Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

I work with women navigating the emotional weight of pregnancy and early parenthood — particularly those who have experienced trauma, loss, or anxiety in this period. My specialist areas are:

–      Baby loss and pregnancy after loss (miscarriage, stillbirth, baby loss, TFMR)

–      Birth trauma and perinatal PTSD

–      Tokophobia (fear of childbirth)

–      Postnatal anxiety, OCD, intrusive thoughts, and depression

–      Grief and identity loss in early parenthood

I work exclusively with adults (18+). I am a specialist, not a generalist — if you need support for something outside this area, I will always try to signpost you to someone more appropriate.

Yes. Tokophobia — a severe fear of childbirth — is one of my clinical specialisms. Whether your fear relates to a first pregnancy, a previous traumatic birth, or has been present for many years, I have experience working with this using evidence-based approaches including CBT and EMDR. Many of my clients with tokophobia have been told their fears are 'just anxiety' or been offered general relaxation techniques. My work goes deeper than that — we look at the origins of the fear, the underlying beliefs, and process any traumatic experiences that may be driving it.

You can read more on my Tokophobia Therapy page.

I am trained in several evidence-based approaches and use what fits best for each person:

–      Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) — BABCP-accredited

–      EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) — qualified EMDR therapist, working towards EMDR Association UK accreditation

–      Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

–      Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT)

I do not rigidly apply one model to every client. The approaches are tools — what matters is understanding what is keeping you stuck and finding the right way to work with it.

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. It is a NICE-recommended trauma therapy that works by helping the brain process distressing memories that have become 'stuck' — memories that feel raw, vivid, or intrusive even long after the event.

In EMDR, you recall a difficult memory while following a bilateral stimulus (such as side-to-side eye movements, or tapping). This activates the brain's natural information-processing system and allows the memory to be filed away in a less distressing way — so it no longer hijacks your present moment.

EMDR is particularly well-suited to birth trauma, pregnancy loss, and tokophobia, where specific memories, images, or body sensations are driving ongoing distress. It does not require you to talk through the trauma in detail, which many clients find a relief.

Standard EMDR sessions are 50 minutes. For the active reprocessing phases of EMDR, we may agree to extend to 90 minutes where this is clinically appropriate. See the Fees section for extended session pricing.

This depends on what you are bringing and what you are hoping to achieve. As a rough guide:

–      Focused trauma work (e.g. a single traumatic birth or loss) — often 8–16 sessions

–      More complex presentations, multiple losses, or longstanding anxiety — may benefit from longer-term work

–      We will review progress regularly and I will never keep you in therapy longer than is helpful.

I will always be honest with you about whether I think therapy is working and whether more or fewer sessions seem appropriate.

Yes. Therapy can be beneficial at any stage of pregnancy. Many of my clients come to me specifically because they are pregnant again after a loss, or because pregnancy has triggered old trauma. We work at a pace that feels safe for where you are.

Yes. Working with birth trauma and perinatal PTSD is a core part of my practice. I use both trauma-focused CBT (the Ehlers & Clark CT-PTSD model) and EMDR — both NICE-recommended for PTSD. If you are experiencing flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance, or feeling on high alert since your birth, please do reach out.

My practice is currently focused on women and birthing parents. I recognise that partners are also deeply affected by pregnancy loss and birth trauma, and I will always try to signpost to appropriate support if needed.