My decision to specialise in working with people with OCD and anxiety was both professional and personal.

A close family member lives with OCD — the kind that shows up as distressing, unwanted intrusive thoughts and checking compulsions. I’ve seen firsthand how exhausting and overwhelming it can be, not just for the person experiencing it, but for those who care about them too. It’s given me a profound respect for the courage it takes to face these challenges every day — and a deep commitment to helping others do just that.

I’ve also had my own experiences with anxiety, particularly during a very difficult time in my life. When my late husband was diagnosed with cancer and given a terminal prognosis, I felt overwhelmed by fear — both during his illness and when trying to imagine how I would cope after his death. Those moments taught me what it’s really like to live in a heightened state of uncertainty and distress.

What helped me through was something I didn’t expect: the very things I’d learned from my clients. Their resilience, insights, and the strategies we’d explored together not only normalised my own experience but also reminded me to draw on the same tools I shared with them. I was able to apply my therapeutic knowledge to myself — and that gave me strength.

So when I say I understand, I mean it in more ways than one. I bring both clinical expertise and a compassionate, lived understanding to my work.