I have a degree in English from Oxford University and qualified as a solicitor in 1988. I began my career as a family lawyer with a top London law firm and later specialised in employment working for a trade union.
I trained as a mediator in 2005 and am accredited in commercial, workplace and community mediation. I have masses of experience in dispute resolution, working in business, the courts, prisons and schools. I am also a mediation trainer.
I am a life coach, accredited in transformational, existential and corporate coaching; I am qualified and experienced in Nonviolent Communication and Positive Psychology. I am currently on the Compassionate Inquiry Professional Training, due to register in 2023.
I have an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck, University of London, and have undertaken short courses and trainings in Internal Family Systems, counselling, relationship work, mindfulness, Teacher Effectiveness – and so on.
That’s the education and professional CV. I’ve also had babies, had them grow up and leave home; my long marriage ended, so have experienced the unique and universal pain of divorce; I’ve relocated, travelled, stayed home, had my fair share of joys and disappointments, mountains and troughs, including some periods of anxiety and depression. I’ve lived, I suppose. That’s what most of us find, at this age. I couldn’t do this work without the whole of this experience as well as the theoretical study in the field. I bring all of it to each client session.