There are many different challenges within the journey through parenthood which are stressful and can impact on mental health. Often, we can find a difference between how we thought life would be and our reality – perhaps our experience of pregnancy or birth was not as we wished, the day-to-day life of raising small children is much more stressful than we imagined it would be or we are struggling to be the kind of parent we want to be.

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I can help you make sense of, cope with and navigate a range of difficulties including: anxiety and worry, low mood and depression, stress and burnout, self-esteem and confidence, overwhelming emotions (eg anger, guilt, shame) or feeling numb and cut off, relationship difficulties, trauma and PTSD (including birth trauma, perinatal trauma eg hyperemesis related, and childhood trauma), attachment, loss and grief and adjustment to situations that are not as expected or where your reality feels a long way from what you thought would happen. I also hold a specialist research and clinical interest in supporting parents with experiences of Parental Gender Disappointment – when baby is not the sex, or gender, very much hoped for.

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Clinical Psychologists are trained and experienced in a number of different therapeutic approaches. This means that the approach(es) used in your therapy can be tailored to your needs and goals. I use an integrative approach, drawing on ideas from different evidence-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (including Trauma-Focused CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Compassion Focused Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Cognitive Analytic Therapy and Emotionally Focused Therapy.