Woman in silhouette looking towards a beautiful sunrise, about to be illuminated I wanted to write a bit about shame today: I think it's the most corrosive and insidious of all emotions. It's actually quite unusual for someone to recognise that what they are feeling is shame; often it doesn’t look anything like what we imagine shame to look like. It can look like struggling to hold somebody’s gaze when eye contact suddenly feels too direct... seeing a message from somebody yo

I’m so excited to welcome you to my beautiful new therapy room, where I'll now be on Tuesdays - Thursdays every week. You can now book in person sessions in my new room at Exeter Wellbeing Hub on Queen Street in Exeter; a fantastic central location with plenty of parking nearby and Exeter Central station just an easy 2-3 minute walk away. I’ve got a couple of spaces on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 8.30am - 2pm, plus ad hoc afternoons and evening spaces on request. If yo

I’ve been thinking a lot about the term 'self abandonment” recently and wondering if it could be a bit misleading. Trying to make sense of my childhood experiences and what was referred to as a "weak sense of self" was something I’ve often talked about in my personal therapy over the years. For a while, it helped me make sense of why I found it so hard to name my needs when my therapist asked me, or constantly agonised over making any decision, big or small. The more I’ve re

Now available: a guided meditation to help you to compassionately connect with your inner child

With around 1 in 5 adults saying that they have experienced emotional abuse, there's a high chance that someone you know and love is going through this. But this type of abuse can be so subtle and insidious that it's very hard to see from the outside. It can come as a huge shock to find out that someone you know well is in an abusive relationship. When people think of abuse, they may imagine something like a scene in a film or series, where there is shouting, aggression and f

Emotional neglect in childhood is one of the most invisible forms of wounding because it is often not about what happened to a child, but what did not happen. There may have been no obvious abuse, no shouting, no single event to point to. Instead, there is often an absence — an absence of emotional attunement, safety, validation and connection. In my therapy work, I often see clients who carry a quiet but persistent feeling that they don't truly matter. Rationally, they may k

Here are some resources that I've put together, if emotional misattunement is something that resonates with you: Books Running on Empty by Jonice Webb Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller YouTube videos Heidi Priebe YouTube Channel Heidi speaks beautifully about attachment wounds, emotional neglect, people-pleasing, toxic shame, and healing insecure attachment patterns. Emotional Neglect: Healing Fr

If you're feeling stuck or notice that patterns in your life keep reoccurring, then it might be worth considering if you a false narrative about yourself is at work. It might be a version of “I’m not good enough" such as: “It’s probably easier if I don’t say anything.” “I’ll just go along with it.” “It’s fine.” (I can't tell you how many times I hear this one in therapy sessions - especially when it’s clearly very much not fine.) On the surface, this can look like being easy-

Inner child healing Thanks to encouragement and feedback from my lovely clients, I'm thrillled to offer an intensive inner child-focussed therapy course. What does it include? 3 x 60 minute sessions of inner child-focussed therapy The course will include a guided inner child meditation, story writing exercise, journal prompts and other bespoke exercises and resources. Cost: £200 I have opened up sessions next week including the weekend, so if you'd like to connect with your i

Limerence: initially day dreaming about someone, but then it becomes something much more anxiety-inducing

A list of topic-specific book recommendations from a book-loving therapist

I've realised I've been a bit quiet on social media recently, so wanted to reassure you that I'm still here! I've had lots of enquiries and new clients booked in this month, so I thought it could be helpful to answer some of their questions about me and how I work. I'm going to go into more detail about the specific approaches, interventions, tools and resources I like to use, so this post is going to be more of an overview of how I work as a self esteem therapist. So what is

"Who am I?” I know - it’s a big question, possibly one of *the* big questions to answer, especially in therapy. If it comes up for a...

Self abandonment: reconnecting with your inner child

Have you ever found yourself caught in a spiral of overthinking? Looping thoughts, what-ifs, or harsh inner dialogue can leave you wondering, "Why am I like this?" Perhaps your body feels tense, your chest is tight, and you’re exhausted from trying to “think your way out” of something that never seems to budge.

Woman honouring her inner child, at a serene lake at sunrise

Healing your inner child is the key to learning how to set boundaries, stop overthinking and heal unhealthy patterns of behaviour.

A grey cat basks contentedly in the sunlight, sitting on top of two printed cushions Self esteem impacts nearly every aspect of our lives...

The invisible effects of fathers on their daughters. My parents split up when I was a baby; my sister and I stayed with my mum, who soon...

Humans are wired for connection (Dr Stephen Porges, Polyvagal Theory). Relationships can be one of the most fulfilling aspects of life,...