If there’s one thread of strongly recurring feedback that I receive from clients it is this – that they feel deeply listened to by me.  I’ve been a Counsellor in private practice for over 17 years, and I feel that much of what I’ve learned about human beings and their relationships over that time has come from this deep listening to the people that I’ve been privileged to have spent time with in therapy.

My practice is called Growing Awareness because of a fundamental belief and experience that Awareness and Compassion, and their interplay, are the foundations of healing and growth. I have an abiding interest in the meeting place of Spirituality and Psychology, with the view that lenses and practices from both of these traditions have much to offer us.

My own life journey has included a period of expansion and insight in my early 20’s, stimulated by various experiences of moving beyond the cultural and personal boundaries I had known – through travel, contact with other cultures, meditation, and exploring alternative communities and ways of living. This was a time of coming in contact with the mystery of what life is and the possibility of what it could be, beyond what I could have previously imagined. I believe it was primarily the difficulty of integrating these experiences into my life, sense of self, and existing relationships which then precipitated a period of lostness and depression which lasted some years.  This time gifted me a deep humility when supporting others who are experiencing challenges of the mind and soul.  

I made a transition in my early 30s from my previous roles as a Support Worker in the Youth, Mental Health and Drug & Alcohol sectors to being a Therapist.  This was an evolution of my passions, and a perfect fit for my natural skill set.  I like the continuing mix of individual and relationship work in my practice, and find that each informs the other.  Since the early days in my practice there has been a gradual shift over the years towards more Relationship Counselling, which has run parallel with a slow personal shift from focusing on myself and my internal world to working more with the healing power of relationship and community.   In terms of my own intimate relationships, I have been in long term Monogamous relationships (including raising three children), and also Ethically Non-Monogamous ones, and learned so much from both.  

I’ve understood over time more deeply how personal wellbeing and identity is created and embedded within a network of personal and cultural relationships.  This, combined with a deep concern about the current state and direction of humanity on this planet, has led me to be a part of Evolve Festival and Community, a movement that is seeking to understand what we can do to help on a larger scale.

I love nature, camping, hiking and dancing and do all of these things less than I would ideally like to.  I’m a father to three beautiful teenagers and am so grateful for their presence in my life.  I’m also doing wide writing circles around a story that I’m falling in love with, that is slowly taking the shape of a novel.