About Me

As a humanistic counsellor, I believe that we each have the capacity for change, even when life feels overwhelming or uncertain.My path into counselling came from lived experience — from struggling in my formative years with addiction, mental health issues and undiagnosed ADHD, to more recent but no less profound experiences of coming to terms with the messiness of life in both it's joys and in its pain.It left me with a deep respect for how hard it can be just to keep going, and a drive to offer others the kind of space I believe all us need: where you feel seen, understood, and not alone.I'm particularly drawn to the profound effects of the natural world on our mental and emotional well-being, making nature-based therapy a core part of my philosophy.

I hold a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling and have worked in NHS, third sector and private institutions providing me with a broad range of experience in the field of mental health, alcohol and substance misuse and gambling addiction with both adolescents and adults.This is complemented in my current work by a number of years experience working in the nature conservation field, where I led practical, educational and nature connection groups for the general public and hold a Level 3 Diploma in Countryside Management and Environment Studies.In our sessions my commitment is to create a confidential and compassionate environment. I'm here to support you in exploring your experiences, gain fresh perspectives on what feels stuck, and navigate your life transitions with greater clarity and resilience.My goal is to help you cultivate a deeper connection with yourself and ultimately to be who you want to be.

Why Counselling?

Many of my clients come to therapy carrying feelings of overwhelm, disconnection, or emotional exhaustion. You might be facing a difficult decision, struggling with anxiety, low mood, or simply finding it hard to make sense of how you feel. Whatever you're carrying, therapy offers a space to explore it — gently, at your own pace, and with support.Through counselling, I help individuals like you find clarity, build resilience, and reconnect with what matters most — so you can move forward with greater ease and self-understanding.

You might resonate with my approach if you are...

Struggling with feelings of shame, self-doubt and insecurity
Experience tells me that often these are the core issues that stop us from being able to be more truly ourselves.

Feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety and depression
Particularly when it leaves you feeling paralyzed or unable to act.

Struggling with ADHD-related difficulties
Counselling - particularly in nature - can help to improve focus, emotional regulation and reduce rates of burnout.

Seeking to reconnect with your emotions
And rediscover what truly brings you joy and purpose.

Looking for a holistic approach to wellbeing
You're drawn to the healing power of nature and seeking a therapeutic experience that engages both mind and body.

Longing for a fresh perspective
On old problems or new challenges.

In addiction recovery
And seeking to move beyond your compulsive behaviours.

For individuals who haven't found success with traditional therapy
The dynamic and expansive outdoor environment can provide shifts where standard therapy has proven ineffective.

How I Work

My approach to counselling is rooted in the belief that healing happens best when therapy meets you where you are — emotionally, physically, and practically. I work in a humanistic way, which means I ultimately believe in the capacity for each of us, if given the right support, to find what is meaningful in our lives.While I offer sessions outdoors in natural settings, I also work online and in-room. For many, being outside brings a sense of ease and grounding — but whether we’re walking among trees or meeting on a screen, the core of the work remains the same: creating a space where you feel safe, seen, and supported to explore what matters most.

Where do Sessions Take Place?

I offer therapy in three ways: outdoors in natural settings, online via video call, and in-room. We’ll choose the format that feels most supportive and accessible for you.For online work, you simply choose a space that is confidential and works for you and we connect via phone or video call. For many this is the easiest, most convenient way of working and for many people is as affective as traditional face-to-face counselling.

For those drawn to working outdoors, I use a range of natural spaces in the South Birmingham area. These environments offer a quiet, grounding backdrop that many clients find calming and clarifying. Whether we walk or sit, being in nature can help ease into the therapeutic process in a gentle and spacious way. See the pictures below for a flavour of what to expect from the surroundings across the seasons.

For those who are not local to Birmingham, or if outdoor sessions aren't feasible, I also offer remote nature-based sessions. You simply choose a space that is confidential and works for you and we connect via phone or video call. This allows us benefit from the grounding presence of the natural environment, even when we're not in the same physical space together.

What to Expect...

  • A Safe and Supportive Space I offer a place where you can be heard, seen, and accepted without judgment. It’s your time and space to share openly at your own pace, knowing that your experience matters.

  • Collaborative Process Therapy is a partnership. Together, we’ll explore the challenges you’re facing and work towards your goals. There’s no pressure or set agenda — just what feels right and useful for you.

  • Exploration and Understanding Our sessions may involve talking, reflecting, and gently exploring thoughts and feelings. Sometimes, you’ll gain new insights that help you understand yourself and your situation more clearly.

  • Practical Growth At times, talking might not feel like enough, so I can support you to build tools and strategies to better manage stress, build resilience, and navigate life’s difficulties with greater confidence and calm.

  • Connection with Nature If you choose to work outdoors we will tap into the calm and rhythm of the environment can help you feel more grounded and open during sessions. Being in nature often supports deeper reflection and emotional ease.

  • Building Presence Whether we meet outdoors, online, or indoors, I seek to meet you wherever you are at in the here-and-now of the present moment.

Why "Nature-Based"?

The therapeutic power of nature is not new. For centuries, people have turned to the natural world for healing, grounding, and perspective. Ancient cultures instinctively recognised what many of us are only now beginning to remember — that time spent in nature supports emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. In modern life, this deep connection has often been lost or obscured beneath busyness, screens, and concrete. But research is catching up, consistently showing that time in nature reduces stress, lifts mood, sharpens focus, and supports overall mental health.This isn't surprising when we consider that humans evolved in natural environments – our minds and bodies are inherently wired to thrive in connection with the living world. Being outdoors can foster a sense of belonging, reduce rumination, and activate a different part of our nervous system that supports calm and reflection.In essence, nature provides a familiar and supportive home for our minds, helping us to process emotions and gain clarity in a way that often feels more intuitive and profound.

Research shows that spending time in natural environments can provide us with a range of benefits for our physical and mental health. Combining this with therapy — talking and exploring difficult feelings — can make it easier for people to open up and heal.Like all counselling, outdoor therapy isn’t about magic or quick fixes. It’s about using the proven benefits of nature alongside professional therapeutic techniques to create a powerful, grounded space for change.For those interested this is a meta-analysis from 2020 that pulls together the various research on nature-therapy's effectiveness:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32179342/

The Benefits of Outdoor Sessions...

  • Fresh Perspectives Stepping out of familiar indoor spaces often helps to shift perspective on challenges, fostering new ways of thinking and problem-solving.

  • Reduced Stress & Anxiety Scientific evidence suggests time in nature can significantly lower stress hormones, reduce anxiety, and improve mood, creating an ideal environment for therapeutic work.

  • Increased Grounding: The natural world provides a powerful sense of presence and stability, helping you to feel more grounded and less overwhelmed.

  • Symbolism & Metaphor: Nature offers rich metaphors for life's processes – growth, change, resilience, and cycles – which can deepen self-understanding and insight.

  • Physical Movement For those who prefer it, walk-and-talk therapy can help to release tension, stimulate thought, and facilitate emotional processing.

  • Enhanced Self-Awareness Being present in nature often encourages a deeper connection with one's inner self, feelings, and intuition.

  • Managing ADHD Symptoms Research shows that time in nature improves focus and reduces impulsivity in those with ADHD.

  • An Essential Tool in Addiction Recovery Time in nature reduces cravings as well as addressing underlying factors in using behaviours and relapse such as stress levels and difficulties with emotional processing.

Plant and Woodcrafts

Alongside my counselling work, I make simple functional and decorative pieces from foraged wood and plants. This process draws on the same values that sit at the heart of my nature-based practice: attentiveness, patience,and respect for the living world. Working with wood and plants invites a slower pace and a different kind of listening — to grain, growth, and form. Many of these woods come from the same outdoor spaces where I carry out my therapeutic work.The pieces I make are not perfect, nor would I want them to be. In fact it is extremely important to me that the imperfections - knots in the wood, chainsaw marks, fungal or insect damage and weathering - are given space to be in the finished item. Like in human relationships, there are always flaws, natural features or scars, wounds that have been acted upon us, that inevitably show up even where we try our best to hide or suppress them. I believe that it is through accepting and even prizing these aspects of ourselves, of our lives and of the things that inhabit our world that beauty, meaning and connection can emerge.

Mounted Epiphytes

Epiphytes are a type of non-parasitic plant that grows on other plants. They are often seen growing on tree bark, or in clumps of moss. They obtain their moisture from the surrounding environment in a range of ways dependent on species, but always without taking from their host.I was first introduced to mounted epiphytes by my wife. In her native Taiwan they’re commonly grown in homes, on the street and in cafes and other businesses (see image below).I was immediately struck by the strange, striking forms and the sense of abundance that emerges from seeing man-made structures dripping with lush greenery. Immediately hooked, we got to work making some for ourselves - initially just for our home, but increasingly for family, friends and more recently paying customers.

The range of epiphytic plants available in the UK is somewhat limited, but still substantial enough to sustain our ongoing experimentation. We primarily use staghorn ferns (Platycerium spp. - particularly the common staghorn fern Platycerium bifurcatum) due to their striking appearance and relative resilience in their non-native climate. As the name suggests, they bare a resemblance to deer antlers, and thus mounted on a wall are reminiscent of a stag's head hunting trophy.Other species we regularly mount include the blue-star fern (Phlebodium aureum), fish-bone cactus (Epiphyllum anguliger) and bromeliads (Bromeliaceae spp), amongst many others.The wood used for the mounts are all either foraged or reclaimed hardwoods. As above (and below) I like rustic, organic forms for that honour the natural make-up of the material, always seeking to preserve the story a given chunk of wood has to tell and provide a setting for the plants that is aesthetically coherent.

Hand-Carved Spoons

I am also an occasional spoon carver, working directly from found wood using only axe and knives. They’re left unsanded — burnished or knife-finished — and shaped to remain close to the material they came from. I like spoons that look rough, organic, like they've been found on the woodland floor.My favourite woods to carve with are birch (Betula spp.), alder (Alnus glutinosa) and cherry (Prunus spp.) foraged almost entirely from local woodlands, parks and gardens.

Below is a sample of some of my work from the past few years...

Fees and Services

First Session
Free
I acknowledge that finding a counsellor, and particularly the right counsellor, can be both expensive and difficult, so I provide our first session free of charge to allow you to get a true feel for whether I'm the right fit for you at this time.One-to-One Counselling
£30 per 50-minute session
Available online via Google MeetNature-Based Therapy / Walk-and-Talk
£30 per 50-minute session
Outdoor sessions held at local natural sites in South Birmingham. Sessions can involve walking or seated work, tailored to your needs and accessibility.Remote Walk-and-Talk (Phone or Video)
£30 per 50-minute session
Take your session into nature wherever you are. We’ll connect by phone or video while you walk, sit, or reflect outdoors.Mounted Ferns
£50 (plus postage and packaging)
If you have seen anything you would like to purchase on the website please reach out. Dependent on availability of materials and season.

Contact Me

For direct bookings simply follow this link to schedule a session:https://calendar.app.google/Li7hAx7p8fdb3D7e7To ask a question, or find out more about how I work, please feel free to get in touch using the form below. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can, usually within 24 hours, and would be glad to hear from you.

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Whether we work together or not, I wish you steadiness, clarity, and connection on your path.