A few things about me – A Brief Autobiography…
But First…
I know firsthand what it means to struggle with psychological and emotional difficulties.
There was a time, in my own life when my mental health became problematic for me, and it took a long time to feel like myself again. What made the difference was engaging in professional therapy and placing my trust in the therapeutic relationship.
That experience continues to inform how I work today. I understand how difficult it can be to reach out for help — and how important it is to feel taken seriously, not judged or rushed.
Back to the beginning - I am proud to have been born in Hull.
Like many people after leaving school, I found myself searching for where I belonged.
I spent some time in low-paid work before choosing to follow a long-standing dream to become a professional performer.
I trained at Laine Theatre Arts in Epsom, Surrey—a well-known stage school ‘down south’. After three years, I began a long and successful career as a performer and teacher, travelling to many parts of the UK, and meeting lots of different folk from all walks of life.
These encounters offered me a lived understanding of how identity, confidence, vulnerability, and connection are shaped through our relationship with others.
Alongside my work as a performer, I resumed my education and started to lecture at University…
BA (Hons) in Contemporary Dance, First Class Honours (2001) Master’s degree in Contemporary Performance Practice (2004)
Both the University of HullThe University of Huddersfield awarded me my Teaching Degree.
Relationality and the Arts…
Running through this period was a sustained interest in how people come to recognise their abilities and find permission to express themselves. I was drawn to the belief that the arts are not reserved for a few, but belong to anyone who feels moved to participate.
This orientation led me into a range of roles as a performer, teacher, choreographer, and director and manager, working within community settings, further and higher education, at the University of Hull and also York St John University.
New Beginnings…
Between 2018 and 2019, I experienced redundancy from my Course Leader role in higher education, along with many colleagues and friends with whom I had shared years of working life. This unexpected ending invited a period of reflection and, eventually, another change in direction.
My wish to support others remained unchanged. I chose to retrain as a psychotherapist, offering a relational space where people can feel accompanied as they make sense of experiences that have felt overwhelming, painful, or difficult to carry alone.
Back to today…
As a psychotherapist my work is grounded in being present with people as they move toward greater understanding, resilience, and self-acceptance.
The photograph above shows me with one of my dogs. I live with five dogs and a cat, and I find balance and restoration in the outdoors—whether walking through muddy footpaths, along the beach, or stepping into the garden to appreciate the flowers; all lovingly grown by my partner, who is the real gardener in our household.
A Place and Space for U First Therapies…
I believe it matters that support is offered with an awareness of financial realities.
The NHS is currently experiencing considerable strain; this often means, depending on waiting lists, they normally offer 6 to 12 sessions of counselling or technique-driven Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
My hope is that U First Therapies can promptly offer affordable relational therapy, helping people maintain continuity in their therapeutic support, whether as an alternative to, or following, NHS provision.
Accessible and affordable therapy
For me, that means doing what feels reasonable without compromising the depth and safety of the work, and without overlooking my own economic realities.
During the pandemic, I shifted U First Therapies to work entirely online, so support could continue without interruption. When my expenses came down, because I had no need pay for travel and room hire, I decided to share those savings by lowering my fees.
My current fee is £45 per one-hour session, which is below a typical private therapy rate of £60+ per hour.
The first consultation is free of charge.
Mobile: 07485015243
e-mail: ufirsttherapies@gmail.com
Messenger: https://www.m.me/ufirsttherapies/
Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/837689
Affordable psychotherapeutic counselling for adults in Hull, The East Riding of Yorkshire and online across the UK.