“It has been the most enlightening experience of my life and has enabled me to explore and develop in more ways than I thought possible. I constantly tell friends or colleagues that they should have a hour with Steph, although I cannot explain how or what she does, all I can is say is I’m happier now than I have been for over 10 years.”
CLIENT, 2017

Professional Qualifications:
☑️ Postgraduate Diploma and Postgraduate Certificate (PGDip/ PGCert) in Professional Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP accredited course) – The University of Salford
☑️ Graduate Certificate in Counselling – The University of Salford
☑️ BSc (Hons) – First Class degree including Grosvenor Prize Award for Best Final Year Student – Leeds Beckett University
☑️ Higher National Diploma – Distinction (The University of Salford)
☑️ Reiki Holistic Practitioner (including First and Second Degree in Usui Reiki)
☑️ PRINCE2™ Project Management Foundation and Practitioner
☑️ Institute of Leadership and Management – Management/ Mentoring Training
Relevant Experience:
☑️ Director of MIND Manchester Mental Health Charity
☑️ Director of Healthwatch Oldham (Public Health)
☑️ Deputy Manager/ Counsellor at Oldham Carers Centre (Adult Social Care)
☑️ Family Support Lead/ Counsellor/ Counselling Co-ordinator at Willow Wood Hospice
☑️ Counsellor at the Manchester and Salford Counselling Service
☑️ Counsellor at AGE UK Tameside
☑️ Decades of experience within project and change management, leadership, governance, supervision and mentoring
☑️ Published Writer – including Psychotherapy & Politics International (Wiley), Therapy Today (BACP), Counselling Directory, The Counsellor’s Café Magazine, Psychreg, KEIA Wellbeing, Sounds Magazine, Manchester Evening News
☑️ Lead Trainer and Course Author of 6-week Mindfulness, Introduction to CBT and Stress Reduction course, The Link Centre
☑️ Lead Trainer and Course Author of 6-week Bereavement, Grief and Loss programme delivered regionally across Tameside and Glossop
☑️ Director of CN4M
☑️ Member of the Association of Bereavement Service Co-ordinators (ABSCo)
☑️ Board Member on Domestic Abuse Management Group – Manchester City Council
Additional Training:
☑️ TA101 Transactional Analysis Training – Manchester Institute for Psychotherapy
☑️ Three Principles of a Coaching Approach – The Open University
☑️ Starting with Psychology – The Open University
☑️ Moving Your Practice Online – Online Therapy Institute
☑️ Panic Attacks (Module – Evaluating Psychology: research and practice)
☑️ Getting the Most out of Counter-transference (Object Relation Theory) – The Horsforth Centre
☑️ Trauma (ongoing research area)
☑️ Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
☑️ Complex PTSD/ PTSD
☑️ Working with Bereavement, Grief and Loss (multiple training providers)
☑️ Safeguarding Adults
☑️ Safeguarding Children
☑️ Equality and Diversity
☑️ Essentials of Information Governance
☑️ Clinical Audit (Tameside & Glossop PCT)
☑️ End of Life and Palliative Care (Macmillan Cancer Support)
☑️ The Yoga of Relationships: Exploring Connection and Sexuality Through the Lens of the Soul (Love Serve Remember Foundation)
☑️ Reawakening The Mind of a Child: Loving Kindness (Zen Buddhism Course)
Assurances:
☑️ Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP) and working towards further accreditations
☑️ Approved by Accredited Register Scheme (Professional Standard Authority)
☑️ Enhanced DBS (checked annually)
☑️ Fully insured through Holistic Insurance
☑️ I receive monthly casework support with a highly skilled and qualified supervisor
☑️ I work within the BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions 2018 and BACP Professional Conduct Procedure
☑️ Member of CONFER, Counsellors Together UK, the Alliance for Counselling and Psychotherapy and Manchester MIND
☑️ Trauma-informed practice
Professional Development:
As a Registered Member (MBACP) of the BACP I am committed to ongoing Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and regularly exceed training requirements to enhance my core offer.
Like everyone I am flawed, imperfect and human (thank goodness!) and in order to feel as clear and resolved as possible for the health of my practice I choose to work on myself through study, meditation, psychotherapy, clinical supervision and peer co-counselling.
Over the years I have engaged in a great deal of personal therapy and passionately believe that a therapist’s lived experience should be regarded as the most important item in their professional toolbox. I continue to write and campaign on this topic.