About Me

Hello, my name’s Lis and I am a UKCP-registered integrative psychotherapist. This means that I have trained in a range of therapeutic approaches, so I can tailor our work to suit your unique needs and experiences.

My desire to help people developed from a young age, and I have always loved learning about human behaviour and development. I am incredibly passionate about helping people transition from a state of surviving to thriving, and supporting them to develop increased self-awareness and confidence to navigate difficult experiences.

I truly believe that we should all have the opportunity to flourish, to achieve, to fulfil our potential, and to feel content in life.

Some people come to me looking for strategies and solutions; others need help to heal relational or developmental wounds, and to really feel seen and heard. I can support you with all of these things.

I am not an ‘expert’ with all the answers – no one is! Instead, I offer a supportive, authentic relationship based on acceptance and respect, and walk alongside you to find the answers and healing that you need.

For some people, this involves exploring the past. For others, the work remains more in the present.

Over the years I have added a lot to my ‘therapy toolbox’ (and continue to do so through ongoing Continual Professional Development).

While much of my work is traditional talk therapy, at times I also incorporate body work, breath work, creative approaches and nature, and have many practical resources to use where these are helpful.

As a holistic, non-pathologising practitioner, I consider each of my clients as a unique and complex individual within a wider system or context, rather than focusing solely on a set of symptoms, a diagnosis or an isolated problem. This acknowledges the complexity of their experiences, and promotes healing beyond just symptom management.

Furthermore, I believe that emotional distress is a normal and understandable reaction to difficult or traumatic experiences a person has encountered.

My approach involves acknowledging, normalising and validating these experiences and their consequences, rather than pathologising them.

People develop all sorts of creative coping strategies to survive difficult situations (which often work brilliantly when they are first developed, but can cause a great deal of problems and pain further down the line).

I believe it is far better to approach these with compassion and understanding rather than judgement.

Then we can start to look at what is and isn’t working anymore, and how we can improve things.

Qualifications, Professional membership and Continuing Professional Development

I completed my undergraduate degree in Psychology in 2004 and my Certificate in Counselling skills in 2005.

I then went on to complete a graduate certificate (2013), postgraduate certificate (2014) and postgraduate diploma (2015) in Integrative Psychotherapy.

I was awarded my MSc in Integrative Psychotherapy in 2019.

I am an accredited clinical member of UPCA (Universities Psychotherapy & Counselling Association) and a registered clinical member of UKCP (United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy).

I abide by both the UPCA’s ‘Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics’ and the UKCP’s ‘Ethical Principles and Code of Professional Conduct’.

I am committed to continuing my professional development and read extensively to further develop my skills and knowledge. I also regularly attend workshops and further training. Some of the areas I have focused on developing further include: inner child work, using creative techniques, nervous system regulation, complex trauma, somatic work (working with the body), and breathwork.

A little bit more about me

I live in a village close to the Warwickshire / Worcestershire border with my husband and two young children.

I attend regular personal therapy myself which I believe really benefits my work as a therapist and helps me to nurture my own psychological health so that I am best placed to help my clients.

My self-care habits include trail running (and stopping to take lots of photos*), yoga/meditation/breathwork, reading, messing around with my watercolour paints and spending time in nature.

*All nature photographs on my website are my own, mostly taken from my trail-running adventures. I strongly believe that a connection with nature holds one of the keys to our overall wellbeing.