Childhood trauma is an event, situation, or environment you experienced as a child that left you feeling vulnerable and feeling like you couldn’t count on the world or other people to keep you safe. For many, childhood trauma has the unfortunate consequence of affecting your ways of thinking and of relating to the world and others as an adult. This can lead you to find life at times challenging and difficult in ways that you might not be able to logically explain.

We all start life with a family, whether that family is blood relatives, adopted parents or a foster family. Our families influence almost every aspect of our lives, from our first moments to our last. Our families go through lots of changes throughout our lives and, because of this, it’s normal to have problems with your family life from time to time. But, it can be comforting to know that, whatever issues your family is facing, there is help and support available. Counselling can help you overcome difficult times together.

Anxiety is a normal part of life. Our nervous system and amygdala sends us feelings and warnings to keep us safe. We can feel anxious whether there is a real or perceived threat to our wellbeing. But sometimes we feel overwhelmed by these feelings and cannot cope. I can help you learn tools and techniques to enable you to move forward with confidence.

Inadequacy ( not being good enough) is experienced by everyone at some point in our lives. When feelings of inadequacy creep into our minds we can feel low self-worth, incompetence, powerlessness, and even shame. These feelings and thoughts can begin to interfere with our ability to function in daily live. Maybe you struggle to maintain relationships, succeed at work or in school, or feel happy, content and fulfilled in your life. Together we can explore any underlying issues that may incite those feelings may help.

When we feel anxious, we can feel uneasy and may experience physical symptoms such as chest pain and dizziness. For some people, this anxiety can become so intense that it triggers a panic attack. This is where you can feel overwhelmed with fear and experience extreme physical symptoms. After this you may start avoiding certain situations or people. I can help you cope by learning a variety of tools and techniques to regain control of your life.

We can all feel low or anxious from time to time. If you’re going through difficult times or you’re feeling sad, you should seek help and support early on. Being depressed can show itself in different ways and each person's experience will be different. Symptoms include:

• lack of interest and unable to enjoy things you normally enjoy

• being reluctant to engage in usual activities or leave your house

• feeling tired

• sleeping too much or too little

• loss of appetite or eating more than usual

• losing or gaining weight over a relatively short time

• losing confidence in yourself and feeling life is pointless

• being self-critical and feeling guilty

• having suicidal thoughts.