About Me
Chances are, if you’re reading this, you’re looking for a therapist who could be a good fit for you. This can be tricky at the best of times, so let me tell you a bit about myself so you can start to get a feel for me and how I work.
My name’s Ro (they/them) and I’m a BACP registered counsellor working in person in Brighton and Hove, UK, and online with clients around the world. I’ve been working within the field of relationships and sexuality since 2019.
I believe that we all have our own inner wisdom which can guide us – even if we need some help getting in touch with it. My own experiences with discovering my own identities, and learning to meet myself with radical acceptance and compassion, inform the way I work today.
My Identities and Values as a Therapist
- I am genderfluid and queer, and I work affirmatively with clients across a range of expressions and identities of sexuality and gender.
- I also work with clients who are exploring and practicing diverse relationship styles such as ethical non-monogamy and polyamory – which I know can be a joyful, loving, and positive experience, while also having some common challenges and pitfalls.
- My spiritual practice underpins my life both personally and in my work, ever teaching me how to do the at-times-difficult work of sitting with the unknown, staying curious and open-hearted, and treating myself and others with kindness and respect.
I had a diverse background in startups and creative industries, before making a career change in 2019 to train as an intimacy coach. Human relationships and sexuality had become an important inquiry for me and I was feeling a strong pull to involve my working life in this process too.
I still consider myself to be on a long journey of disentangling myself from patriarchal, cisheteronormative attitudes and ideas, and I feel keenly aware of how the stories we grow up learning about relationships have such a huge impact on our lives. I bring this awareness, along with my experience working with sexuality and relationships, into my work today.
My Therapeutic Approach
I chose to train in Psychosynthesis and transpersonal psychology partly because it considers the spiritual to be a vital part of human experience. Spiritual experience can include anything that connects you to something bigger than yourself – whether that’s nature, creativity, human relationship, a sense of purpose, a specific tradition or faith, or something else altogether. My own practice is within a non-dual tradition which continually teaches me to reverently honour the full range of human experience with radical self-acceptance.
My first qualification was in relationship and intimacy coaching in a closely-related approach, and I include the tools and knowledge from this in my therapy practice too.
“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.”
Carl Rogers
Core Qualifications
As well as the courses detailed below, I also have ongoing professional supervision for my one-to-one work. This means that I am able to discuss issues and challenges I have with my supervisors, and gain insights and second opinions to better support my clients.
Postgraduate Diploma in Psychosynthesis Counselling
I trained in the transpersonal approach of Psychosynthesis at the Psychosynthesis Trust in London.
Psychosexual Somatics Therapy Certified Intimacy Coaching Program
I completed the Psychosexual Somatics Therapy coaching program, qualifying to work professionally as a certified intimacy coach within the PST modality.
Professional Development Trainings
Working Alongside Trans, Gender Diverse and Questioning People
A two-day training for trans and non-binary therapists working with gender diverse clients, with Gendered Intelligence.
Facilitator Training for Cuddles & Nervous System Regulation
I assisted on my colleague Eshana Spiers’ four-day training in facilitation for cuddle workshops.
Authentic Relating Training Level 1
I attended two ART level 1 weekends with Jason Digges and Ryel Kestano, both as a participant and an assistant. These weekend workshops teach invaluable skills in emotional intimacy and fostering deeper connections.
Holding Space
A two-day training in holding space for people in extreme states, with Nir Tadmor and Igal Tartakovsky from Safe Shore Israel.