Hello, I'm Nicola and this is what you can expect from me
A Responsive, Personal Approach
When you reach out — whether by email, text, or phone — I’ll do my best to arrange your first session within just a few days. I take pride in building lasting client relationships, and much of my work comes from returning clients, referrals from fellow professionals and former clients who have found real value in our work together.
My Experience
I have spent over a decade supporting adults, children, and young people through a wide range of challenges, including anxiety, depression, trauma, and low self-esteem.
I’ve worked within several charities delivering NHS-commissioned services. I spent many years working with LGBT+ clients and those newly diagnosed or living with HIV , worked in schools supporting children who have been affected by domestic violence as well as working on general mental health issues faced by people of all ages giving me a broad understanding of the different issues people face at every stage of life.
I have extensive experience supporting neurodiverse clients.
Whatever you bring to therapy, you’ll find I offer experience, empathy, and a genuine commitment to helping you move forward.
What Sets Me Apart
I bring a unique mix of professional skill and real-life experience. I’m bright, funny, relaxed, gentle, spiritual (but not religious), strong, down-to-earth, flexible, direct, and just a little bit of a quiet rebel. I'm also a proud mother and grandmother.
My own life journey has shaped the way I work: with honesty, compassion, strength, and an unwavering belief in the potential for change and healing.
My Promise to You
You will find that I genuinely care about you as a person — not just as a set of issues or symptoms. My approach is warm, compassionate, confident, and always tailored to your individual needs.
Professional Standards
I am a registered member of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS) and fully adhere to its Code of Ethics. I undertake regular professional supervision, hold an enhanced DBS certificate, and complete a minimum of 30 hours of CPD (Continuous Professional Development) each year to keep my skills and knowledge fresh.
Get in touch today to arrange a free 15 minute telephone consultation to discuss your needs and give us both a chance to see if we feel like a good fit. I look forward to meeting you.
Recognize. Understand. Change.
Integrative Counselling
I chose to train in integrative counselling because I wanted a whole 'toolbox' of ways to help clients get the best results in the shortest time.
I use a combination of different counselling models to suit each client’s individual needs.
The most important thing is the therapeutic relationship, and I use person-centred skills of empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard along with my natural people skills to help quickly establish the relationship and allow the work to begin.
Between us we will identify the changes you'd like to make and from there I'll intuitively select the interventions that will be most helpful to you.
This might be CBT worksheets, techniques to be used both in the sessions and at home or psychoeducation. It might be working psychodynamically i.e. looking at how your past is affecting you in the present. It could involve relaxation techniques or some Neuro-linguistic programming or mindfulness.
Clinically Proven Results
When you come to therapy, it’s important to know that the support you receive is really making a difference. That’s why I use simple, recognised tools to track progress: GAD-7 (for anxiety) and PHQ-9 (for low mood and depression).
You’ll complete these at the start, middle, and end of therapy, so we can clearly see how things are changing for you.
Please click the link above to do your own measurement. This might help you to decide whether or not you could benefit from some therapy at this time.
✨ Please note — these tools don’t diagnose anything, and I don’t make any medical diagnoses. They simply give us a clear picture of how you’re feeling and whether things are improving.
A Real Example
A recent client began therapy with a GAD-7 score of 14 (moderate anxiety) and a PHQ-9 score of 16 (moderately severe depression)
After just 5 sessions, their scores had dropped to GAD-7: 3 (minimal anxiety) and PHQ-9: 2 (minimal depression)
That’s a reduction of 14 points on the PHQ-9 — well beyond what the NHS and professional bodies consider a clinically significant improvement (a 6-point drop).
Even more importantly, their scores moved from the “clinical” range into the “recovery” range.
These tools show the real, measurable progress that most clients experience — but what matters most is that you feel the change in your everyday life.
Let's work together on your future.
If you are ready to take the first step in a new direction, get in touch with me.
I will support you in overcoming your challenges, improving your relationships, breaking negative patterns in thinking and
behaviour and raising your self-esteem.