What to Expect…
Supervision, Ethics and Insurance
Professionally insured. Regular supervision. Working to the Healing The Shadow code of ethics. Read more below.
Online via Zoom
This is a deeply flexible therapy. All of the sessions described on this page can be experienced online via Zoom.
You can expect to work on what you are bringing at your own pace. Much of your first session will be spent in introducing you to this work and the various ways of getting the most from it online. The sessions are unique to you and your own home set up and we will need to set this up with care.
The effectiveness of healing in therapy and counselling is significantly affected by the trust that we have with our therapist and your first session will, in part, be a time for you start to gain a sense of connection and trust in me as you potentially consider a longer therapeutic journey.
All the in person sessions I offer can be transferred online, which has the advantage of allowing you to remain in the the privacy and comfort of your own home. I bring the same deep care, patience and sensitivity to all my clients - whether in person or online.
For many of my clients, working online over 6 months - 1 year is an ideal and a highly effective way of bringing inner transformation and long lasting change and healing.
Please be aware that online sessions can be utilised to create a starting point in a longer therapeutic journey. When trust and connection with this work have been established some of my clients decide to move to longer / in person sessions.
For online sessions, you will need only a good internet connection, and some privacy. Please contact me to book a free call or find out about my charges and booking process.
In person
We will be working near Totnes. You will start your session taking time to settle in to the room - I will make you tea/coffee and, in your first session, introduce you to the archetypes that I have represented around the space.
The effectiveness of healing in therapy and counselling is known to be significantly impacted by the trust that we have in our therapist. Your first session(s) will, in part, be a time for you to begin to build connection with and trust in me. You may potentially be considering a longer, deeper therapeutic journey.
You can expect, in any session, to work at your own pace. I bring sensitivity, and deep care to all my sessions and you will be in charge of the decisions, choices and directions of travel.
Some of the time in your first session will be spent introducing you to this work and the various ways of getting the most from it. In longer or follow up sessions we will use the time to explore different issues in more and more depth.
I will be using a variety of shadow work processes and tools to facilitate your work and we will use a carpet for some of the session, if it’s right for you on the day. This is where you can represent parts of you and other people. Please scroll down to read more.
Please contact me to book a free call, or find out about my booking process and fees.
Session Options
75 mins - 2 hours
One possibility is to book a 75 mins - 2 hour introductory session - adapted to suit what is best and most appropriate for you - where you can experience this work, and me, and get a better sense of whether you would like to continue with more sessions.
I will introduce you to parts work, carpet work (see below for more on this) and the archetypal framework that I work within.
If it is right for you during your session there will be time for you to experience some carpet/parts work - which may include representing parts of you as well as external people and institutions.
A single session of this length can be deeply valuable.
I also offer a series of 6 sessions.
Please book a free call to discuss this, and other session options further.
5 hours
A full length session can be up to 5 hours long (via Zoom we split this over 2-3 days).
The timing and structure within this is guided by what you want to explore on the day and by your sense of what is safest and best for you throughout the time you are working with me.
I will start by giving you lots of time to settle in to the practice room and to speak at length about what you are bringing and what you want to work on. During this part of the day we will discuss your family history and significant events in your life, so that I can facilitate your work more safely.
Every session is adapted to suit what is best and most appropriate for you on the day and later in the session I will be working with a number of Healing The Shadow tools, processes and techniques to help you reach greater depths of healing and understanding about your inner world.
Some of my clients make use of the entirety of a 5 hour session to talk, tell their personal stories and be deeply listened to - this can be the first time that you may have a sense of being truly seen and heard.
Shadow work sessions are known for providing a shame free space for you to explore and work deeply.
Please contact me to book a call, and or read more about Healing The Shadow here.
How a session works
Working with shadow parts of us
A fundamental premise in Healing The Shadow is that our psyche is made up of many different parts. Some parts of us are known, and we like them - or at least understand them and recognise them when they show up. Many parts of us, though, may be uncomfortable and pushed away by us, or in fact totally hidden from us - in shadow. The concept of the shadow was first coined by Carl Jung - he defined it as ‘that which we are unconscious of’.
We put parts into shadow as we grow up - to keep ourselves safe. We hide certain sides of us to fit the requirements of our carers and social groups and also as a consequence of abuse and trauma. In adulthood, it may seem that we do not have access to certain qualities - for example - leadership, empathy, creativity, emotional intimacy, indepedence, personal power - to name a few.
We may find aspects of us unavailable when we need them. In shadow work, we believe that some of our life force, power and energy is wrapped up, hidden, in parts that we are not conscious of.
At other times aspects of us show up in our lives in destructive ways - they work ‘from the shadows’ - ie they can result in behaviours and responses that we would prefer to have more control over.
In our shadow work sessions, I will work alongside you to uncover and explore these often deeply suppressed and hidden parts. The work that you do in a session can lead to deep and lasting changes both in how you experience the world around you and also how you show up in that world.
Shadow work offers us the opportunity to show up more authentically and experience deeper connections with others. Read more about what Healing The Shadow is.
A primary intention in your session(s) is to discover and explore parts of you that you may not be consciously aware of, or possibly comfortable with. You will have the opportunity to step ‘into’ parts and speak ‘from’ rather than ‘about’ them.
We do this by representing parts on an actual carpet: a large rug that will be used to represent your inner world for the duration of the shadow work session. There is a wide variety of coloured cloths and props (I will talk through with you the different online options for this part of the sessions) in my practice room - used to precisely place, represent, bring to life and distinguish different parts of you that you intend to find out more about.
We can also represent on the carpet - using whiteboards/chairs/props - the people/institutions/communities who are relevant for your session. This might include parents, siblings, colleagues, friends and partners. We can represent wider communities such as schools, churches or countries. Your teachers, guardians and carers may be important to your story and your work and can be brought on to the carpet.
By working in this way, we support getting the inner world out - so that you can start to see things from a more stepped back perspective and bring understanding and, potentially, transformation to how they live inside you.
The psyche, or unconscious, does not recognise the difference between the facilitated, symbolic work you will do in a shadow work session and ‘real’ life. This allows for deep exploration, healing and transformation to occur in a held, supported space where there are no real world consequences. Read more about what you can work on here.
What is carpet work?
After your first session, I will be in touch to offer you support and connection time on a free 30 minute call.
Extra support in the form of pre booked & paid for, 1 hour ‘interim’ slots is always available.
Your 5-hour session includes a 45–60 minute Zoom follow-up call, available after your first three sessions.
Read about the booking process and charges here.
After your session
Supervision, Ethics and Insurance
I am professionally insured, with an up to date enhanced DBS certificate.
I have regular professional supervision and peer supported supervision.
I engage with ongoing CPD - which includes relevant training as well as my own continued personal work.
I work within the Healing The Shadow Code of Ethics (HTS code of ethics).
I work within the Healing The Shadow Therapeutic Approach guidelines ( HTS therapeutic approach).
Accreditation with large, well known regulatory bodies is not currently possible for shadow work. However, the Healing The Shadow Organisation has a high level of practitioner accountability and regulation which they require of practitioners who wish to be promoted on their website (see above and HTS Organisation)
