Feeling lost and voiceless? Experiencing loneliness and isolation? Feeling as if you don't belong? Anxious about connecting with others? Experiencing stuckness? Feeling trapped in emotional baggage?......

I work with a wide range of issues that clients chose to bring, such as anxiety/stress, depression, self-harm, bereavement & loss, low self-esteem, trauma recovery, relationship difficulties, race, ethnicity and culture issue, neurodiverse related issue, long-term health issue and sexuality & gender issue.

I offer both short-term and long-term counselling. I also offer life coaching for people who's looking to explore another dimension of themselves, seek life goal, and pursue spiritual harmony.  

Please see below in detail.  

The ancient Chinese philosopher Laozi once said, ‘If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present.’ 

This may or may not apply to you as everyone experiences life differently. Anxiety and depression can be exhausting and limit people’s life choices and ability to manage or feel happy. Together, we will work towards you gaining understanding of your anxiety and/or depression as well as their triggers and associated negative beliefs or feelings. We will develop ways to help you cope, manage and eventually break the cycles of feeling stuck and regain the loss of connection or control, leading you to feel more calm, grounded, fulfilled and confident when facing challenges in life. 

Experience of bereavement is often an unavoidable consequence of losses or major life changes. Loss of a loved one, friendship, identity, youth, or of homeland and the sense of belonging… In whichever form it exists, the experience can be extremely painful. I can offer you the space to express your feelings in ways that suit your needs, either to talk about them or to just sit with you in the grieving process. Afterwards, I can help you to learn to grow around your losses because although they may forever stay with you, never becoming less painful or less significant, your life has the potential to continue to grow and develop around them, so that you can re-engage and find meaning in life again. 

Coaching is a collaborative process that helps to unlock a client's potential and enable personal growth, autonomy and self-direction, which create a sense of empowerment. Through coaching, clients can gain increased self-awareness, making empowering choices, and bridging gaps between their goals and current situations. My method of coaching usually starts by identifying the areas in your life that you wish to change, and we will explore any obstacles, patterns, beliefs or relationship dynamics which may be holding you back from achieving change and reach your potential. Then, we will look into and work through possible ways that you can develop to help yourself remove these barriers with confidence and self-belief. 

The difference between coaching and counselling is that counselling is reparative in nature whilst coaching has a developmental focus. During the coaching process, if clients are willing, we can also work in creative ways which might bring about different perspectives, for example, through using mixed-media to create life book, through Gestalt Two-chair work to encourage self exploration, through using nesting dolls to explore various aspects of self, and many more...

I advocate for multicultural diversity in society and the equality of people. Multicultural concerns cover topics and identities including race, religion, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation and disability. Having lived cross-culture experience, I hold a deep understanding of the impact of being “different”, how it might affect people’s experiences and interactions with one another. I am familiar with different cultures and curious in learning more about them. Transitioning from one culture to another, transforming and integrating, managing the feeling of being lost, adapting and accepting changes, seeking a sense of belonging and new identity… these are just a few examples of such issues that I can help you to explore in Echo Forest Therapy’s safe therapeutic space.  

Dealing with long-term health conditions and sudden life-changing acquired disabilities goes far beyond the physiological and medical challenges they pose. Chronic illness and acquired disabilities can shape our self-view and outlook towards life. It can also affect our relationships, careers, plans for the future and many other aspects in life. 

I am experienced in working with these issues, gained from both my counselling career and previous careers in adult social care and voluntary settings (for example, working with people affected by stroke). I offer a warm, safe and empathic listening and reflecting space to support you expressing your feelings and thoughts. Together, we will explore how your physical conditions affect your mental and emotional health. We will look for ways that they can be managed, such as, relieving associated symptoms of anxiety, depression, anger and frustration, strengthening support network of friends, family and community, re-evaluating life choices and potentials, and searching for new sense of self and existential meaning in life. 

Living in a neurotypical world poses many challenges for neurodiverse people. Some people, without realising or being diagnosed of their neurodiversity, may struggle for years, feeling confused and alienated. My approach of working with neurodiverse clients emphasises on appreciating individuality and uniqueness, clarifying individual strengths and values, setting goals to move toward those values, and mindfulness to increase self-awareness and improve self-regulation.

Neurodiversity provides the world with new perspectives in life, various styles of living and a multiplicity of possibilities. Without diversity, whether neurological or physical, how dull our world would be! 

Difficult relationships in life often lead to intense worry and distress, and sometimes even break down, although many of us are good at masking it, so others, even close families and friends, are not aware of the suffering we are experiencing within. I will offer a confidential and safe space for you to talk freely without worry. I can help you to understand and identify the difference between unhealthy and healthy relationships, to recognise unhelpful behaviours and patterns, and explore ways to improve and achieve more satisfying and healthy relationships. 

We will learn how our differences come with the potential for mutual growth. I can help you to explore the communication difficulties you experience and find ways to develop effective communication methods in order to bridge the differences without losing your own voice. 

Self-esteem is essentially how we value ourselves. We may feel negative and critical in our own abilities when we experience low self-esteem which can hold us back in life. I can help you to recognise the negative voices of your inner-critic and find ways to challenge them, and replace them with positive and constructive messages. We can work on self-acceptance, self-value, confidence building and self-exploration. We will identify your strengths, qualities and uniqueness of being, and work through ways to manage your responses to others’ behaviour. 

I strongly believe in the freedom of being and existing in the ways one chooses. I supported many young people who identify as LGBTQ+ on issues around sexuality and gender identity. If you want to talk about issues around this area, I will offer you a non-judgemental, safe and inclusive space to talk. Together, we will explore the difficulties you might be experiencing and how you might be able to start accepting and feeling more comfortable with your self-identity. We can also work on any challenges or mental health concerns you may have that are linked to living in a heteronormative society and facing potential discrimination, bullying, homophobia, biphobia or transphobia. 

Trauma and abuse come in many different forms and they often have significant impact on us later in life, if not immediate. Such impact can be hidden, debilitating and long-lasting. I will work with you in steps at your preferred pace to explore your trauma safely using my Gestalt approach. I can support you learning to manage trauma symptoms, gently reprocessing traumatic memories if needed, and finally, to integrate what happened in the past into your sense of personal meaning, develop new understanding and relationship with the trauma, and reconnect with the world, with the aim of leading to a more fulfilling life.