About
Hi I'm Gem
- Based
- Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex
- Sessions
- Video · Phone · In person
- Languages
- English
My story
I'm a CBT coach and practitioner.
When I was seventeen I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I went through several operations and chemotherapy, but the treatment put me into early menopause, and my body and my future changed overnight.
I have lived with loss and trauma, and I have navigated anxiety for as long as I can remember. My mental health meant I was home educated from the age of thirteen. That came with its own challenges, but it also taught me self-discipline early on: how to study at home, manage my time and keep going when things felt hard.
Eventually my own struggles led me to therapy. I quickly realised how transformative it was, and the experience made me realise how much I wanted to help others. The process was hard at times, processing feelings I had naturally wanted to avoid. Shortly after my own therapy, I decided I wanted to study counselling myself, and I began learning about counselling and interpersonal skills. Along the way I met extraordinary people who encouraged me to keep going.
Then I found CBT, and it genuinely changed my life. Learning to understand my own thought patterns, to work with my brain instead of against it, felt like becoming my own coach. It gave me a sense of power in a world where I had often felt powerless.
I still struggle today. Anxiety is not something I have "beaten", it is a continuous learning experience. I learn an enormous amount about myself through other people, and that mutual growth is part of what makes this work so meaningful to me.
Mental health issues can affect both the mind and the body, and I understand this from lived experience. When anxiety is running on high alert, it can feel completely overwhelming, and I know how difficult it is when your own body no longer feels like a safe place to be.
“I would like to help others because I know how much I have struggled. I know what it is like to search for support that actually fits, and I believe everyone deserves to find tools that truly work for them.”
Why CBT?
I love CBT because it's grounded in science and evidence, but also because it gives people practical tools to make real, lasting change. It's not a quick fix. It takes time, patience and a willingness to put the work in. I believe that understanding our negative cycles and beliefs can help us break old patterns and create healthier ones over time.
CBT doesn't just focus on how you feel; it looks at the thoughts underneath those feelings, and whether they're actually true. In my own experience, anxiety came with a lot of automatic thinking that felt real but wasn't always accurate. Learning to notice that, question it, and respond differently made a real difference.
It's more than talking through problems. It's actively practising new ways of thinking and behaving, even outside of sessions. A lot of anxiety and low mood is kept going by avoidance, so part of the work is gently facing what you've been avoiding, and learning that what you feared usually doesn't happen.
Because it's skill-based, you come away with tools you can keep using on your own. That's the kind of change I want to help other people find.
How I work
We work together on your specific problems, using practical CBT tools that fit where you are and what you need.
I believe in looking at an overall sense of well-being, this could be through food, exercise and lifestyle. What life stress someone is going through manifests through various different areas in their life, and I take a holistic view of what might be contributing to how you're feeling.
I offer CBT-based coaching to support people with everyday stress, low mood, anxiety, and confidence issues. I am not a clinical therapist and I don't work with severe or complex mental health conditions. I will always point you towards your GP or the right specialist support.
Tools and techniques
Depending on what feels right for you, I draw on practical CBT-based tools in our sessions. These include:
- Thought records, behavioural experiments, and the ABC model
- Socratic questioning and motivational interviewing
- Mindfulness-based CBT, breathing and grounding exercises
- Behavioural activation
- Mind mapping, visualisation, and formulation diagrams
I adapt every tool to suit you, so our work feels practical and personal rather than clinical.
A note on flexibility
My health is unpredictable, and I am open about this because it is part of why I have built flexibility into the practice from the very start. If I ever need to cancel a session, I will tell you as soon as I can, reschedule at the earliest opportunity, and offer a check-in message in the meantime so you do not feel left in the lurch.
This applies to you too. Your mental and physical health are my top priority, and I understand that sometimes you need flexibility as well. If you need to reschedule, we will work together to find another time. My standard cancellation terms apply (see below), but I would always rather know early and work something out with you than have you feel pressured to show up when you are not able to.
My terms and conditions include a service interruption clause that covers this, so you have clarity and protection from day one. I believe honesty builds trust, and I would rather you know the reality of how I work than pretend everything is always seamless.
Cancellation policy
- More than 48 hours' notice: free cancellation or reschedule.
- Less than 48 hours' notice: 50% of the session fee is charged.
- Same-day cancellation or no-show: the full session fee is charged.
- Unused sessions in prepaid packages will be refunded.
Training & accreditation
With over 10 years of personal study and continued learning in mental health, psychology and emotional wellbeing, I bring a thoughtful, compassionate and informed approach to my work.
My background includes CBT training, person-centred counselling, active listening and ongoing professional development, allowing me to support individuals in developing greater self-awareness, emotional resilience and practical coping strategies.
I believe learning should never stop. I remain committed to developing my knowledge and maintaining an ethical, compassionate and person-centred approach to my coaching practice.
Foundational training
- BSY Diploma in CBT (Distinction)
- QLS Level 3 Award in CBT
- Level 4 Advanced CBT (Higher Distinction)
- University of Reading Certificate in Understanding Anxiety, Depression and CBT
- NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills
Specialist areas
- Anxiety Disorders in Children (Higher Distinction)
- ADHD Awareness (Higher Distinction)
- Autism Awareness (Higher Distinction)
- PTSD Counselling (Higher Distinction)
- Mindfulness (Higher Distinction)
- Meditation (Higher Distinction)
Professional memberships & insurance
I am a qualified CBT coach, fully insured, and a member of the professional organisations below. I follow their codes of practice. My work is coaching, so I don't offer therapy, psychology or medical care.
Professional membership
Association of Holistic and Complementary Practitioners (AHCP)
Registered practitioner member, working to the AHCP Code of Practice.
Foyht
Registered member, working to the Foyht Standards of Practice.
Professional insurance
I'm fully insured for professional indemnity and public liability, for every way we work together: online, by phone or in person.
Outside work
Most of my free time is spent in nature, walking through forests, along the seafront, or simply sitting with a coffee and watching the world go by. Walking has been one of my most powerful grounding tools: being outside, noticing the sky, the sounds, the feel of the ground beneath my feet, using all five senses to come back to the present moment.
When things feel overwhelming, I walk. I remind myself of what I'm grateful for. It's a practice that has carried me through some of the hardest chapters of my life.
I have lived through trauma, and that experience taught me resilience from the inside out, not as a theory, but as something I had to build day by day. I know what it's like to face uncertainty, and I bring that same empathy and compassion to every person I work with.
I am deeply non-judgmental. My hope is that every client who comes to me feels safe, secure, and genuinely accepted, exactly as they are.
I am also a firm believer in meditation. It has been one of the most reliable ways I have found to calm my body and settle my nervous system when life feels too much. In my spare time I practise yoga too, both are part of how I look after myself, and they inform the way I work.
Feeding the gut and eating healthy is something I believe in strongly. I look at well-being as a whole, food, exercise, lifestyle, because what life stress someone is going through often manifests through various different areas in their life. How we nourish ourselves physically is deeply connected to how we feel mentally.
Along the way I have gathered tools that have genuinely helped me navigate illness, grief, and the uncertainty that comes with both. I share them not because I read about them in a book, but because I have used them myself. What I offer is practical, lived-in support from someone who truly understands.
What happens next
I'll be in touch
Within 24 working hours to arrange your free intro call.
A relaxed chat
We'll have a 20-minute call by phone or video, whichever you're more comfortable with.
Agree next steps
If it feels right for both of us, we'll agree how to move forward.
No pressure
There's no hard sell and no commitment until you decide you'd like to go ahead.