HI, I’M PHILIPPA
aka The Self-Compassion Therapist. I help people to recover from self-criticism, shame and low self-esteem through unconditional self-compassion and rebuilding their identity.
My story may not be too dissimilar from yours. I spent much of my teens and early adulthood struggling with low self-esteem and self-confidence, overpowered by anxiety and shame, feeling the need to hide and punish myself. Eventually, I was introduced to the radical idea that these emotions and experiences weren’t personal faults or failings, but actually made perfect sense in context and contained information about how my mind and nervous system had protected me.
I discovered that all emotions were safe to experience and that there are healthy and creative ways of expressing them. I developed a deep appreciation of vulnerability, honesty and curiosity and the emotional freedom and personal growth these acts bring, which led me to train as a therapist and make it the soul of the work we do together.
I hold an MSc with Distinction in Counselling from Bangor University. As an integrative practitioner, I combine tools from different therapeutic approaches and models, using elements of person-centred therapy, psychodynamic therapy and CBT as well as somatic strategies and evidence-based psychoeducation, tailoring this to your specific needs and aims.
I’m born and raised on the coast of North Wales, not far from the beautiful Eryri. Walks by the sea are my favourite form of self-care.
I’m interested in storytelling and film analysis, love creative writing, and I get very into my TV shows. I believe fiction can help us get through even the darkest of times.
I love a good documentary and video essay.
My core values are compassion (surprise), courage, autonomy, openness and fun. Living a values-based life is important in my therapeutic work and for my own wellbeing.
I try not to tie my identity to any one particular idea or philosophy as we are always growing, evolving and learning.
For me, the best moments in life centre around deep conversations, belly laughs and good food.