ABOUT ME

Chartered Counselling Psychologist, accredited in CBT and EMDR

Background

I moved to London in 1997 and qualified as a Counselling Psychologist in 2008. During my training, I worked in forensic and addictions settings and in NHS mental health services. I went on to complete specialist training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy at Royal Holloway, University of London, while working in an adult NHS mental health service in North London, where I also supervised trainee psychologists and CBT therapists.

I later became a senior lecturer on the Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology at London Metropolitan University. In 2016 I joined The Mindworks, a private clinic in the City of London, while developing my own private practice.

My Approach

Research consistently shows that the therapeutic relationship is one of the strongest predictors of change, and I see it as more important than any single model. My aim is for therapy to feel like a place where it's possible to be honest, including about the things that are hardest to say. The work can be exploratory, a chance to understand oneself more fully, perhaps in therapy for the first time. It can also be more focused, building on previous therapy or on a specific intervention already in mind.

Over the years, I have continued to train in approaches that have shaped how I work. I work integratively, drawing on EMDR, CBT and the third-wave approaches of Compassion Focused Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Attachment theory informs how I understand the patterns people bring, and I use Internal Family Systems (IFS) and ego-state frameworks to work with the different, sometimes conflicting, parts of a person's inner world.

How EMDR changed my practice

EMDR has been particularly significant in the development of my work. After experiencing it myself, I trained and became accredited in 2021. What struck me was its ability to reach what insight alone often cannot. Distressing experiences can remain stored in memory together with the emotions, body sensations and beliefs that were present at the time, such as "I'm not safe" or "I'm not good enough", continuing to shape reactions in the present. EMDR, using bilateral stimulation such as eye movements, helps the brain process these memories so that they lose their emotional charge and can be integrated. Change often comes at the level of how something feels, not only how it is understood.

Professional qualifications and memberships

Chartered Counselling Psychologist, British Psychological Society
Associate Fellow, British Psychological Society
Registered Practitioner Psychologist, Health and Care Professions Council
Accredited CBT Therapist, British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies
Accredited EMDR Therapist, EMDR UK & Europe

Alongside my formal qualifications, I undertake ongoing professional development and regular clinical supervision.

A little more about me

I grew up in Sweden and have lived and worked in the UK since 1997, so I know from my own experience the particular challenges of building a life away from one's country of origin. These can include feeling displaced both here and at home, feeling less like oneself when speaking a second language, or missing people and places in ways that are hard to explain to those around. There can be a quiet sense of loss that is difficult to name, alongside questions of identity and belonging. Therapy can offer space to explore these experiences, and sessions are available in English, Swedish or a combination of both.

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