My Approach to Trans and Gender Diverse Counselling and Psychotherapy

Hello. You might be wondering why there is a separate page just for you and why I didn’t lump you into the LGBTQIA+ page. Well, I did represent you there as well, but, rightly or wrongly, I suspected you might appreciate a page just for you, for some extra reassurance that I will welcome you here. So welcome, you’ll find respect, validation, safety and acceptance at my clinic.

I’m happy to help you with any concerns you have, whether that’s life, mental health, relationships, trauma, gender/sexuality exploration or something else all together. If gender and/or sexuality is not your focus then I won’t make it mine. We can do traditional talk therapy or counselling, or I can use Emotion Focused Therapy, a form of psychotherapy, to help you explore the issues a little deeper. This therapy is great, because it helps you get past the thinking mind and into the subconscious, where the sources of the problem lie. It’s also the place where some deeper healing can happen. I am a trauma informed therapist, so whether you have trauma or not, I will always treat from this perspective, which means your emotional and psychological safety is my priority. You can read more about my approach to treating trauma here.

About Me

I’m a cisgender, hetero female and I use the pronouns she/her. I have a strong drive to deeply respect, validate and accept people, and in turn, to help people deeply respect, validate and accept themselves. In a community where respect, validation and acceptance can be in short supply, often these qualities are also lacking within the person. It makes my heart fill with joy when I can watch someone transform as they begin to internalise a sense of acceptance and respect for themselves.  I get angry and really stirred by the transphobia and misogyny. At times I feel helpless to change the world, though I still try, but I can really help people change their relationship with themselves, and I’m very motivated by that. I am also drawn to trauma work, and sadly there seems to be a lot of it in your community.

I will never have your lived experience. I’ll never claim to be any sort of expert, how arrogant. I am however trying to be as knowledgeable as I can be. I’m not (as) oppressed by gender or sexuality issues, so I have a wellspring of energy and enthusiasm to research and learn how to apply that knowledge to be a better healer. That’s what I hope to offer. I aim to constantly be aware of any cissexist attitudes, my privilege as a cisgender white female, and any heteronormative attitudes that slip out without my awareness -always feel free to call me on it!

My Clinic

I have two therapy rooms at my clinic. One is all mine, with a large window overlooking the city, you can see it here if you scroll down. The other is a child therapy room, used by tree cis women (at different times) who are trans-friendly. They see kids (obviously) who are mostly neurodiverse, with some neurotypical kids as well. You may see a child briefly in the waiting room, sometimes a parent, but often it’s empty as lots of parents like to drop their kids and do some errands with their spare hour. Either way, I like to run right on time for appointments, so you will rarely be left waiting. I have quite a few LGBTQIA+ and trans posters around to make it clear where I stand, and I’ve relabelled the single bathroom / toilet with a gender neutral sign. The entrance to my clinic is from the rear, not the street, so those coming here can feel reasonably private if that is needed.

If I sound like the type of person you could work with, please get in touch via the enquiry form below.