Paula has previously practised as a couples and family therapist in the USA, where she completed her Master’s qualification at Arizona State University and trained in EMDR at the Meadows Clinic.
She has now returned to the UK and is a member of the Association for Family Therapy and Systemic Practice, but does not currently have space for new clients.
To join her waiting list for online couples, family or adolescent therapy in the UK, please get in touch via the Contact form. She has particular expertise in working with adolescents.
“Paula literally saved my life. She rebuilt my marriage and my family. I could not recommend her more highly.”
-ANDREA H., CLIENT
Everybody needs somebody to talk to. A sympathetic ear. A listener, a supporter, a guide through the difficult times and along the road to a better future. I have always been a listener and supporter of this kind, gaining a wealth of experience in confronting and helping others to work through some of life’s greatest challenges. The transitions that come with marriage and with divorce. The arrival of a child, which always changes the family dynamic; the departure of a child, which brings its own anxieties. Living with a chronically ill child. Loving teenagers as they go their own way. Miscarriage, menopause, bereavement. Family estrangement and emotional cut-off. Other life changes, too: relocating to another city, even another country. All the things that can drive a couple apart, but also, with the right help, bring them closer together.
I have been a teacher in a high school and a community college, nurturing the diverse talents of students from every kind of background, helping them with personal and family issues as much as academic ones. In the therapy room, I seek to build a special bond of trust with teenagers. Adolescents are my favourite clients!
When I had children of my own, I wanted to work from home so that I could always be there for them. I returned to university and got a PhD in literature. This allowed me to build a second career as an author: storytelling is my passion because every person, every family, has a story to tell. In the therapy room, we can reframe our stories and in so doing build our resilience, turn our fears and anxieties to hopes and dreams.
My formal qualification is a Master of Advanced Studies in Marriage and Family Therapy, with Distinction, in the highly regarded program at Arizona State University. I also have training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and EMDR – Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, a technique that is clinically proven to be highly beneficial for trauma.
My therapeutic approach is simply to be there for my clients and to work with them. The process is different for every client, and it is my job to find the way forward that will work for you. Family systems theory has a huge number of highly successful therapeutic tools that I can share. I am great believer in “short therapy”: identify the problem, find solutions and move forward - so initial commitment can be as little as 6 or 8 sessions. My current practice is fully online.
If you feel you are at risk of harming yourself or others, you should seek specialist help immediately, for example by calling NHS 111 and selecting the mental health option. If in immediate danger, call 999.