Persistent pain is pain that continues or recurs for more than three months. You may also hear it described as chronic or long-term pain.

It can develop for many different reasons. For some people there is a clear underlying medical condition, while for others pain continues after an injury, illness or surgery, or the reasons may be less clear. 

Whatever its cause, persistent pain can affect much more than physical comfort. Overtime it may also affect sleep, confidence, activity, relationships, hobbies, work and overall quality of life. 

I work with adults experiencing a wide range of persistent or recurring pain. This may include pain associated with an ongoing medical condition, pain that has continued after an injury, illness or surgery, or pain where the reasons for its persistent are less clear. 

This can include, for example, persistent back or neck pain, musculoskeletal pain, fibromyalgia, arthritis, neuropathic or nerve pain, migraine and other persistent headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, and other persistent abdominal or pelvic pain, and pain that continues following injury or surgery and pain associated with ongoing illness.

This isn't an exhaustive list. My work is not limited to particular diagnoses or types of pain. What matters is your individual experience, how pain is affecting your life, and whether there are areas where therapeutic work may be helpful. 

Anxiety can affect any area of life.  I specialise in generalised anxiety and anxiety related to health, relationships and performance.

This can include persistent worries about health, fear of blood, needles, tests, procedures, scans, medical interventions, dentistry, fear of death, dying. 

I also help with fears and insecurities related to relationships, intimacy, social situations and performance-related anxiety and confidence in any context.

Living with persistent pain can affect many areas of life. It may change how you feel in your self and how you feel about your body. It can affect sleep and confidence, make you fearful of certain activities, or have impact on work, relationships, intimacy and independence. 

Therapy gives us an opportunity to understand your particular experience and identify where change may be possible. We might work directly with your experience of pain focusing on relief, or with difficulties such as fear and anxiety, difficult emotions, sleep, loss and adjustment, confidence, relationships, or rebuilding parts of life that pain has disrupted. 

Pain is always real, whatever the cause. It is never imagined or 'all in the mind', yet psychological therapy can be useful whether or not there is a clear physical cause for it. 

The focus of therapy will depend on what is happening for you and what you would most like help with. 

No. You do not need to have a particular diagnosis or type of persistent pain to work with me. 

If your pain has already been medically assessed, we can work alongside any medical care or treatment you are receiving. You do not need to have reached a definitive explanation for your pain before psychotherapy can usefully begin.

However, psychotherapy is not a substitute for appropriate medical assessment. If your pain has not been medically assessed, or you have new, unexplained or significantly changed symptoms, I may suggest that you speak with your GP or another appropriate healthcare professional before or alongside our work.

My role is therapeutic rather than medical. I do not provide medical diagnosis, request investigations, prescribe medication or advise on medical treatment.

Yes. Clinical hypnosis is one of the therapeutic approaches I may use when helping clients with persistent pain. 

Hypnosis can be used in a number of ways, depending on the individual and can be highly effective. This might include working with the experience of pain itself, developing greater comfort and relaxation, changing how attention is directed towards pain, or helping with related difficulties such as difficult emotions, trouble sleeping, anxiety, fear and confidence.

I don't use hypnosis in every session. It is part of a broader therapeutic approach, and whether we use it - and how we use it - will depend on your particular circumstances and what we are working towards.

You remain aware and in control during hypnosis, and there is no requirement to use hypnosis if you prefer not to. 

This varies from person to person and will depend on what you would like help with, your circumstances, your goals and how the work develops.

Some people find that a relatively small number of sessions is useful, while others choose to work for longer. I don't work to a predetermined number of sessions. 

We can simply proceed session by session, reviewing how things are going at each appointment and whether continuing to work together remains useful. 

Appointments take place online using Zoom. Working online is highly effective and convenient.  It avoids difficulties such as of travel and accessibility, allowing me to work with you from the comfort of your own space. I work with adults 18 years and over throughout the UK.

Appointments are around one hour. An initial session may be a little longer.

Please enquire for current availability and fees.

Yes. If you would like to explore the possibility of working together, I will generally ask for some brief information by email and then offer you a telephone call before booking.

This gives us the opportunity to see if working together is a good fit.

The telephone conversation is not an assessment or therapy session, and there is no obligation to book an appointment afterwards. 

No. I specialise in working with adults aged 18 and over.