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Hello, my name is Grace and I am a counsellor who provides sessions in person, online and over the phone.
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Why am I a counsellor? I became a counsellor after having counselling myself.
Here is a personal story of my own counselling journey:
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As a child, I was always picked last for PE. I wouldn't put my hand up for fear of getting the wrong answer. I was often on my own in the play ground at break time. I didn't fit in and it was obvious. I was diagnosed with dyspraxia in infant school. This meant I was given extra help and often sat separately from the class with a teaching assistant. I was noticeably not at the same level as my peers.
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Being diagnosed with a condition in the nineties was very different to how it is now, as the focus was about getting me to the same standard as my peers instead of working with and accepting my difference. This had a huge impact on my self esteem, it meant I had very few friends and I was often picked on which furthered my lack of confidence. Fortunately, my parents were teachers and I was given a lot of support outside of school not just with my studies, but my parents believed in me and being at home became my safe space as they accepted me for me.
Sadly though, I lost my father very suddenly when I was only 14 years old. This trauma changed my world as not only did I lose a parent who I dearly loved but I also lost someone who saw me as more than a child with a learning difficulty.
My late dad had taught me happiness, laughter and joy and there was never any room in our house for tears or sadness - it was almost our family mantra that crying wasn't allowed and so I was very reluctant to open up or talk about my feelings. I remember feeling very doubtful when I first met my counsellor.
Remarkably, counselling gave me the safe space that I needed to be honest about what was really going on beneath the surface. My counsellor was very skilled in making me feel comfortable to open up and she worked at my pace, letting me acknowledge my grief. I learned that it was ok to pay attention to my sadness, especially when something sad has happened. It was through these counselling sessions I learned to be kind to myself. From this learning, I began to heal and put foundations in place where I started to believe in myself, instead of relying on someone else for comfort.​
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Why am I telling you all this? This experience was the driving force to me becoming a counsellor and setting up my own practice.
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I am very passionate about helping my clients to get what they need out of their sessions. I have had to work very hard, and still do, to manage my inner critic and see myself as good enough. I know the struggle in trying to heal from grief and loss. It has taken time for me to accept myself, be confident in my decisions and silence the worry of what others will think.
​ But I am getting there, and I know you can too.
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What about my professional experience? Alongside my Bachelors Degree in Psychology, I have a Level 5 Advanced Diploma in Integrative Counselling.
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Before qualifying as a counsellor, I worked for five years for a victim support charity Victims First Northumbria. As part of my qualification I gained 100 hours of counselling experience at Someone Cares working with clients who have experienced abuse.
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Since qualifying in 2021, I have worked as a counsellor for Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland (RCTN) and Eating Distress North East (EDNE).
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I started my own counselling practice in 2022 after finding that all of the clients that I have worked with, no matter what their circumstances, wanted to work on their self worth and self esteem.
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What is my mission? I want to help people like you to feel like you can accept and even embrace who you are.​
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I want you to get out of life all of the things that bring you joy and I want to help you manage your inner critic so that you can reach your full potential.
What will it be like for you to have counselling with me? I will provide you with a warm and comfortable space for you to be yourself.​
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I know how scary it can be to reach out and ask for help and I know how scary it can be to open up and talk about stuff you never have. But, I want you to know something:
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There is nothing wrong with you and you are not alone.
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I will work with you at your pace. I am here to help you and want to understand how I can, so if there is anything further you need to know or ask, please get in touch.
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