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Feeling safe in therapy
You may have come to this page because you want to feel safe and understood by your therapist. I totally get that. The relationship is the single most important factor about therapy so we need this to be a safe relationship for it to work well.
I strive to make my clients feel safe by honouring three key elements in my work:
* Trauma-informed practice
* Neuro-affirming practice
* Queer-friendly practice
Trauma-informed therapy
I am trained in the two main evidence-based trauma models, CBT-T and EMDR. I have worked alongside clients using these models to address developmental trauma, abuse, sexual violence and attachment wounds. The aim of any trauma protocol is to help the client gain mastery of their trauma, rather than to erase it. Successful trauma treatments can allow the client to put their trauma in the past where it belongs, rather than constantly being triggered and feeling like it is in the here and now.
But I also work with clients who are not yet ready to do trauma-focused work but who have deep trauma and need their boundaries to be respected around not talking about it. Here, my practice is about developing trust and allowing the client to work at their own pace. I avoid re-traumatising the client by asking them to retell their story unnecessarily. It’s important for you to feel in control in this relationship.
“Trauma comes back as a reaction, not a memory.”
— Bessel van der Kolk
Neuro-affirming therapy
I work with people, not labels. I offer a warm and accepting space for clients of all neurotypes. I have made a point of getting educated about masking, scripting, body doubling, task paralysis, demand avoidance, meltdowns, burnout and other features of the neurodivergent lived experience. I hold a certificate in Autism Informed Practice. Whether you are pre-diagnosis, post-diagnosis or not needing a diagnosis, I am here to work alongside you and to accept you, just exactly as you are. While I am not qualified to diagnose, I have a lot of experience helping clients to refer into assessment services, particularly with late-diagnosed, female-identifying clients.
Queer-friendly therapy
A client once asked me in our first session if I was a queer-friendly therapist so I thought this was important for me to state explicitly in my mission statement. I work with all genders and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. I am knowledgeable about sexual orientations including polyamory and asexuality and have worked with non-traditional relationship styles such as ethical non-monogamy. I warmly support clients through all parts of their transition journeys including referrals to Gender Clinics and have worked extensively with partners and family members of folk who are currently transitioning.
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