Before training at The Manchester Institute for Psychotherapy, I focused solely on my artwork after achieving my BA (Hons) in Cornwall. I’ve always had a love and passion for painting and all the dramatic mythological stories within the arts and my own unconscious. However, something was always psychologically missing for me; through the discovery of dream analysis, I began my psychotherapy journey, which changed my life for the better.

I completely understand what it is like to sit in a chair and feel vulnerable. For some phenomenal reason, sharing our vulnerability brings great strength, self-awareness and sometimes even clarity.

It’s been an honour to train and now work at The Manchester Institute for Psychotherapy.  My training is within Integrative Transactional Analysis, though I do have many other areas of interest which I draw upon within my therapeutic practice. I have a great interest in Jungian analysis and dream work. I believe that the body, mind and spirit support one another, which is why I also take a more holistic approach using phenomenological inquiry. (Focusing on behaviours, words, tones of voice, body language, and other non verbal responses).

Whatever you choose to share will be held completely within a confidential and respected environment. I take a non-judgemental approach when working with my clients, and respect their individuality. I offer a safe and secure space whilst I accompany you on your journey. I will be there as a support and guide for you throughout the whole process; you will lead the way and choose when to open certain doors, and I will respect your choice when choosing to do so or not.

Face to face therapy is how I choose to work as I find it is far more rewarding, as it holds a much more potent therapeutic experience. However, I am aware times are changing. I do offer very limited times and spaces for those individuals with exceptional circumstances for online therapy.

Because the foundations of security begin in relationship and specifically, the first relationship we experience with our primary caregivers. I believe in the importance of relationship within the therapeutic setting.  Transactional Analysis is a collaborative treatment for individuals who wish to explore new possibilities and challenge core beliefs in service of growth and change.  Within the working relationship, you will have the opportunity to examine how you relate to yourself internally and with others interpersonally. We will look at present-day relationships as well as childhood influences, and how these impact on the formation of self.  Safety, care and compassion are my guiding principals when working therapeutically. 

Within my practice I use an Integrative approach to Transactional Analysis, incorporating Mindfulness and bodywork techniques. I have a Level 7 Diploma in Integrative Psychotherapy which I obtained from the Manchester Institute for Psychotherapy. I am registered with the UKCP and support my work through regular supervision.

I am passionate about the potential for personal growth, change and empowerment. I believe that through the therapeutic alliance you can experience nurture and challenge, healing and growth, and the realisation of your potential. 

I love introducing the simplicity and inclusivity of Eric Berne’s model of psychotherapy to clients. I genuinely believe that therapy should be open, honest, and authentic and I like to use the therapeutic relationship as the vehicle for personal change. I provide warmth, nurture and empathy whilst also offering gentle and constructive challenge.  I believe that it is only in challenge and discomfort with the right guidance and support that the shift will happen for you.

After leaving university I trained as an Advice and Guidance Counsellor and worked for 16 years as a Connexions Personal Adviser with young people aged 16- 19 helping them overcome personal barriers to attainment. I was a holistic practitioner providing advice, guidance, and support on a range of issues including housing and homelessness, alcohol and drug misuse, parenting, and teenage pregnancy, being in care and leaving care and youth offending. I undertook a Masters in the Psychology of Education to complement this work and to satisfy my curiosity in psychology.  After a career break when I had my children I returned to work at a private care organisation providing supervision and support to the most amazing and caring staff.

I am a reflective practitioner committed to my own personal therapy and to clinical supervision – I do not advocate for something I have not personally experienced and believe in.

Psychotherapy came along at just the right time in my life and has had a significant impact; helping me address some unhelpful patterns from the past and improve my relationships greatly. Prior to becoming a therapist, I worked in the private sector, managing people and projects across the fields of publishing and digital media; but a seed of an idea planted 20 years ago to pursue a career as a therapist kept calling back to me. I now believe this is where I was always meant to be.  

For me, the most important thing in therapy is the relationship between client and therapist; to find a therapist who you feel comfortable enough with to open up and be vulnerable with. When that relationship works in a co-creative way, we can transform something that we perceived as ‘broken’ into something more beautiful and stronger than ever before. It is a great privilege to do this work, and as a result I aim to offer a safe space which honours the uniqueness of each client, tailoring the work to their individual needs. I passionately believe that therapy ultimately offers us the opportunity to find our way home to our truest selves and reach our highest human potential. 

I have found Transactional Analysis therapy has given me the tools with which to decide what I want out of life and has facilitated me changing my life in order to address my own goals.

If you are struggling in your relationships or career or feeling stressed or depressed, I will listen non-judgementally while we build our therapeutic relationship and will support you in finding solutions to your problems. I have enjoyed getting to know clients from diverse backgrounds and have found all my clients’ progress personally rewarding.

Having worked as a teacher of English and Performing Arts I enjoy creativity and forming productive working relationships with others. I believe that we together create the therapy and the more of ourselves we bring to it the more effective it will be.

I know how difficult it can be to reach out for help and how hard it can be to break established patterns of behaviour, but we are all capable of change and moving closer towards happiness and realizing our own unique human potential.

Hello, I’m Fiona. I’m a qualified counsellor and coach working in person at the Manchester Institute or online. I can support you to work through the difficulties in your personal and/or work life that stop you from moving forward by building a trusting relationship with you and providing you with a safe, supportive space for exploring whatever it is that’s going on for you. I can work with you to facilitate your thinking, enable you to explore your feelings and emotions and encourage you to have belief in yourself to come to the right decisions for you in your life.

My base training over a number of years, from an initial skills course through to a post-graduate diploma in Counselling & Psychotherapy at Manchester College and Salford University, is in person-centred counselling and the three core conditions of this approach – being empathic, non-judgemental and genuine, are the personal foundations of my practise. I love to learn and continuing to develop professionally is really important to me. Since qualifying, I have also trained as a coach and begun to explore a more integrative approach, as I find some people, especially with work issues, prefer a more solution-focused way of working.

I have come to counselling and coaching later in life after a long career in the arts and creative industries, but I have always found working with people on a one to one basis has been enjoyable and rewarding. I bring myself, and the belief I have gained through my own experiences of finding my way through life, to my work. And this, together with my training, gives me the confidence to believe that there can be a way through for life’s challenges for all of us with the right support and space to work things through.

Feeling vulnerable and overwhelmed by life’s events can happen to any of us and usually occurs at the most inappropriate time. Do you feel unable to make sense of how you feel? Do you have difficulties in relationships? Have you noticed the same patterns of behaviour happening repetitively in your life? Do you have low self-confidence/self-esteem? Do you suffer with anxiety and/or depression? If you have answered yes to any of the above, then I may be able to help you.

I have a Level 7 Diploma in Integrative Psychotherapy graduating from the Manchester Institute for Psychotherapy. My clinical experience covers a wide range of issues from bereavement, stress, anxiety, depression, emotional neglect, trauma and abuse. I am a member of the UKCP and working towards post graduate accreditation. I am also a member of the BACP.

I offer an empathetic, professional and friendly environment where you can feel safe and comfortable enough to talk about your concerns in a confidential setting. I would aim to work with you holistically, encompassing all aspects. Together we can work towards you reaching ways to manage difficulties, develop yourself and make positive life choices.

I am nearing the end of my advanced clinical training at the Manchester Institute of Psychotherapy and have found my understanding of myself and others to have been transformed by the process. I am passionate about the benefits therapy can bring, the insights it can reveal and the emotional education that occurs during the therapy session. 

My background is in music, performance and teaching, and am therefore very interested in helping people who experience performance anxiety. However I also specialise in many of the issues that surface through our modern daily lives; depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, a feeling of being stuck, or just when things don’t feel quite right.

I provide a safe space where any issue or difficulty can be explored openly, without judgement and work with clients to help them understand and reconnect with what is most important to them in their lives.  I encourage you to take a step forward and see for yourself what a difference therapy can make.

I am registered with the UKCP and subscribe to their code of conduct and am supported in my work through regular supervision.