Specialist Interests

I have a particular interest in working with two groups of clients whose experiences, while different on the surface, often share a common core.

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The first includes adults living with the effects of complex, relational, and developmental trauma – often rooted in early environments where safety, attunement, or protection were missing or unreliable.

 

The second includes women, and people who menstruate, whose distress is closely tied to their bodies, hormonal or reproductive experiences, and the psychological impact of living within gendered and often invalidating systems. This may include experiences such as PMDD, perimenopause, chronic health conditions, or medical dismissal.

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While these experiences may look different, many clients face similar underlying struggles. Chronic shame is often central, shaping a harsh inner critic, a fragile sense of self-worth, and a persistent feeling of being “not enough” or “too much.” In relationships, this can lead to anticipating rejection, difficulty trusting care, and patterns of withdrawal or over-accommodation. This often shows up as perfectionism, people pleasing, self-doubt, and burnout.

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Many clients feel stuck repeating painful relational dynamics – caught between longing for connection and fearing it, and unsure how to create something different despite insight. Alongside this, distress is often held in the body, showing up as emotional overwhelm, shutdown, or symptoms that feel confusing or out of control.

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Difficulties with vulnerability, emotional expression, and self-compassion are common, often leading to a sense of disconnection or loneliness. Beneath this is a deep longing to be seen, heard, and understood – sometimes shaped by earlier relationships, and sometimes by experiences of being dismissed or unseen in wider systems.

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Across both groups, these experiences often converge around questions of worth, safety, and belonging. My specialist interests focus on working with this depth and complexity, where trauma, shame, the body, and identity intersect.