Finding My Way to This Work and Why It Matters to Me
Hello, I’m Grace and I’m glad you’ve found your way here.
I wanted to write something a little more personal than a standard “about me” page. Something that gives you a real sense of who I am, what I believe in and why this work means so much to me. I think that when you’re considering therapy it matters to know not just what someone does, but who they are. Hopefully this shares a little more about why I became a therapist and the work I do.
The Power of Feeling Heard
I came to this work because I believe deeply in the difference that feeling truly heard can make. I also came to it through my own lived experience. Life hasn’t always been straightforward for me and like many people, I’ve known what it is to carry things that feel heavy and hard to name. It was through my own therapy, which I’ve had for many years, that I began to widen my lens of myself and the world around me. That process of slowly coming to terms with understanding my own patterns and my own inner world has been one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever done. It hasn’t been and it isn’t easy, I get it and it’s a huge part of why I do this work.
So much of what holds us back: the patterns we can’t seem to break, the self-doubt, or the weight of things we carry, can begin to shift when we finally have the right space to explore it. That’s what I hope to offer. Not a quick fix, but a real, human space where you can be yourself without fear of judgment or a reaction. My belief is that in this space and this relationship, true repair can take place.
My Professional Background
I’ve had the privilege of supporting people through an enormouse range of experiences over the several years working across safeguarding, counselling and wellbeing services
Alongside my therapeutic work, I hold a safeguarding role within a charity that supports young people. This work sits very close to my heart. Being around young people and witnessing their resilience and the courage it takes to ask for help shapes me both professionally and personally. It has deepened my understanding of how early experiences leave their mark on people and has also reinforced my belief that the right support offered at the right time can genuinely change someone’s life.
Working in safeguarding also means I hold a deep awareness and extensive background of managing risk, people’s welfare and multi-agency working. It’s a role that asks you to be both compassionate and clear-headed and I think that combination informs how I show up as a therapist too. I take the trust people place in me seriously and I hold it carefully.
Alongside my experience and qualifications, I’m continuing to grow professionally through a part-time master's level degree specialising in Transactional Analysis and Integrative Psychotherapy. The fact that I’m working across such different contexts at the same time, with young people in a safeguarding setting and with adults in a therapy service, it keeps me curious, and constantly on my feet learning!
How I Work and Why I Work This Way
My training is grounded in an integrative approach. This type of therapeutic perspective simply means I don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all model. Every person who walks through my door (or joins me online) is a whole, complex, unique human being and I believe that therapy should reflect that. Because how could one approach truly cover the depth and complexity of human nature and all it’s adaptations to life’s challenges?
My training is grounded in the roots of Transactional Analysis which is an approach that places the therapeutic relationship at its heart. It’s about creating a safe, respectful space where you can explore your thoughts, feelings and patterns at your own pace, without pressure.
I believe therapy works best when it’s truly collaborative, which means we’re working together, not me working on you. My aim is always to help you understand yourself more deeply, build meaningful coping strategies and create change that actually lasts.
Cheshire Therapy and Counselling
I offer therapy in Northwich and across Cheshire. Online therapy is also available for people across the UK.
If you are interested in working together to get to know yourself on a deeper level, then please reach out to me and we can talk things through. I offer a free, short initial consultation.