My Story
The path from child protection solicitor to counsellor wasn’t one I planned—but people have always been at the heart of my work.
If you’d told me twenty years ago that I’d become a therapist, I wouldn’t have believed you.
For more than twenty years, I worked as a solicitor, supporting families through some of the most difficult and emotional times in their lives. Although I am now a non-practising solicitor, I remain closely connected to the legal profession through my work coaching solicitor apprentices as they begin their careers.
Looking back, I can see that the thread running through everything I’ve done has always been a curiosity about people. What shapes us, how we make sense of our experiences, and how we find our way through life’s challenges has fascinated me for as long as I can remember. That curiosity led me to study for an MSc in Psychology and, eventually, to train as a counsellor.
A Change of Direction
Therapy helped me understand myself differently.
Like many people, life hasn’t always unfolded in the way I’d expected. During a period in my own life, I experienced therapy for myself. It helped me understand myself in a way I never had before. Although I didn’t realise it at the time, that experience quietly changed the direction of my life.
It led me to retrain as a therapist, not because I believed I’d found all the answers, but because I knew how valuable it could be to have someone alongside you when life feels uncertain. It also gave me a real understanding of what it feels like to be the person asking for help.
The Experiences That Shape My Work
Today, I divide my time between private practice, volunteering as a counsellor at Sean’s Place, coaching solicitor apprentices and writing. On my Substack, I write about therapy, relationships, self-discovery and the everyday moments that shape our lives. I also host the Moments That Make a Life podcast, where I explore many of the same themes through conversation and reflection.
Those experiences continue to shape the way I work as a therapist today.