your questions

YOUR WELLBEING QUESTIONS

This is such an important question, as I well understand from many years’ experience and knowledge gained in my previous professional career. It is so important to engage a suitably qualified practitioner, who has a commitment to upholding the highest professional standards and is right for you. Please read on.
You should always look at any practitioner’s qualifications, history, experience and background.
I have a dual qualification as a barrister / (King’s Counsel) and an HG Consultant (Psychotherapist), HG.Dip.P. regulated by the Professional Standards Authority. The training requirements are rigorous and rightly very demanding.
I have always been part of a regulated profession. I will only use safe, effective, ethical practices to work with you and achieve the best possible desired outcomes that are right for you.
In addition to this, I have over 30 years experience as a criminal barrister specialising in mental health law within the criminal justice system and was appointed a Queen’s Counsel (now King’s Counsel) in 2014. I de-registered from the role in 2021 to pursue my passion to empower people in achieving good mental health and wellbeing.
I enjoyed a successful career with a clear track record for over 30 years, an important marker of trust and security. The added input I can bring from my past professional experiences is invaluable. I have worked with diverse people from all walks of life, at all levels and stages of their lives, and helped them cope with a vast array of different life challenges.
I hold up-to-date enhanced DBS clearance.
You can check out my testimonials from clients who have worked with me and transformed their lives for the better. You’ll find these under the ‘what others are saying’ title, on ‘my back story’ page. I hope their words will encourage you to connect with owning your wellbeing.
Do your research on their credentials and trust your instincts! Ask yourself:
“Do I feel comfortable with the person I will be working with?”
Studies reveal this has a significant impact on successful outcomes.
“Do I understand their approach; is it right for me?”
“Will it help me understand and implement the ways and means to achieve my goals?“
There are at least 650 models of counselling and psychotherapy today, which confuses both health professionals and clients! ‘Labels’ attached to people working in the sector can be used interchangeably and/or mean the same thing - adding to the confusion. There is particular concern about activities of unregulated individuals or entities: be a good consumer and make appropriate checks as to who you are really dealing with.
I have worked on the frontline in one of the most challenging professions of modern life for over 30 years. I have an understanding that comes from having lived and breathed a difficult career. I have knowledge from being on the inside track, not just outside it. I have helped and supported diverse people from all walks of life, confronting issues in all their infinitely various forms.
I am very familiar with workplace environments and the complications that can arise in the modern working world. I know and understand what it is like to be a working parent, run a business, hold positions of responsibility from management to equality and diversity roles, and care for sick and vulnerable relatives: a 360° view of life.
As far as I am aware, I am the first person to have dual qualifications in the United Kingdom as a barrister appointed to the role of King’s Counsel* and a qualified psychotherapist.
I offer ‘wellbeing’ and ‘work life’ consultations for individuals and for business.
*Please note, I am not offering legal services at this time.

We all have a sense of what wellbeing means to us. Yet the struggle to define it goes on.
We want to live well – whatever that looks like for us as an individual human being in our world – to thrive, to flourish and to feel fulfilled.
Wellbeing is a fluctuating state, not a static one. Life changes - we evolve - the unexpected happens. Wellbeing needs to be user friendly and accessible in practical ways that are fit for everyday life.
You want to develop a set of building blocks: the right interventions and training to make use of techniques, skills and tools for you to carry forward and apply to your own life, empowering you to navigate the ups and downs that are a natural part of it. In this way you are owning your wellbeing by using your skills and resources to meet your needs and challenges.
I work together with clients using an overarching set of principles based on a robust, scientifically up-to-date model of healthy human functioning. It provides a practical framework for effective, integrative strategies, techniques, tools and therapeutic interventions that work in tune with how the brain functions.
Our sessions will be structured using measurable outcomes and are goal orientated. I use proactive and personalised techniques that work for you.
In more ways than you probably realise: wellbeing encompasses anything and everything to improve your everyday personal and/or work life. Depending on your situation, the benefits might include a fast phobia or trauma cure, tools to deal with a toxic work environment, overcoming obstacles, better time management, better work-life balance, achieving a wanted promotion, feeling more confident at presentations, interviews, watching less TV, adopting healthy habits (in whatever form) and so much more.
The vast majority of people discover that the available wellbeing interventions benefit them, provide an opportunity to learn about sustainable self-care and help them improve their quality of life by:
• enjoying better relationships
• gaining the ability to make and manage a good life
• developing their own potential, thriving and achieving fulfilment
• removing obstacles that interfere with their enjoyment of life
• using sustainable everyday methods to improve their wellbeing
Yes, you can. It is so rewarding to see transformations taking place in the lives of my clients and to witness them achieving their goals. You may re-engage in an aspect of life that is important to you, shape healthy relationships, learn new life skills and make the most of what your unique life can offer to you and the world around you. Think of it as an investment for the life you want to build. Value yourself, you are a priority, make a good call today.
Sessions can be delivered online, by telephone, in person, walk and talk, in our consulting rooms or via any combination of these options that best suits you. I always work as flexibly as possible to help you.
I am properly trained, qualified and experienced to deliver online sessions safely and effectively, which is extremely important. We discuss your preferences at the ‘meet and greet’ stage.
A key concept of our work together is to try and make every session count and use the minimum number of sessions possible to reach the desired outcome. Examples from practice are:
• A one-off session to tackle a particular issue
• Bespoke wellbeing on an ad hoc basis as required
• Short-term, solution-focused work for a specific problem, a particular incident or life experience
• Sessions for long-standing challenges or ingrained repetitive patterns of behaviour
• Life skills for life changes

Wellbeing is an essential ingredient to thrive, not just survive. Life is a rollercoaster with many ups, downs and curveballs thrown in! Issues can arise due to particular or immediate challenges - for example, having to manage an unusual amount of stressful activities over a short period of time. Recognising and managing your self-care in proactive ways does, in fact, help you ease the situation and make a positive difference to your life.
If issues have persisted for any length of time or are on repeat, ie a repetitive or familiar pattern that begins to interfere with any part of your day-to-day living, there are very effective interventions we can use to tackle whatever you need to overcome.
The aim is for you to be independent of – not dependent on - your practitioner! The sessions are engineered for you to leave and lead a better life in the shortest possible time. See change, feel good.
No. The emphasis is on safe, effective and ethical practice. You are not charged in advance for a set number of consultations or a course of treatment. You remain in charge of the nature and number of sessions on a pay as you go basis. You decide what is right for you and can stop at any point.
We can use a practical, forward-focused approach, concentrating on skills and understandings for future use, rather than sticking on what went wrong in the past. It keeps a focus, first and foremost, on improving outcomes for clients.
Complex issues often do not have a quick fix but the client always remains in charge and in control of the number of sessions they consider appropriate for their needs and requirements.
You complete the contact form on the website.
You will receive an invitation for an initial ‘meet and greet’ consultation, which is free of charge.
The standard cost of any further consultation, lasting approximately an hour, is £100 if the fee is paid in full at the time of, or prior to, the consultation.
Weekend and evening (after 6.00pm) charges are £125 per consultation.
Couple counselling is £150 per consultation.
The vast majority of clients consider that wellbeing consultations are one of the most important investments in themselves for their future. It helps them commit to making their wellbeing and self-care a priority.
You are asked for a small deposit to secure private bookings as research shows it helps you to commit, invest and engage in the process.
Please see our T&Cs for the full terms of business. Concessionary rates apply in certain circumstances.
Your wellbeing and your work life are often interrelated. You can include whatever you want in owning your wellbeing as part of your bespoke consultation.

YOUR WORK LIFE QUESTIONS

We offer affordable and flexible bespoke packages and programmes and/or daily attendances in-house or at your site-specific location. We scale rates reasonably to suit your corporate, company or professional requirements fit for the modern working world.
You can retain us as consultants for one day per week, per month or per quarter to provide pre-booked or ‘time to clock in’ sessions for individuals, on call to support their wellbeing at work and safeguard your workforce. We can work on an ad hoc basis with you – whatever works best.
It is worth remembering that these are often tax deductible* expenses with everyday bonuses for your wellbeing, your work life and your business.
* Always check with your accountant.
You can choose any of the options, combination of the options on offer or write your own list of requirements.
There is an obvious overlap between personal wellbeing and wellbeing at work. There can be stand alone issues or areas that feed into each other.
I understand the world of business and the challenges confronting it having been brought up in family business ownership and experienced it first-hand. I can identify with employer and employee perspectives and relationships, self-employment and self-sufficiency, working in teams and all the responsibilities and headaches that come with these territories.
Our work life is such a significant part of our whole life that wellbeing at work can only benefit the individual, the company and everyone around them. It all has a knock on effect saving time, money and energy for use in the most productive and fulfilling ways.
Yes! The fear of speaking in public is far more common than people believe – some even put it higher than a fear of death (probably because they aren’t facing death but they are facing an audience)! Seasoned speakers can and often do suffer from crippling nerves (stage fright can bite an actor at any point in their career).
Yet public speaking is a very learnable skill for everyone whether they are scared - starting out – seasoned speakers. It is a skill that is so important for the modern working world and for the positive impact it can have on your wellbeing. We all want to be able to speak naturally, to be heard and get our point of view across in appropriate ways that mean we and our message is heard.
Whether it be in interview, in a meeting, across a boardroom, on social media platforms or before some other audience you can gain confidence and feel empowered. We use simple, effective and fun methods to help you enjoy speaking in public.
You are not alone. We can all feel overloaded with responsibility, tasks, communications, demands on time and resources that can be utterly draining and seem never ending.
It is a truism of life that we are usually better informed and wiser about the best working ways by the end of our careers rather than when we are working through them.
You can learn these better ways of working right now with techniques to help you manage your workload more effectively, improve your time management, use organisational skills to your advantage and tackle any other work related issue. You can make good use of time to produce your best quality work and be able to thrive in your environment.
You may feel overworked and underpaid. Conversely your boss may feel you are overpaid for underperforming. Whatever the issue is, with the right help individuals or parties can find a healthy and productive route to overcome barriers and assist career development that works for everyone.
We all want to feel valued and be valuable in the workplace. It’s a basic need as well as a want. Understanding and knowing your worth in real and tangible terms positions you on the starting blocks.
But there is so much more to you achieving the recognition you deserve. There are some who talk a good game and some who go under the wire. Which type are you? What works best for you? How do you demonstrate your worth and secure that pay rise, promotion, equality, respect or other attainable goal? As a boss how do you help your employees understand the role you play in securing their livelihood and success?
We can use clear and practical strategies to help you navigate your workplace and negotiate a position that recognises and rewards your true contribution.

Work life depends on good working relationships and building networks. Feeling connected to your colleagues, your work and your contacts is invigorating and fulfilling.
The keys to building good rapport with colleagues, managers, bosses and employees are within all of us. It is a matter of unlocking them. You can learn how to enhance, upgrade and hone your skills to build bonds and business.
Life would be pretty boring if we were all the same. We all have to navigate people and their ‘idiosyncrasies’ (a euphemism!). It is when disagreements turn into disputes or even worse, conflict, that we need to step in to resolve them because, if not addressed, they can become so disruptive and ultimately destructive in the workplace.
We can help you understand and resolve issues that are destabilising or threatening to destabilise your workforce or your workplace. Prevention is always better than cure.
More positively, let’s look at the huge benefits in embracing difference and diversity in the workplace. This is the birthplace of innovation and progress.
No one wants to work in a toxic work environment. It is bad for you and bad for business. Yet more and more people relate their experiences of one.
There is nothing more damaging to a person’s confidence and wellbeing than their sense of self-worth and value being eroded over time. Your workplace is your workforce. Every good employer and employee deserves respect, acknowledgement and appreciation.
We explore your options: find an accommodation, discover ways to turn a toxic environment into a healthy one or recognise the writing on the wall.
You complete the contact form on the website.
You will receive an invitation for an initial ‘terms of engagement’ consultation, which is free of charge.
We discuss the best and most cost-effective options for you, your people, your business.
You are asked for a deposit as security for the services offered to action the positive benefits of owning your wellbeing and work life.
Please see our T&Cs for the full terms of business.
By helping themselves to address the matter in question as quickly and effectively as possible, individuals and organisations unleash their potential to get the best out of themselves, with health and cost benefits into the bargain.
It is truly an investment with lifetime returns.

FEEL REASSURED

YOUR WELLBEING QUESTIONS

YOUR WORK LIFE QUESTIONS