I believe there are good reasons behind the ways we think, feel, and respond — even when those responses have become painful, overwhelming, or difficult to understand. Anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, shame, anger, and other emotional struggles can leave us feeling caught in conflict with others and ourselves. Rather than viewing these experiences as simply something to eliminate, I take a non-pathologising approach that aims for understanding, appreciation and compassion.
I work with children, adolescents, and adults experiencing a range of emotional and relational difficulties, with a warm, curious, and collaborative approach, and a focus on understanding rather than judging the parts of ourselves that can feel like a problem.
I draw primarily on Internal Family Systems (IFS), a model that recognises that we all have different parts of ourselves, that each come with a full range of emotions, beliefs, and ways of responding. Even parts that appear critical, fearful, avoidant, angry, or controlling are understood as having developed for a reason and often carrying important protective and positive intentions. IFS invites us to approach these parts with curiosity and compassion rather than trying to suppress, fight, or get rid of them.
At the centre of this work is the belief that beneath these protective patterns there is a core Self with qualities such as curiosity, compassion, calm, clarity, courage, and confidence. Therapy can create the space for your-Self to become more accessible, allowing us to understand our inner world with greater perspective and develop new ways of responding.
My role is to work alongside you in this process — helping you understand the patterns that have developed, the experiences that shaped them, and the ways they may be affecting your life now. The aim is not to change who you are, but to develop greater understanding, flexibility, self-compassion, and choice in responding.
Areas of Focus
Anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship challenges, addictive behaviours, eating disorders, grief and loss, Autism, ADHD
Toolkit
Internal Family Systems, Compassion-Focused Therapy, Polyvagal Theory, Developmental Model of ACT for Children, Radically Open DBT, Mindfulness
Why we love Gavin
Adores his family. Thrives on music. Values connectedness above all else.
