About Caroline

Hiya, I'm Caroline.

When you choose a counsellor, you’re looking for someone you feel safe with, someone who understands. Your relationship with your counsellor is unlike anything else. They’re not a friend, not a partner, not a parent, not a teacher or religious leader, but in this relationship you develop trust, feel cared for, learn about yourself and develop parts of your character you never knew were there.

How the heck are you supposed to choose that person off the internet?

Yep, that’s a tough one and it’s up to you. So here’s some stuff about me that might help:

I’m a queer, neurodivergent, Yorkshire woman.

I came out as a lesbian in the late ‘90s. I can’t say it was received too well at the time with my folks, and that led to me experiencing mental health problems in my 20s. I’m keen to support people who need to talk about any aspect of LGBTQIA+ experience. Wherever you or your loved ones are with questions around queerness, let’s have a chat.

I was diagnosed with ADHD recently, at the age of 50. Suddenly I understood why I’d struggled with things others seemed to think I should be able to do without thinking. Turns out the diagnosis has helped me understand so much about myself. It’s been like a jigsaw piece finding its place and making sense of the wider picture. In terms of how it shows up in my work, it means my brain is fast-paced, intuitive, and deeply curious, and outside the therapy room, it means I'm quite chatty and love to be outdoors doing something active! If the penny has started to drop for you that you might be wired differently, if you’re waiting for an assessment, or if you’ve just had your diagnosis, drop me a line if it would help to talk things through.

This is just my own stuff, though. You don't need to be queer or neurodivergent to get in touch. I work with people from all walks of life. If you’re looking for a therapist who is warm, straight-talking, and collaborative, we’ll probably get along fine.

Before I became a counsellor, I had lots of counselling (and still see mine now). When you move through the world knowing and feeling that you’re different and not always being made to feel good about it, it has an effect.

Anxiety, depression, and dissociation were present for me throughout my younger years. My turning point was starting to volunteer in mental health projects, and learning about the key concepts and theories of Person-Centred counselling: empathy, congruence, and unconditional positive regard. To be a bit Yorkshire blunt about it, this boils down to understanding how someone else feels, being yourself, and valuing other people. As a fully qualified counsellor and a member of the BACP, these values guide everything I do.

You might not have the words for how you’re feeling. You might not know where to start. You might have questions, fears, and all sorts of emotions flying around, but feel like you don’t have anywhere else you can let them out safely.

I’m not an expert on your life, I'm not medically qualified, and I’m not going to judge you, give you advice or tell you what you should do. I’ll hold a space for you to think and sit with difficult emotions, to explore and work out how you feel, and to find your own way to being your full and fantastic self.

As you can see from the photo, I'm at my happiest outside. The rocks, trees and green hillsides restore me to myself. They get my heart beating and remind me to breathe.

Let's explore how you're feeling and see where we get to together. 

Ready to see if we click?

Getting started can feel like the hardest part. Drop me a message via my contact form or email me at hello@changescounselling.co.uk, and we can arrange a free, no-obligation 15-minute phone call to chat about what you need and see if I'm the right fit for you.