MY STORY
In 2018, after 15 years as a writer, I made the decision to retrain as a psychologist. I began by completing a Psychology MSc, while volunteering for Crisis Text Line and Cruse Bereavement Care. In 2020, I was accepted onto the Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology at the University of East London.
This course provided me with three years’ NHS experience as a trainee counselling psychologist, working with depression, anxiety, long-term health conditions, perinatal conditions, addiction, bereavement and psychosexual difficulties. Post-university, I spent 15 months working in a London-based IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) service, specialising in PTSD arising from childhood trauma, sexual assault and domestic abuse.
Before training in psychology, my writing career cultivated within me a sensitivity to narrative and language which now informs my clinical work. Writing remains a vital part of my life, and I often explore themes around mental health, sexuality and gender through reflective and research-led pieces.