Testimonials from previous counselling clients

(for testimonials from training participants please see ‘Autism/Asperger’s’ counselling’ page)

‘’’ I contacted Amber when we learnt that our son has Asperger’s syndrome. I do not live in the UK and my sessions with Amber were virtual. I wanted to learn more about autism to help my son but I did not know where to start. Amber is a great listener and her soothing presence, calm voice, and non-judgemental attitude made a big difference in how I felt from the very first conversation. As Amber got to know us better she suggested ways of approaching difficulties we experienced at home. We would try them for a week and discuss outcomes during our next session. It felt like I was not alone. I had Amber to take my hand and guide me very gently – one step at a time. It was amazing how fast we started to see a difference at home – our son is calmer because we finally got to understand him – his non-verbal ways of telling us when he is tired, scared, overwhelmed – and support him when he struggles. Amber also helped me realize how important it was to take care of myself - I was so focused on my son that I did not even recognize the emotional and mental state I was in at that time. Amber did. With her help and guidance, I restructured my days to find time for myself and learnt that it was anything but selfish. It helped me find my balance and enriched my and my family’s lives. Thank you, Amber’’.

‘I had counselling sessions with Amber throughout my first pregnancy and I appreciated her kind, warm and non-judgemental approach so much. In the first 20 weeks of my pregnancy I had been really struggling with sensory overwhelm, anxiety and I was having some pretty intense meltdowns. I was very worried about the impact this might be having on the baby and my marriage, but with Amber's help I thankfully was able to reach a much calmer, more regulated place and I made some small changes in my life which meant everything became more balanced and my pregnancy experience was less overwhelming. This had a really positive impact on my relationship as well and because of the help that Amber gave me, my husband & I are learning how to understand each other better. We are now being much more supportive of one another and working towards creating a home-life that is peaceful, tailored to our needs and neurodivergent friendly. Amber was mindful of not delving too deep into the trauma from my past or opening up any old wounds during my pregnancy and I felt extremely safe with her as a result. I really felt like she wanted to protect mine & baby's wellbeing. I am so grateful to Amber for helping me to achieve a much healthier and happier pregnancy, I could not recommend her service more highly’.

‘In March 2020 I discovered I am Autistic, after some conversations and research. For the first time I had a framework to explain my experiences and felt immediately I wanted a Counsellor to explore this further, and discuss whether to go for an official diagnosis. I wanted someone who was experienced with, and knowledgeable about, the Autistic experience. Previous relationship counselling had stumbled and I’d felt unsafe when I was open. I realised this was because they and I had no idea I am Autistic. I found Amber on Google and messaged her. She responded promptly and we arranged a Skype call (as I live out of County). I was very nervous, but was quickly put at ease by Amber and felt confident I would be well supported and safe and so booked in for continuing sessions. My sessions with Amber have changed and greatly improved my life. With Amber I have not only met my expectations, there have been many more positive outcomes. She helped me to find an assessor to diagnose me as Autistic. She helped me to prepare for the assessment, practically and emotionally and explore everything that came up. What could have been a challenging process, was enlightening and hopeful. Post diagnosis Amber and I continued to meet. With her I have been able to work through so much. I knew anything was safe to talk about and I have gained much insight about myself and healed much of my past. Amber supported me to navigate my life post-diagnosis which was so important. I feel I would have floundered without regular check ins. I had not thought greatly about life post diagnosis and am so thankful to have this support. We also worked through thoughts and feelings related to motherhood, my relationship with my partner, friendships, bereavement, childhood experiences, concerns about my business and more. I have learned a great deal about myself, particularly my Nervous System and how central it is to my experiences. Amber imparted so much knowledge in this area. Amber is a fantastic practitioner. She is incredibly knowledgeable, kind and professional. Amber is the first Counsellor I have come accross who makes me feel completely safe to be myself. It has been invaluable having these regular time slots where I can show up as myself, unmasked and bring anything I want to share and explore. She has been an important part of my life and I will be forever grateful for the many ways she helped me through’

‘I found Amber to be very kind, patient and insightful. When I started counselling I was all over the place and didn’t know what I needed, just that I was in a bit of a mess. I’d just been diagnosed with autism and was completely burnt out. I don’t know how she saw through the fog of all the things I was struggling with, but bit by bit we have identified and unpicked many areas of my life such that I feel so much lighter, more aware of who I am, what I need and how to ask for it. The primary win for me has been finally putting to bed some long standing trauma based family issues which has left me with so much more emotional capacity for my children, my husband and my life’.

‘Amber provides a gentle, warm approach to counseling with a special focus on those who are neurodivergent/neurodiverse. She is trauma informed, autism/ADHD supportive, and LGBTQI affirmative. She provides a safe space where her client's comfort is the main concern’. I live overseas, Amber was willing to work with me remotely via Skype for several years. These virtual sessions included a variety of techniques, ranging from talk therapy to EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) to family constellation work and meditation. During our time together, we addressed my prior trauma, grief, family and coparenting dynamics, feelings of being ostracized from social circles, and some difficulties I was having at work. She also provided self-care tools, such as journaling and yoga nidra, for me to practice in between sessions. I would definitely recommend working with Amber, whether virtually or in-person, short-term or long-term’.

‘I found my way to Amber when I was awaiting a formal autism assessment and was aware that I had lost all sense of who I was beneath all the camouflaging I had done to survive. To be honest, I was in a right mess. I felt I needed support in case the result came out that I was NOT autistic. (I am, by the way). It really helped that she made sure to tell me I could bring anything I needed to the session to feel comfortable, and she was very supportive of my need to take off my shoes and curl up in the chair with my blanket and my own mug of tea. I felt very safe to be me. Amber helped me enormously in the run-up to the assessment and highlighted some of the things it would be helpful to tell my assessor that she recognised would be important. Amber is warm, kind, insightful, empathetic and non-judgmental. She offered me many helpful tips as I slowly regained my sense of self. She never pushed me to talk about things that were traumatic, and, in fact, there was a lot of laughter in our sessions together. I have ended our regular sessions together with a clear sense of who I am and am more in tune with my “feelings” whereas I was very much in my head before we started to work together. I shall be forever grateful for her help and support during a difficult period’

‘I worked with Amber for several months to help process an adult autism diagnosis in my 40s and work backwards through a number of areas of past and present traumas and anxieties to help understand this 'new me' and learn to be kinder towards him than I or others perhaps had been before having a knowledge of neurodivergence. She's by far the best therapist I've ever worked with: kind, understanding, funny and human. It really felt like we were a team working together unravelling a mystery to get to the bottom of what had been making me feel so stuck and worthless for so long. The true underlying issues are rarely what you initially think they are and Amber was a wonderful guide in helping me work out how to get myself unstuck and move from the past towards a happier future.

Thank you again for everything!’

‘I have been working with Amber for over a year now. She has helped me through my autism diagnosis and everything that this has subsequently brought up emotionally for me. I very quickly felt I could completely trust her, and was therefore able to share and work through feelings and emotions that I have struggled with. I love how intuitively she works, but always within the safe confines of the therapist/client relationship. She used her insight, wisdom and knowledge to encourage and gently guide.  Although I am now having a break from therapy and carrying on my journey alone, I know that I will be happy to have more sessions with her if and when I feel the need for some more guidance and sharing. The diagnosis has been completely life changing for me (at the age of 66) and I feel eternally grateful to her for all her help and support. I would highly recommend her’

‘I did 12 weekly sessions with Amber, starting off in a very difficult place and ending up in a much more positive place. Amber provided a relaxed and comfortable space, both online and in-person, and was great at pulling out some of the threads I was taking about, that helped me to find a way forward’. 

‘I came to Amber to deal with trauma. I found a safe and compassionate space that validated me as an autistic person and allowed me to do so much more healing, growth and change than I'd thought possible’.

‘Working with Amber on resolving trauma I believed to be engrained in me has changed my life. When we first started out, I had no hope that we could unravel the string and help me find my feet, especially since I had the added stress of only recently discovering I was autistic. Yet even when I was at my most hopeless, with Amber’s gentle guidance and EMDR-supported sessions, I was slowly able to understand why I felt the way I did, and how to move on. She helped me unlock something that previous therapists have failed to do, and I believe that it has been her multifaceted approach that has helped me reach this point. She is often dropping little gems in our session, stories from other people, ideas from other psychology’s avenues. The little things make big differences, and I am finally in a place where I feel like I can accept who I am, and become the person I was meant to be. I could not recommend Amber enough to anyone who knows the feeling of holding onto years of childhood pain and confusion that they do not deserve to keep carrying. And as weird as it sounds, I will miss our sessions. But there will be someone else who needs as much help as I did all those months ago, and won’t realise their lives are about to change when they come across this comment and decide to drop an email’

‘I came to Amber feeling confused, frightened, existentially bereft and totally burnt out. She helped me uncover and reconnect to aspects of myself that I had lost contact with. Amber has an amazing instinct for working at a pace and at an emotional level that feels comfortable. For the first time in my life I felt able to express thoughts and emotions that I had previously felt were too embarrassing, unfamiliar, ‘wrong’ or overwhelming. It is only because of Amber’s immense skill and compassion that I felt able to visit difficult places and treat myself more kindly’.

‘I really enjoyed our sessions and found them very helpful in giving me the tools I need to help manage my anxiety and navigate the world with a greater understanding of the challenges I face as an autistic person. I appreciated your support and reassurance to ensure that I was physically comfortable. I found your understanding of the connection between the mind and body especially helpful, as well as concepts and frameworks that helped me understand my reactions to my environments and relationships - such as the window of tolerance and the drama triangle. I found you understanding and empathetic, and easy to talk to. I wouldn't hesitate to reach out in future if I need further support.

Thank you for everything’

‘I came to Amber knowing that she has experience of working with adults with autism, which was a large draw for me. My initial ask was wanting to talk through ways in which I might be able to better recognise my feelings and emotions - anger and stress primarily - in relation to parenting, work and family. Over time we talked through these areas which was hugely helpful. Amber was able to support me to draw lines and links between these that I hadn't made, bringing her observations to my attention that have been really useful. As a result, I've made some small changes to my life and behaviour that are definitely helping me feel far more conscious and aware of those aforementioned feelings.'

‘Amber was really easy to talk to. I feel like she understood me well and provided thoughtful reflections that helped me to better understand myself. I appreciated her considerate and insightful support’

‘Amber has helped me to restore a sense of home and safety, and has helped me with self-acceptance and confidence building. We explored how to prioritise different needs and how to cope with day-to-day challenges. Having an autism specialist was really helpful as I could unmask and feel seen in a supportive environment’

‘I started sessions with Amber soon after my autism assessment. At that time I felt that I had lost any sense of who I was after a lifetimes of masking and trying to constantly fit in. I was so happy to find Amber and I don’t know how else to describe it: she just got it! After having met other therapists in the past and not having felt completely at ease, Amber’s relaxed and open approach meant that I felt in control of sessions and didn’t feel that I had to perform in any way. Each session was different, we sometimes discussed topics, could laugh, and I didn’t feel any hierarchy. This is what made the EMDR and later IFS sessions so successful, Amber created an atmosphere (even online) where I felt completely comfortable. I felt safe to explore memories and emotions in my own way. Amber supported me throughout my pregnancy, helping me navigate the ambivalence, and to continue to strengthen my sense of self as I enter a new chapter. I’m really thankful to Amber for offering a space where I could freely express my fears and have honest chats’.