Amputation & Trauma Rehabilitation Support

Recovery and Renewal on the Psychological Journey:

Having survived and thrived after a life-threatening winter mountaineering fall in 2001, I have a first-hand understanding of the psychological journey all amputees experience. Through identifying what I could change about myself and my circumstances, and accepting those I could not change, I discovered renewed purpose  and meaning in life.

I work alongside established amputee and trauma rehabilitation providers, as part of a multi-disciplinary teams of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, counsellors and prosthetists. My own journey of recovery, together with my Psychosynthesis Life Coaching and Hypnotherapy training,  enables me to offer a unique suite of psychological services. These services include:

Life Coaching:

My approach to life coaching, ie. discovering a renewed path of purpose and meaning after trauma, provides a friendly, safe space for coming to terms with life-changing trauma, while confronting fears and problems. Psychosynthesis as a depth psychology, ie. recognising the reality of the unconscious in our lives, provides the tools and principles for:

  • Exploring new directions and opportunities in career and vocation, ie. a sense of purpose and meaning
  • Addressing stress and motivation after a traumatic event
  • Managing the ‘Inner life’ as part of the psychological journey, including body image and altered social status
  • Helping with goal setting and planning for the future.

Hypnotherapy:

Hypnosis is a surprisingly common and natural state of relaxed awareness and concentration, where the deeper, unconscious layers and parts of the mind are accessed. This enables positive, empowering suggestions to be made, in service of the goal of recovery. Hypnotherapy is a scientifically well-researched and proven approach for effective treatment of:

  • Anxiety following amputation surgery
  • Overcoming phantom limb pain
  • Ongoing pain management
  • Overcoming trauma
  • Resolving irrational fears and undesirable feelings
  • Developing a new self-image.

Neuro Linguistic Programming:

NLP had its origins in the early-to-mid 1970s ‘self-help’ movement in the United States, and is a practical psychological approach for personal development and change. The techniques are easy-to-learn and apply, and are focused on future-oriented outcomes, as ways of handling life-changing events and episodes:

  • Overcoming phobias
  • Effectively managing stress
  • Addressing anxiety-related problems
  • Freedom from past negative experiences.

I am a member of the Association for the Advancement of Psychosynthesis, and the National Council for Psychotherapists, and as such align with and adhere to its Code of Ethics and Standards.