"New Beginnings Are Often Disguised As Painful Endings."
Lao Tzu
THIS IS ME:
Therapy is an extremely personal and difficult journey to undertake. The success of your journey will depend on the relationship between you and your therapist. It is vital that you feel understood, accepted and valued as a fellow human being, no matter what your life story.
Here's a bit of information about me that I hope, will make your search for a therapist a little easier:
I was born into a Greek Cypriot family who emigrated to the U.K in the early 1950's. They eventually settled down in North London, where I was born and raised.
I am a mature woman, twice married and I have 2 adult children. I lived abroad for 3 years and in 1993 I moved to Cambridgeshire and have been here ever since.
During a pivotal time in my life I realised that the only way to affect real and positive change in my life and for those around me was to face up to and conquer my demons; denial was no longer an option.
It was a life changing journey, one that has led me here. By the end I finally realised that the way to lasting change was through honest self awareness, acceptance and finally compassion; compassion for myself and to those who hurt my life.
I first began my journey into Social Care in 1997. I volunteered as a Classroom Support Assistant at Meldreth Manor Residential School; a residential school for young people with severe and profound multiple disabilities.
This is were I learned that the absolute foundation for any meaningful relationship be it student - teacher, parent-child, lover-lover, sibling - sibling, employee-employer, client-carer, was through effective communication; being heard, being understood and being noticed.
The Young People that I worked with taught me that comminication is more than just mere words. They taught me that a raised eyebrow, a lifted finger, a hunched shoulder, a twitch of the lips were just as loud and expressive as words.
All I had to do was stop and listen.
I have also worked for Cambridgeshire's Children and Young Peoples Services in a Residential Home for Young People in Care. I worked and lived with these Young People for 12 years.
These Young People taught me to hear what was behind their words and actions. Verbal abuse, petty and violent crime, sexual abuse, addictions, promiscuity; all screamed of pain and betrayal and loss.
All I had to do was stop and listen.
It was while I was working with Looked After Children that I went to college and dedicated my spare time to gaining a counselling qualification.
During my 20 years working as a support worker I have supported adults of all ages, children and young people from all walks of life and with varying problems. I have worked with the elderly, including dementia, with clients suffering from addictions, homelessness, Looked After Children, unaccompanied minors, The Chronically Excluded, severe and enduring mental heath issues.
I was a volunteer counsellor at Centre 33, counselling Young People for nearly 3 years.
In March 2015 I became a volunteer counsellor at Choices; an outstanding local charity offering specialised, long term counselling for Adult Survivors of Child sexual Abuse. I became an associate counsellor at Choices in May 2016.
During the early part of 2016 I decided to dedicate my time to building my own counselling practice. I began working from rented therapy rooms in Cambridge and in February 2018, began working from my own permanent office in Histon, Cambs.
I have extensive and specialist training and knowledge in Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse and all it's related traumas; PTSD, Dissociation Personality Disorders etc.
I also work with EAP (Employee Assistance Programmes) providing short term therapy to Corporations and Company employees; assisting clients (using CBT, Mindfulness and other strategies) to manage, control and live with anxiety, uncertainty and life in general.
By being free of the past we no longer react to life's challenges, we are able to live and respond to life as it unfolds before us, as empowered, self controlled adults; no longer driven and controlled by repressed anger and denied memories.
Allow me to assist you in your journey.
I Will Hear you and I Will Understand.
