Food For Thought Therapy - Llandudno

I have over ten years of clinical experience across NHS mental health services, specialist eating-disorder services, trauma-informed psychotherapy services and private practice.

My professional training includes a BSc in Psychology, an MSc in Integrative Psychotherapy, a Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and a further Postgraduate Diploma specialising in CBT for Eating Disorders. I have also completed EMDR Practitioner Training and further professional training in Schema Therapy.

I am a BABCP Accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, a Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP) and a Graduate Member of the British Psychological Society (GMBPsS).

My principal areas of experience include OCD, eating disorders, including ARFID, binge eating disorder, anorexia and bulimia, emetophobia, trauma, PTSD, Complex PTSD, body-image difficulties and neurodivergence. I frequently work with complex or overlapping experiences that do not fit neatly within one diagnosis.

I have experience supporting LGBTQIA+ and GSRD clients whose reasons for seeking therapy may be directly connected to gender, sexuality or relationships, entirely unrelated to identity, or shaped by the interaction between several experiences. This may include minority stress, discrimination, rejection, concealment, shame or difficult family, cultural and religious messages. It may also involve questions about identity or belonging alongside OCD, eating difficulties, trauma or neurodivergence.

My further professional development includes Inference-Based CBT, Exposure and Response Prevention, CBT for adult ADHD, adapting therapy for autistic clients, ADHD and eating disorders, dissociation, PTSD and Complex PTSD, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, ACT, Motivational Interviewing and adapting EMDR for neurodivergent clients.

Alongside my therapy practice, I am the current Chair of the BABCP Eating Disorders Special Interest Group and a Clinical Supervisor for CBT for Eating Disorders at the University of Sheffield. I also provide clinical supervision and professional training to other therapists.

How I Work

My approach is integrative, collaborative and formulation-led. I often describe formulation more simply as developing a shared map of what is happening: what may have contributed to the difficulty, what seems to keep it going now and what might help create meaningful change.

We begin with understanding rather than assuming. Two people may experience similar symptoms for very different reasons, and the same behaviour may serve different purposes depending on someone’s history, identity, neurotype, relationships and environment.

Depending on your needs, our work may draw on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, CBT-E for eating disorders, CBT-AR for ARFID, Inference-Based CBT or Exposure and Response Prevention for OCD, Schema Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Compassion-Focused Therapy or EMDR.

Working integratively does not mean combining techniques without a clear rationale. We use what makes sense, when it makes sense, for a reason we both understand.

My work is LGBTQIA+ and GSRD affirming. I will not approach diverse genders, sexualities or relationship structures as problems to be corrected, nor direct you towards a particular identity or conventional version of relationships or family life.

When OCD becomes focused on sexuality, gender, relationships or what intrusive thoughts might mean about you, it is important not to confuse compulsive doubt with genuine identity exploration. We can examine how OCD creates and maintains doubt without closing down authentic curiosity or using therapy to provide repeated certainty.

Food, eating and body-related distress also require an individual understanding. Difficulties may involve an eating disorder, gender dysphoria, minority stress, trauma, sensory experiences, interoception, social expectations or several overlapping factors. I will not automatically treat all body distress as evidence of an eating disorder or assume that weight and shape concerns have the same meaning across different bodies and identities.

My practice is neurodivergent-affirming. Therapy can be adapted around communication preferences, processing time, sensory needs, executive functioning, focused interests and different ways of expressing or understanding emotions. Adaptation does not mean lowering expectations; it means removing unnecessary barriers and finding ways of working that are genuinely accessible.

My style is active as well as compassionate. I ask questions, explain psychological ideas, share what I notice and offer gentle challenge where it may be useful. You are encouraged to question me too, tell me when something does not fit and participate in decisions about the direction and pace of therapy.

Some sessions may be structured and practical; others may involve slowing down, exploring relationships or making sense of something that remains unclear. There can also be room for humour, creativity and moments of connection alongside difficult work.

Effective therapy brings professional knowledge together with what only you can tell me about being you.