About Acorn Counselling Therapy

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The focus in my counselling work, is on who my clients are as individuals, what they need, who they want to be and working with them in exploring or clarifying specific situations. I say specific, because we are all different and our individual differences must be appreciated. What each person brings to counselling will be unique to them, so I take time to carefully listen to what they have to say. I work with each client to understand their situation, giving them the opportunity to find some space or light, in what can sometimes be, a life that feels very dark, with little room to move.  

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Like many people, my life has brought me into contact with many difficult experiences that can be hard to manage. These include relationships, bereavement, physical health, mental health and the fear that life won’t be the same as you had hoped it would be. My situation is not the same as anyone else's, but it’s important to share that I have an understanding and empathy for what people talk to me about, because I have experienced something similar. This can be important for building a connection between myself and my clients.

I have worked with people who have been affected by many different types of issues especially within the LGBTQ+ community.  My top specialisms are;

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Anxiety

Gender identity

Gender dysphoria

Sexuality

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I worked for the Brighton and Hove branch of Samaritans as a listening volunteer supporting people who were suicidal or in emotional distress on the phone, by email and by text. 

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I volunteered as a counsellor with Mindout, a charity in Brighton, resulting in me working with many clients from the LGBTQ+ community. This, coupled with my own LGBTQ identity, gives me a passion and understanding for Gender, Sexuality and Relationship Diversity (GSRD).

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I am a Mental Health Ally at the Ministry of Justice, supporting the mental health needs of the people that I work with in courts in Sussex and Surrey. I provide a listening ear to people and signpost where necessary to organisations that can offer support.

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