C A R O L I N E.

#PEOPLEWITHPURPOSE A series celebrating wonderful people, doing wonderful things, something the Japanese call 'IKIAGI'.

1./ Hi! Please introduce yourself and let us know a little bit about you.

Hi! I’m Caroline and I’m from London. When I’m not working, I love eating out, watching cooking shows (basically anything involving food that I get to eat but don’t actually have to cook!), and I’m also partial to a pub quiz - music rounds are definitely my specialty. I am married to Erick who is a great singer. You would think this would be a lot of fun, which it can be, but I could definitely use a volume control at times!

2./ What is your IKIAGI and how did you come to finding it, why you love it and how it makes you feel?

I am so proud to be an experienced, BACP registered therapist and Director of CPPC London. I absolutely love seeing people grow and develop and it’s such an honour when people trust me with their stories and what is happening in their inner world. The job can be a real challenge, especially at the moment when there is understandably so much anxiety and uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic, but the rewards are so worth it.

I meet such interesting, bright people who just need someone to help them make sense of what has or what is happening to them and how this impacts their responses.

A big part of my work is helping people recognise that they have the power and agency to make good choices and facilitating them as they work towards this, building their resilience as we go. It’s incredibly rewarding to see people make progress, but I can only take so much of the credit as ultimately the client does the work!

3./ Tell us about what you used to do before your found your 'IKIAGI' , how that made you feel and why you knew it was time to change / If you are working your IKIAGI as a side hustle tell us how you work that around your day job.

Prior to re-training I had worked in Central London in a variety of corporate roles including Client Management and Market Research. I first graduated university at the height of the recession and jobs were limited, so really I fell into a career that I then spent several years developing even though it really didn’t suit my skillset or fulfil me.

As time went on, it became more and more evident how unhappy I was at work, and a number of signs seemed to be pointing towards Psychotherapy as a career choice including a friend handing me a leaflet for a therapy training conference and saying “I’m not sure why I’m giving you this but feel like I need to”!

I still do some freelance work in Market Research - it started as a financial necessity but now that my business is going well it’s actually just nice to be part of a team and have conversations about what’s on Netflix and who’s having what for dinner. Psychotherapy is a great career choice but it can be a bit isolating as you end up being a bit of a lone ranger, so it’s good to maintain links elsewhere.

4./ Tell us about your products/ services and what you offer.

I offer both face to face and online therapy for individuals and couples, as well as corporate workshops for managing stress, anxiety and depression at work.

At the moment I am working exclusively online (due to COVID-19), but it actually works really well as some clients find it much easier to open up when they’re in their own space and haven’t just undergone a rush to my office.

I work in an open ended way, so clients aren’t tied in to a certain number of sessions. It’s always really hard when people ask me how long I think they’ll need to attend because I honestly don’t know what’s going to come up week to week.

My aim is always to get clients to a point where they don’t really need me anymore, but of course, they are welcome to attend as we both/all agree it’s useful.

The workshops I offer can either be geared towards the delegates themselves e.g. how to manage stress at work, or they can be designed around helping managers spot signs of, and manage, depression and anxiety in their employees.

5./ What sets your soul on fire & what is your dream for your business for the future?

Seeing people grow in self assurance and become less anxious and more resilient will always give me a huge kick, I am so proud of the work that people do. It’s honestly so brave of people to invest in this process because as much as it’s fantastic, it can certainly be a challenge.

I just hope to keep meeting and working with more wonderful people, and having the honour of making a career of it.

6./ What is your website address/ social handles for people to find you?

website: www.cppclondon.com

email: caroline@cppclondon.com

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cppclondon/

instagram: cppc_london_therapy

Caroline's sesssions are 100% confidential, and can be carried out from anywhere in the world. Caroline has a beautiful warm, caring and understanding nature that makes you feel instantly at ease. Some people are born to do what they do, and Caroline was definately born to help and listen. If you or someone you know could benefit with talking to someone, whether it be about anxiety, depression, general worries of the current situation, get in touch with Caroline.