Joy is a registered member of the BACP, working as a Person-Centred Counsellor and Psychotherapist, but her journey into this work began long before.
Joy’s journey into addiction therapy began when she supported a family member through their own addiction. Later, she navigated her own experience of it, too. That combination – lived experience alongside professional training – is still at the heart of how Joy understands recovery, and she believes addiction is not something to fix, but something to walk through together.
Before training as a Counsellor and Psychotherapist, Joy spent several years in recovery-focused roles, including work in residential addiction settings overseas. More than 20 years of living and working internationally have provided her with a genuine curiosity about people and a real appreciation for the different cultures, values and beliefs that shape how someone experiences recovery.
An earlier career in fitness, health and wellbeing also influences how Joy works today. She sees emotional and physical health as deeply connected, and that holistic understanding is obvious in every session.
For Joy, the therapeutic relationship comes first. She understands that every person is worthy of connection and belonging, and she sees her role as helping people find their way back to their own sense of self-worth and meaning.
Outside of work, Joy is happiest out in the hills, spending time with her grown-up children, or knitting things that don’t always turn out to be entirely useful!