Thank-you for visiting my site. Making a decision about seeking counselling for yourself or a loved one is a significant decision and I hope that the information provided here will be helpful to you.

Is therapy for you?

Let's start with where you want to be when you don't feel you need therapy anymore. Here are some examples which might ring true for you. You might want to:

Feel genuinely happy in your own skin / body / ways of being

Be able to actually relax

Have a sense of direction and purpose

To reconnect, or connect for the first time, with the you behind all the roles you play

How are you now?

Perhaps you have circumstances you want to change

Or relationships that feel entangled or painful

Maybe it's as though the “same old” dynamics and situations keep happening

Maybe you're sick of running, striving, trying all the things

You may have already done some personal work but it's time to go deeper

You mightn't have the words

You might be aware of difficult emotions or you may not feel much of anything

You know you need to be seen and heard as you truly are (terrifying though that might feel)

You are serious about wanting deep and lasting change and have the time, space and willingness to commit

What's next?

Please have a look around to see if we seem to resonate. If so, just reach out and we'll plan for an intro chat. No strings. We'll only go ahead if there's a genuine fit and expectations align.

My office is in Carrickfergus, 12 miles along the coast from Belfast in Northern Ireland. I also work online via Zoom.

Supervision

Are you looking for a supervision experience which is a little bit - or a lot! - different? Maybe you have a niche you are developing, a particular client group you want to learn more about, maybe you are training in one of the approaches I use ... or maybe you are simply curious and want to see what would emerge if you allowed yourself to step outside the norm?

I work in a very relational way, utilising our supervision relationship to facilitate and shed light on the therapeutic processes you are engaged in. I bring lenses of IFS and relational neuroscience to our work and I incorporate creative approaches. You won't be bored!

IFS

"A part of me thinks ... another part of me wonders ..." If this is you and you're open to the idea of working with your "parts" IFS might be a good fit.

Internal Family Systems is an internationally renowned approach to therapy. It is particularly effective for developmental (childhood) and complex trauma. IFS is based on the idea that aspects of ourselves get "stuck" or weighed down in certain roles. These parts tend to be very good at protecting the more traumatised aspects of ourselves, however this in itself holds the whole person back as it prevents deeper healing, integration and fulfilment.

Jungian Sandplay

This is a gentle, non verbal approach which can affect powerful change on a deep level often inaccessible to our "thinking" minds.

The sandplay process is rooted in the psychological theories of Carl Jung. Jung focused on unconscious processes and introduced many concepts which influence modern psychology, philosophy, literature, art and culture. These include extroversion and introversion, MBTI personality tests, synchronicity, symbolism and dream interpretation.

Neurodiversity

I'm neurodivergent myself (autistic, ADHD, highly sensitive)

I love co-creating and re-imagining the therapy space with fellow neurodivergent people. Many come to me at various stages on their journeys of self discovery and may be unlearning deficit based identifications and self concepts. As traditional therapy settings and "norms" have often been unhelpful for us, my desire is to offer a space which is neurodivergence affirming and celebratory at its core. SPINS and stims are welcome and encouraged; eye contact and sitting in chairs opposite each other is rather rare and we do actually often smile and enjoy the connection we share!

Introducing Circles

I find that a significant number of people who I have spoken with over the years are seeking support but do not necessarily need psychotherapy ... in fact sometimes they are aware of this themselves but what they are seeking remains somewhat elusive.

It was with these factors in mind that I became interested in facilitating groups and began looking into training. And I began to envision a way to not only increase accessibility in general but also to diversify my offerings into other types of relevant support.

And this is where Circles come in. The Circle format has been around for a very long time. Consider how our ancestors in pretty much every ancient culture of the world used to gather around a fire! These were multi-generational spaces where people shared their lives. They also marked significant rites of passage, grieved together, celebrated success. Often there was an element of ritual or ceremony, bringing a "specialness" to the space. It was so ordinary in its familiarity yet "other" in the comfort, connection and belonging it offered.

Have we forgotten what we used to know?

Circles are mutual spaces where we both offer and receive attentive listening and compassion. There is "room" for everyone to be seen and heard and for great depth to be held within each Circle.

If this piques your interest, I have a number of Circles which are open and forming at present. Please go to www.circleswithsiana.com

for further information.

Know all the theories,
Master all the techniques,
But as you touch a human soul
be just another human soul.

Carl Jung