My journey to becoming a psychotherapist has been long, varied and, at times, deeply challenging. Looking back, each stage of my life has shaped not only who I am as a person but also how I work as a therapist today.
I was born and grew up in Durban, South Africa, during the 1960s and 1970s. My childhood was filled with family, friends, surfing, sunshine and the extraordinary landscapes and wildlife of Africa. At the same time, I witnessed the inequalities, violence and social divisions of apartheid. Those early experiences left me with a lasting curiosity about human nature, relationships and the impact that our environments have on emotional wellbeing.
After leaving school and completing my compulsory national service as a police officer, I spent many years searching for work that felt meaningful. Along the way I worked in a variety of professions, including jewellery design, business management, architectural technology, nursing and midwifery. Although these careers were very different, each taught me something about people, resilience and the many ways we respond to life's challenges.
During my nurse training I encountered the work of Carl Rogers, whose person-centred philosophy profoundly influenced the way I understood helping relationships. Rather than seeing people as problems to be solved, Rogers emphasised the importance of empathy, acceptance and genuine human connection. Those ideas have remained at the heart of my work ever since.
Over the years my practice has continued to evolve. While my work remains firmly grounded in person-centred values, it has also been enriched by relational and psychodynamic thinking. I am interested in how our early experiences and significant relationships continue to shape the way we see ourselves, relate to others and experience the world. Above all, I believe that healing takes place within safe, authentic relationships where people feel deeply heard, understood and accepted.
My own life has included experiences of trauma, bereavement, suicide loss, work-related stress, redundancy, health challenges, religious abuse, relationship difficulties and the ordinary struggles that come with family life. Personal therapy has been one of the most important influences on both my life and my work. It taught me the value of being listened to with honesty, compassion and without judgement, and it continues to shape the kind of therapist I strive to be.
Alongside my private practice, I provide clinical supervision for trainee and qualified counsellors and contribute to counsellor education as a Visiting Lecturer at the Cornwall Counselling Institute. I have previously volunteered as a counsellor with We Are With You (formerly Addaction) and as a crisis volunteer with Shout, supporting people experiencing emotional distress and crisis. I also work with several Employee Assistance Programmes, providing psychotherapy for employees experiencing work-related stress and a wide range of personal difficulties.
My professional background includes more than 30 years of clinical experience across healthcare, nursing and psychotherapy. Working within healthcare has given me a deep appreciation of the relationship between physical health, emotional wellbeing and the wider social, cultural and economic contexts in which people live.
Outside my professional life, I have been married for over 40 years and am the father of three grown-up daughters and grandfather to one grandson. I continue to find joy in surfing, cold-water swimming, walking, music, film, nature and thoughtful conversations about philosophy, psychology and spirituality.
I consider it a privilege to accompany people through some of the most difficult periods of their lives. Whether you are coming to therapy because of a specific problem or simply because life feels difficult to navigate, my hope is that together we can create a relationship where you feel safe enough to explore your experience, discover new understanding and move towards a more fulfilling way of living.
Qualifications & Professional Membership
- MA Counselling and Psychotherapy Practice (in progress), Bath Spa University
- BA (Hons) Counselling Studies and Supervision
- Level 5 Diploma in Person-Centred Counselling
- Foundation Certificate in Bereavement Counselling
- Level 3 Award in Education and Training
- Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills
- Diploma in General Nursing
- Diploma in Midwifery
- Certificate in Primary Health Care
- BACP Accredited Member
- Member of the Person-Centred Association (TPCA)
- Member of the World Association for Person-Centred & Experiential Psychotherapy & Counselling (WAPCEPC)
- Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)
- Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)
- Enhanced DBS Certificate
"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being." Albert Schweitzer
Photos courtesy of Wildscape Photography
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