A little about me

Hello, I’m Vicky. I’m a qualified Level 7 Integrative Psychotherapist and registered member of the BACP.

My route into psychotherapy hasn’t been a straight line, and I think the different experiences I’ve had along the way have shaped the therapist I am today.

My background originally began in Creative and Therapeutic Arts, before I went on to work across a range of care and mental health settings, including dementia care, Women’s Aid and services supporting people with learning disabilities and neurodivergence.

For over eight years, I have also worked within forensic mental health services. Working alongside people with complex and often very difficult life experiences has taught me a great deal about trauma, resilience and, perhaps most importantly, the value of looking beyond a diagnosis or behaviour to understand the person behind it.

These experiences eventually led me to train as an integrative psychotherapist.

How I work

Being an integrative psychotherapist means I don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to therapy. Every person who comes through the door brings different experiences, relationships, difficulties and hopes for therapy, so it makes sense that the way we work should be individual too.

I draw from person-centred, psychodynamic, cognitive behavioural (CBT), existential and relational approaches. This allows us to explore not only what is happening for you now, but also, where helpful, how past experiences and relationships may influence the way you feel, think and relate to yourself and others today.

At the centre of my approach is the therapeutic relationship. I want therapy to be somewhere you can speak openly and feel genuinely heard, without feeling judged or that you need to present a particular version of yourself.

Sometimes therapy is about making changes or understanding patterns that are causing difficulties. Sometimes it’s about processing something painful, understanding yourself more deeply, or finding your way through a difficult period.

And sometimes you simply need somewhere that is yours, a space to talk, think and be heard without judgement.

There doesn’t always need to be something about you that needs “fixing”. We can work together to understand what you need from therapy and shape our sessions around that.

Creativity and therapy

Alongside talking therapy, I can also offer creative approaches if this is something you would like to explore.

Creativity has always been an important part of my life. I have a BA (Hons) in Creative and Therapeutic Arts and am an artist myself, so I have a particular interest in the ways creativity can help us explore and express experiences that can sometimes be difficult to put into words.

Creative work might involve art materials, imagery, metaphor or other ways of exploring what’s happening for you. You don’t need any artistic ability or experience, and what we create isn’t about producing something that looks “good”, it’s about the process and what it might help us discover.

Most importantly, creative approaches are entirely optional. There is never any expectation to work creatively. If you would rather sit together and talk, that’s exactly what we’ll do.

For me, creativity is simply another tool available to us, rather than something that defines how your therapy has to look.