Hello, I'm Gabi

I'm a counsellor and psychotherapist based in Bristol, and I offer a warm, down-to-earth and non-judgemental space where you can bring the whole of yourself.

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I became a counsellor partly because of my own experiences of therapy. After experiencing bereavement and pregnancy loss myself, I found that some counsellors seemed uncomfortable talking about what had actually happened. The difficult parts of the story were brushed aside, perhaps because they didn't know what to say or how to hold them.

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I wanted something different.

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I wanted to be able to talk about all of it , including the painful, messy and darker parts, without feeling that I needed to protect the person sitting opposite me.

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Before becoming a counsellor, I worked as a nurse in A&E and early pregnancy. I loved caring for people, but I was always more interested in their stories than the medical side of things. Counselling felt like the part of nursing I loved, without the parts I didn't.

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My nursing career also taught me that people don't always arrive at their most difficult moments neat, happy and ready to talk. You don't need to be either.

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I'm not afraid of the difficult stuff

I'm gentle, calm and approachable, but I'm also not afraid of the dark.

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I've sat with people through some incredibly difficult experiences, and I know that sometimes what you need most is someone who can stay with you when things feel unbearable.

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I want my counselling room to be somewhere you can say the things you've never said out loud before. The thoughts that feel shameful, embarrassing, angry or somehow “wrong”.

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I don't believe those parts of us make us bad people. Often, they are the parts of ourselves that are most human.

And there can be something incredibly freeing about finally being able to say, “I've never told anyone this before…” and discovering that you are still accepted afterwards.

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There is also room for humour. I can be playful, I sometimes say awkward things and laugh at myself, and I don't think therapy needs to feel heavy every minute. We can celebrate the good things too.

 

My specialist work: Miscarriage and Pregnancy Loss

Miscarriage and Pregnancy loss is a particularly important part of my work, and my own experiences of pregnancy loss have shaped the way I support others.

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Miscarriage isn't simply a physical event. It can affect your relationships, friendships, confidence, sense of identity and hopes for the future. There can be difficult dates, due dates, Christmases, pregnancy announcements and the painful feeling that everyone around you seems to be moving forward while you are somehow standing still.

Perhaps hardest of all can be the loneliness.

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I support people following miscarriage, recurrent miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, stillbirth and TFMR, as well as those who are struggling with fertility or thinking about trying again.

 

Pregnancy after loss

I also work with people who are pregnant again after miscarriage or pregnancy loss, or who desperately want another baby but feel too frightened to try.

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Pregnancy after loss can be an incredibly complicated place to be. You can be excited and terrified. Hopeful and anxious. Grateful and grieving.

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Two things can be true.

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You don't have to force yourself to focus on the positives or pretend that you aren't frightened. Sometimes having somewhere safe to hold both sides of that experience can make all the difference.

 

And if you're a partner or a man...

I also support men and partners following miscarriage and pregnancy loss.

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Partners can sometimes feel as though they need to be strong for everyone else, while their own grief is pushed to one side. I've often seen the surprise on someone's face when I've simply asked:

“And how are you? This is your loss too.”

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You may not have physically experienced the pregnancy, but you can absolutely experience the emotional loss.

There is space for that grief in my counselling room.

 

I also work with ADHD and autism

Alongside my specialist work with pregnancy loss, I also work with people exploring ADHD and autism, including those who are newly diagnosed or wondering whether they may be neurodivergent.

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I don't believe there is one way to be autistic or have ADHD. I'm interested in your experience — what has been difficult, what has worked, and what parts of yourself you may have spent years trying to hide or change.

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Sometimes the problem isn't that there is something wrong with you. Sometimes the expectations around you simply don't fit.

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Counselling can be a space to understand yourself, make different choices and give yourself permission to live a life that actually fits you.

 

Counselling isn't about fixing you

My work is about helping you understand yourself and feel more accepting of who you are, not who you think you should be.

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Sometimes the parts of ourselves we try hardest to hide are holding something important. Anxiety, shame, jealousy, anger or sadness can all have something to tell us.

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I don't believe I'm the expert on your life. You are.

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I'm there to help you look at things differently, notice patterns and understand yourself more deeply. I won't tell you what to do, and I don't give homework. (I wouldn't do it myself!)

 

Finding the right counsellor matters

I may not be the right counsellor for you,  and that's okay.

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Counselling is two people working together, and I think it's important that you feel comfortable with the person you're sitting with.

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That's why I offer a free, no-obligation 15-minute introductory call. It gives you the chance to tell me a little about what you're looking for, ask any questions and get a feel for whether I'm someone you could talk to.

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You don't need to have the right words.

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You don't need to know exactly what you need.

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And you certainly don't need to show up happy and put together.

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You can just show up as you are.

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I'm here for the really tough parts too.