Hi, I'm Marie.
A little bit about me and how I work
If you're looking for a counsellor, you might be wondering who is actually going to be sitting opposite you.
And I think that's important. I’ve been there too, looking for someone to trust with my most vulnerable self.
Choosing someone to talk to about the things that are difficult, painful or deeply personal isn't something to take lightly.
I'm Marie, a qualified and NCPS professionally accredited integrative counsellor based in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan.
I work with adults and couples, offering a calm, compassionate space where you can talk openly, without judgement.
What can you expect from me?
I'm not here to tell you how you should feel or give you a list of things you need to fix.
Instead, I'll listen, ask questions, help you make sense of what's going on and gently challenge you when it might be helpful.
Sometimes therapy involves sitting with difficult emotions.
Sometimes it involves understanding why we keep finding ourselves in the same patterns.
And sometimes it involves practical tools that can help you manage what you're experiencing day to day.
We'll work at your pace, together.
My experience
Before becoming a counsellor, I worked within social care and mental health charities across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.
I've supported adults with a wide range of experiences, including anxiety, stress, trauma, abuse and difficulties with mental health.
I've also worked extensively with people affected by substance use, exploring the experiences and trauma that can sit underneath coping strategies.
Alongside my core counselling training, I've completed additional training in areas including perinatal mental health, baby loss and birth trauma, as well as a range of other therapeutic and mental-health related areas.
Ultimately, I'm still just Marie.
I'm a counsellor, but I'm also a person.
I know that life can be complicated, messy and sometimes really bloody hard.
You don't need to arrive in therapy with everything neatly packaged.
You can simply arrive as you are.
If you'd like to see whether we might be a good fit, you can book a free 20-minute chat.
Why this work matters to me.
.
My own experience of a traumatic pregnancy with Hyperemesis Gravidarum is part of what led me here.
I experienced first-hand the pressure and stigma that can come with the expectation to “love every minute” of pregnancy and parenthood. When you're struggling, those messages can leave you feeling guilty, isolated or like you're somehow getting it wrong.
It taught me that we need to make much more space for the reality of becoming a parent — the joy, the love, the fear, the grief, the overwhelm, the resentment and everything in between.
You can be a good parent and still find parts of the journey incredibly difficult.
You can love your child deeply and not love every minute.
And you don't have to feel guilty for having complicated feelings.
This is something I'm passionate about helping parents understand and make space for in their own experiences.