I have worked in therapeutic settings as a counsellor and trainer for over 20 years after qualifying with my degree from the University of West of England. Since then I have worked alongside the NHS, in schools and further education and I was part of a team that brought restorative justice to the UK working with the community and our young people. I also have worked with adults in both residential and community therapeutic services.
While I no longer work in this way as a counsellor I do still uphold the ethics of the profession of counseling and psychotherapy and find these fit perfectly the work of Tarot Therapy. I am also a member of the Tarot Association of the British Isles and uphold their ethics.
I came to the Tarot a number of years ago and used the Tarot to support my own personal healing and life process. Then during time off work due to a cycling accident which gave me time to recover. I used this space really well to reflect and evaluate where I was in my life across all areas, it became like a personal retreat.
It was in this time I began to explore the tarot in a new way beyond being a divination tool but also as a therapy and it proved to be a great support at this crossroads in my own life. My experience led me to learn about the Tarot as a therapy and how it can offer insight and transformation.
Suddenly a random bicycle accident became a much deeper and meaningful opportunity as I became aware of the potential of these moments. The Tarot opened a way for me to engage with this time in a rich and potent way.
When life events happen I can turn to the Tarot and it can show me different perspectives and views of this and ways to engage and understand deeper meanings and solutions this has been invaluable to living a more empowered life.
Its not so much what happens to us but how we engage with it that determines the quality of our life. The Tarot acts as a wise guide as we navigate the mystery, challenges and everyday events we call life.
I was amazed and fascinated by how the Tarot positively impacted and supported me and I immersed myself in beginning to learn all I could about this ancient system. Very quickly the Tarot became a part of supporting my own spiritual and everyday life path in very practical ways.
My training, which was very much of an initiation as well as a learning expereince further deepened my amazement and wonder into this wise and beautiful system of transformation one that is so generous in all it gives. Building on my roots as a counsellor I feel I have found a way to offer the tarot in an effective practical and grounded way.
I am interested in how the tarot is connected to the natural world and how this connection with the elements of us and nature is a part of the healing process of the therapy and reflected with the tarot as indeed all of life’s experiences are. I currently am engaged in further advanced training with Steve Hounsome and as part of this I am working on a project looking at the tarot as a expression of nature.
I also work as a shamanic practitioner since 2006 www.oakenleaf.co.uk and involved in local conservation and re-wilding projects as a practical expression of my spirituality in the world and community I am a part off.
I am a music-maker and word weaver and have been published on subjects related to shamanism, conservation and earth connection and currently am working on my first book on the topic of communion with trees. I love living in this wild ancient and magical land of Scotland the home of my ancestors my homeland is back in Ireland where my family are from.