I choose to bring myself into our work together — I’m not a 'blank screen' therapist. While the focus is always centred on you and your needs, I also value the authenticity and connection that comes from a relational way of working. At times, this may include me sharing thoughts or feelings that arise when we're together, offering reflections on our interaction, or sharing information about myself when it feels supportive or helpful to you.
I know what it's like to be a client, and to feel a bit confused by what therapy is supposed to be, or how to behave. My intention is to create a space together that feels like a kind of home: somewhere you can settle into, somewhere that meets you as you are. The shape of that space — and the way we are within it — will shift and adapt to meet your personal and unique needs.
I hope that together we can build enough safety where your whole self feels welcome - the parts you love, and that parts that might feel harder to like. Together we can explore painful thoughts and feelings, as well as moments of laughter, connection, and celebration. You can bring all parts of your experience - past, present and future are all welcome.
My intention is to provide a compassionate, respectful, and exploratory relationship, grounded in trauma-informed practice and rooted in kindness. My work is shaped by an intersectional and anti-oppressive lens;
I believe that how we feel about ourselves - and how we are treated in the world - is influenced by the complex interplay between identities, power and systemic structure. I value the breadth and depth of your experiences as a unique person. I am curious to know you, and to support you to find ways to feel more at home in the world, in your self, and in your body.
I have experience of being both a therapist and a client. Because of this I know how important it is to find the "right fit": a person who you feel gets you, and who you can build enough trust with to bring your whole self. Therefore, there's no obligation to commit to working together after a first session. We can meet, and then decide together what feels best for you.
I look forward to meeting you.
Toni
As a relational psychotherapist, my own subjectivity will come into our work together.
Hopefully the below gives you an insight into the person behind the practice
I am committed to ongoing professional development, and regularly engage in shorter workshops, small courses, and CPD opportunities
Like most - if not all - of us, I have my own experiences of hardship and adverse life experiences that led me to therapy. These experiences have shaped how I see myself, others, and the world, and have sparked a deep curiosity about human nature. I’ve always been drawn to understanding people (both myself and others), curious about how we come to be who we are, and how we find our way in relationships while carrying our histories, and our hurts. This curiosity became a path of learning and unlearning — becoming, and unbecoming — a personal journey of making sense of a complex past.
There’s an old joke in psychotherapy that many counsellors were first their own family’s therapist. That certainly feels true of me. Even as a child, I was called to listen, to mediate, to help, to care. I’ve been in 'caring' roles since adolescence. My choice to train as a therapist was therefore both somewhat anticipated, as well as being intentional and informed. It felt like a natural progression — a calling, perhaps, or simply where I was always meant to be.
In this work, I find a sense of belonging — in myself, and in relationship with others. It’s a privilege to meet and support people in this role, and I am grateful for the trust people place in me. For me, the work is deeply mutual; it shapes and changes me just as I hope to offer something meaningful in return.
I absolutely love to read - fiction, poetry, memoirs, non-fiction, textbookes, blogs, all of it! Choosing a book that's meaningful for me is tricky as a result, there are just so many! My first study was in English Literature evidencing my deep love of stories!
One of my favourite books is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I love that the protagonist is Death, and that there's a narrative of humanity and love even in the worst of times. I also love Grief is a Thing with Feathers for a similar reason. Growing up, I loved anything dystopian, sci-fi, and magic realist. That's continued into adulthood and I love to escape into a fantasy world, or a dystopian dimension.
On a therapeutic level, I've found a lot of resonance and personal healing in Unshame by Carolyn Spring, and in Mother Hunger by Kelly McDaniel. I also love how Irvin Yalom writes and I think he's a great author to read to get an insider view of pscyhotherapy.
This is tricky to choose... I have 2 favourite places:
The first is a forest. I absolutely adore trees and the shaded canopy of woodland spaces. I love the sounds, the smells, the visuals. Looking up to see leaves on the backdrop the sky is beautiful to me. This space has become even more special since having dogs and seeing how much they enjoy the richness of this environment. One of my favourite experiences is to feel really alone in a woodland, and to have a sense of perfectly wholesome insignificance.
On the flip side, my other favourite place is my home. I know that you can create/take home with you in many ways. I've experienced a lot of displacement and have relocated a lot in my life so I know something of that notion of carrying home inside of you. However, I really love to be snuggled in blankets, cosied indoors away from the world, properly recharging.
The obvious answer to this is that I bring my whole self which naturally encompasses all of the ways I think, feel and experience the world. Consciously, I bring the awareness that people are all shades of grey. I can hold the complex reality that all of us - myself included - and the people we love have the capacity for both good, bad, and everything in between. We are all doing our best with the tools we had/have at our disposal. I therefore trust that I can hold the nuances and complexities of experience.
Also, you will often find me referencing quotes, books and stories in our sessions together! I bring this love of stories and language into our sessions.
Much of my working life has been spent alongside people navigating complex realities — whether through illness, trauma, systemic injustice, or circumstances that have made life feel particularly hard. I’ve worked in child protection, palliative care, with disabled people and those with complex health needs, with people who hear voices, live with disordered eating, or are experiencing poverty and marginalisation.
These experiences continue to shape how I practice: relationally, gently, with deep respect for the many ways we survive and make meaning of our lives. My work experiences have instilled in me a strong anti-oppressive lens and a belief that therapy must honour each person’s context, culture, and lived experience.
Alice Sebold
Please note: it is rare that I am able to take an unscheduled call. Do leave a voicemail and I will come back to you.
My working timetable is flexible across daytimes and evenings. Get in touch to explore our mutual availability.