Hello, I’m Christina
Trainee Integrative Psychotherapeutic Counsellor
I’m Christina, a trainee Integrative Psychotherapeutic Counsellor with a background in education and a longstanding curiosity about people: how we grow, how our experiences shape us and how we come to understand ourselves and our relationships.
I offer a calm, collaborative space where you can pause, reflect and explore whatever has brought you to therapy. You don’t need to arrive with a diagnosis, a clearly defined problem or an idea of what you want to change. We can begin with where you are.
Why counselling?
My professional background in education deepened my interest in emotional wellbeing and the many different ways people experience and respond to the world around them.
Working with people also gave me an insight into how our early experiences, relationships and environments can influence the way we think, feel and connect with others. Over time, this curiosity led me towards counselling and professional training as a psychotherapeutic counsellor.
For me, therapy is not simply about identifying something that is “wrong” and trying to fix it. It can be an opportunity to understand yourself more fully, recognise patterns and consider what you might want to carry forward differently.
Sometimes that leads to change. Sometimes it brings greater acceptance, clarity or compassion. Often, it begins by creating the time and space to explore.
My approach
I work integratively, which means I draw on different therapeutic ideas and approaches rather than expecting every person to fit within one particular model.
Therapy is shaped around you: your experiences, your circumstances and what feels helpful or meaningful to explore. Our work might involve talking and reflecting, noticing emotional or relational patterns, considering the influence of past experiences or finding different ways to express and understand what you are experiencing.
My approach is relational and collaborative. I won’t position myself as the expert on your life or tell you what you should do. Instead, we will explore together with openness, curiosity and care.
You don’t have to reach a crisis point before you are allowed to ask for support. You may have been coping for years and begun to realise that coping and feeling okay are not necessarily the same thing.
Equally, you may not be able to explain exactly what feels wrong. You may simply know that something feels difficult, repetitive, disconnected or unresolved.
You don’t need to have it all figured out. We can start there.
The influence of Transactional Analysis
Transactional Analysis is one of the approaches that informs my work.
I was drawn to its accessible way of exploring how our early experiences can shape the beliefs we develop about ourselves, other people and relationships. It can help us notice familiar patterns in how we think, feel, communicate and respond, particularly when those patterns seem to repeat despite our efforts to change them.
Developing greater awareness of these patterns does not mean judging or rejecting the ways we have learned to cope. Often, they developed for understandable reasons. Therapy can give us an opportunity to approach them with curiosity and consider whether they continue to serve us now.
Transactional Analysis places importance on self-awareness, personal growth and authentic relationships. These principles sit naturally alongside the collaborative and exploratory way I work.
What it might feel like to work with me
I aim to offer a space in which you feel heard, respected and able to be honest about what you are experiencing.
That does not mean you need to disclose everything immediately or talk about anything before you feel ready. Trust can take time, and therapy can move at a pace that feels manageable for you.
There may be moments of insight, uncertainty, challenge, humour, emotion or quiet reflection. There may not always be a neat explanation or an immediate answer.
That’s okay.
My professional training and status
I am currently working towards qualifying as a UKCP-registered psychotherapist.
I believe it is important that you have clear and transparent information about my current professional status before deciding whether you would like to work with me.
I am currently undertaking professional training as a Psychotherapeutic Counsellor on a UKCP-accredited training programme at the Ellesmere Centre, Hull, HU8 9BA. As part of my training, I have reached the stage where I am approved to work with clients in private practice under regular clinical supervision. This enables me to offer therapy at a reduced fee while I complete my training. I receive ongoing supervision, adhere to the UKCP Code of Ethics and Professional Practice, and work within the limits of my competence. My practice is also supported by, and subject to, the requirements of my training organisation.
Regular clinical supervision provides a confidential professional space in which my therapeutic work can be reflected upon and supported. It is an important part of safe and ethical practice throughout my training.
If I believe that your needs fall outside my current training or competence, I will discuss this openly with you and, where appropriate, help you consider other sources of support.
Questions? Let’s chat.
Therapy does not require you to arrive with answers. It can begin with a feeling, a question, a repeated pattern or simply the sense that you would like to understand yourself more deeply.
If something here resonates with you, you are welcome to get in touch. We can begin with an initial conversation and consider whether working together feels right.