useful edge" into "the thing running my nervous system"

• A relentless inner critic that won't let anything be good enough

• Workaholic patterns and the overwhelm that goes with them

• Burnout — not the dramatic kind, the slow grey kind

• A sense of having lost yourself somewhere along the way, to motherhood, to caring, to the career

• Difficulty resting, switching off, or even feeling allowed to

• Patterns in relationships you can see clearly but can't seem to change

You don't need to be in crisis to come. Most of my clients aren't. Many come because something has been quietly off for a long time and they're done ignoring it.

How I work — Integrative Transactional Analysis

My core training is in Integrative Transactional Analysis (TA), a warm, collaborative, practical approach. The simplest way to describe it: TA looks at how the patterns we built in childhood — to be good, to be liked, to be safe, to be useful — are still running the show in our adult lives, even when they've stopped serving us.

For my clients, that often means understanding why the inner critic is so loud, why being needed feels easier than being chosen, why rest feels like guilt, why anger turns inward, why high standards are non-negotiable. Once we can see the pattern, we can start choosing differently. It isn't about blaming your parents — most parents are doing their best with what they had. It's about giving yourself permission to look honestly at what was and wasn't there, and what you've been carrying because of it.

What I'm like in the room

Warm. Down to earth. I'll offer you a brew when you arrive. I'll move at your pace. You'll find me gentle, curious and you'll find me willing to challenge you when I think it's in your interest. I'll feel angry on your behalf when something's been unjust. I'll share in the weight of what you're carrying. I'll properly celebrate your wins instead of glossing past them. I notice the child you once were sat inside the adult across from me, and I'm curious about both of you.

Psychotherapy vs. Counselling: What's the Difference?

While both psychotherapy and counselling offer valuable support, they often differ in their depth and duration.

• Counselling typically focuses on specific, immediate issues and may be shorter-term, aiming to help you cope with current challenges and develop practical strategies.

• Psychotherapy, on the other hand, often delves deeper into the underlying roots of persistent patterns, emotions, and behaviours. It explores how past experiences and unconscious processes might be influencing your present, offering a more extensive and transformative journey towards self-understanding and lasting change. Psychotherapy aims not just to alleviate symptoms, but to foster fundamental shifts in how you relate to yourself and the world.

What I can help with

• Anxiety, overwhelm and burnout

• Low mood and depression

• Relationship patterns that keep repeating

• Grief and bereavement

• A relentless inner critic and low self-worth

• Reclaiming your identity after years of caring for everyone else

• Navigating life transitions — career change, midlife, becoming a mother, loss.

What you can expect

Engaging in psychotherapy can be a profoundly transformative experience. You can expect to:

• Gain Clarity: Understand the origins of your difficulties and make sense of complex emotions and experiences.

• Develop Coping Strategies: Learn healthier ways to manage anxiety, depression, stress, and other challenging states.

• Improve Relationships: Explore relational patterns and foster more fulfilling connections with others.

• Heal from Past Wounds: Process grief, trauma, and unresolved issues from your past.

• Enhance Self-Awareness: Deepen your understanding of yourself, your motivations, and your authentic needs.

• Experience Profound Change: Move beyond old patterns to create a more fulfilling and empowered life.

Your Journey, Tailored to You

Whether you're seeking support for a specific issue or desire a deeper exploration of long-standing patterns, I offer both short-term and long-term psychotherapy, tailored precisely to your unique therapeutic goals. Our work together will be collaborative, respectful, and focused on helping you achieve the lasting changes you desire.

Practicalities

Individual sessions are 50 minutes, £45 each. We can meet at The Psychotherapy Place on Audlem Road in Nantwich, or online anywhere in the UK. We'll usually start with a free 15–20 minute introductory call so you can get a sense of me and ask anything you'd like to before booking.