The Academy S.P.A.C.E

I have been involved in supporting people who are in emotional and other life difficulties most of my working life, initially in volunteering, then in social work. My path from becoming a counsellor, to psychosexual therapist, trainer, clinical supervisor, university lecturer and author started in 1983. From 1993 to 2010 I worked for Sheffield Hallam University teaching counselling and later heading the Counselling Studies Unit. In 2006 I set up a counselling centre in Sheffield (Cornerstone) with a colleague, which continues to thrive. In 2010 when SHU ceased professional training for prospective counsellors I sought permission to set those courses up as part of a private training initiative. SHU was very supportive, and so The Academy: SPACE came into being. The motivations for all my work have been a wish to relieve suffering and to experience the joy of seeing others grow and develop (and, of course, to heal some of my own wounds on the way).