Whether the abuse happened in childhood, adolescence or adulthood, the effects can continue long afterwards. You may experience anxiety, shame, low self-esteem, difficult memories or find it hard to trust other people. You might feel disconnected from yourself or struggle to understand some of the feelings you have now. Sometimes people don't fully recognise or understand what happened to them until many years later, which can bring up all sorts of complicated feelings.

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There is no right way to feel about what you have experienced. You may want to talk about what happened, or you may not want to talk about it at all. Perhaps you want to understand why certain things affect you the way they do now, why relationships can feel difficult, or why experiences from the past still seem to have such a hold on the present.

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Whatever brings you to counselling, I will offer you a warm, accepting and non-judgemental space where you can be heard and believed. You are always in control of what you choose to share. I won't ask you to tell me details you don't want to talk about, and there is no pressure to go anywhere you don't feel ready to go.

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We might explore how what happened has affected the way you see yourself or relate to other people, or begin to make sense of feelings and reactions that have been difficult to understand. We can also notice what is happening for you in the present and what you might need when things feel difficult or overwhelming.

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Some of the ways you have learned to cope may have helped you through incredibly difficult experiences. Rather than judging those parts of yourself, counselling can give us the space to understand them with more compassion.

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What happened to you is part of your story, but it doesn't have to define all of who you are. My role is to walk alongside you as you make sense of your experiences, in your own way and at your own pace.