I have been a Counselling Professional since 2005 but more importantly a human being. I have a lived experience of depression and life and how we build building blocks, one upon the other, carrying all these blocks within us.  I have a depth of experience both professionally and personally.  I am also an empath and found that I was constantly taking on others feelings as my own, this left me overwhelmed, drained and carrying all this emotion and pain.  I found my own skills in separating from others but was still able to be with others without becoming entangled. Depression became my friend in a very healthy way - it was there to show me something was wrong, something that I was not dealing with, and every time I ignored what was going on I would sink deeper and deeper into depression, beating myself up with my own mind (my own worst enemy) .  The first depression is real, failing to listen to ourselves we sink more and more into depression. It was when I started listening, when I started trusting me, when I Stopped, Looked and Listened at me and dealing with my own hurt, my own pain, my own existence that I found my healthy outlets for releasing, I did this by not stopping the flow of emotion within me. I allowed myself to be me in that moment whatever I was feeling and with it came clarity and integration and a healthy separation from others.  I love counselling and being with people.  I live in reality and know the depths of pain that we can hold inside and the depths of pain this has on those around us.  I also know the beauty that this pain leads to and the creativity, the freeing and the emergence of who you really are.