Hi.
My name is Marie-Louise, nice to cyber meet you.
It really helps to know a little about who you’re working with, especially when the work involves vulnerability and trust.
It’s not easy reaching out for help, so thanks for looking me up and having an interest in learning more about the possibility of working together.
I grew up in north London. I now live in Croydon in the south, which isn’t as far away from the rest of the world as I imagined growing up. One stop to London Bridge and 50min to Brighton makes it feel like a good middle ground for all the nice things.
My life is full. I enjoy good company, expressive art forms, food, new experiences, nature, and my work.
I’m dyslexic, which makes me a visual learner. It fascinates me how different people are. Physically, as well as sensory. Lets swap notes on how we experience the world! I’m happy to share my personal experiences with you if they help you relate to what you’re noticing for yourself.
Work Life
Physical to Emotional Liberation: My 20-Year Evolution
I’ve always looked after people. Yonks ago, I was in the service industry. I used to throw cocktails about at TGI Fridays back in the 90’s. (I still make a mean Margarita)
I trained as a therapist and personal trainer in 2005. For over 20 years, I worked as a dedicated bodyworker. I specialized in sports massage, acupuncture, and fire cupping, along with prescribing exercise to treat physical injuries and soft tissue pain.
Working intimately with so many different bodies, I couldn’t help noticing a trend.
Many people would come to see me with unidentified pain. They would talk about their frustrations of going to the Dr, getting scans, physio sessions, and still feel the pain with no diagnosis. Everyone tells them that there’s nothing wrong. ‘It’s just stress’ or a similar conclusion. I too would find nothing physically wrong with them. But I could see their pain. My tools couldn’t reach that pain.
So I changed my tool kit
Those clients taught me something: our bodies remember everything. Witnessing how deeply their emotions, stresses, and past traumas intertwine with their physical tissues naturally evolved my practice.
It led me away from standard injury rehabilitation and into what my work is now: an integrated somatic approach dedicated to emotional and physical healing.
Why choose me as your therapist
I’m not going to try to sell myself to you, it’s not something I’m any good at, or take any pleasure in.
But I will point out a few things that you may find helpful to know about me, and how I work.
Decide for yourself
I’ll always talk to people before we consider starting anything. This gives an opportunity for you to get a sense of me.
Get a feel for my manor. How does it feel to you? Do you think you would be comfortable working with me?
You can ask all your questions.
See how you feel as this conversation plays out.
Sleep on it. Book right away. Decide it’s not for you. Or maybe just not right now. Whatever it is, you’ll have my number, you can get in touch anytime.
I’m a body worker. Not a talk therapist
I don’t have talk therapy training.
Maybe you’ve done your fair share of talk therapy already! -I’m not taking you back there.
Talk therapists can be fantastic and do great work. But the training teaches them detachment.
I don’t have that programming.
This work needs resonance and it’s led by the client’s body.
It’s the only way I’ve worked. Paying attention to bodies. I’m used to sessions being led by what the person’s body needs in that moment – and going with it!
You have more than one modality to work with
I don’t just offer Somatic Therapy. The hands-on Fascia work can be called upon when needed. You don’t even need to make a separate booking, it’s simply something we can do with our time.
Why is that so important?
When we’re doing this work, we’re working with the nervous system and the fascia network.
A Somatic session is you getting in touch with what your body is holding via the nervous system. Giving you an opportunity to let something go with me supporting you.
Fascia work is where I connect with your fascia network and look for ways to help your body let something go.
Meaning you get two ways in. Not just one.
Cool right?
Giving you autonomy over your therapy
Super important for such an organic and personal therapy journey.
Familiar with the weekly 50min session pattern?
Not here. Therapists do that for their convenience, not your benefit. It’s to do with hourly treatment room charges, and having a reliable (full) diary.
Despite the fact Somatics is slow, and people can need a minute to get their bearings before heading back out into the world, even somatic therapists keep to this pattern. That’s not kind.
My sessions are still ‘about an hour’. If we’re done in 50min, great. But I give up to 75min per client.
In this work, it’s not that you’re getting short changed if your session is longer/shorter/intense/subtle.
Every time we touch in, we’re getting somewhere, and we always work with what the body is happy with that day.
But what you do need is time to not rush, and time to get your head together before leaving the room.
We have that.
Another thing to consider is session spacing
I’m not going to dictate that you have to come in weekly. For a lot of people that’s too often (and too expensive)
Plus, people process at different paces.
I will ask you to do your first handful of sessions as close together as we can manage, so you can get yourself used to the work, and learn the skill of somatic felt sense. After that, you’ll have an idea of how you process after a session. You then decide how often you come in. You can change this pace as you go through your journey.
This work leads to systemic, physical changes. It is a bumpy road. It’s not for a one off, or a 6 week block. Come in for sessions at times that feels appropriate for your own path.
I don’t over charge
Believe me, I know. £10 is a lot if you don’t have £10.
Therapy is expensive.
But I have chosen to use an honesty based 3 tiered pricing scale.
*Low £75 *Standard £85 *Standard Plus £95
Yes, that’s similar to a lot of therapists, according to what I’ve seen.
But they give you 50min sessions, in one modality, and will likely try to make you book weekly.
Not me. With me:
*You have wiggle room for more time if needed.
*We can do Fascia work as well as Somatic.
*Energy Therapy can be brought in to help you feel more centered during bumpy processing.
*You can book your sessions at the pace you feel comfortable.
Yes, I get charged more rent for allowing for longer at the treatment spaces. I have to take less clients per day as a result. But I don’t put that cost back on you. All I ask is that you respect my 48hr cancellation policy please, as late changes put me in an expensive position (thank-you)
Here for the Theys and the Gays
When you are part of the LGBTQ+ community, you’re always looking for places and people who make you feel you’re accepted and understood.
I know the importance of not having to explain yourself in that regard.
I’m a gender queer, pansexual, and polyamorous.
If you’re any of the things that come under the rainbow coloured umbrella of the beautiful diversity of humans we are, then you are absolutely welcome and safe with me.
