Helping you heal from your hidden trauma – Embrace growth across cultures & communities
Hello & welcome
I’m Star, an experienced registered counsellor. I offer counselling online to adults (UK & Thailand), and outdoor counselling in Warwick, UK.
You may be feeling all kinds of ways right now. I remember this journey well. I admire your drive to create change in your life.
Please take a look around the website to get a sense of who I am, and if you feel I can support you through your therapeutic journey.
I offer a free 15-minute intro chat, but if you’re not feeling ready for it yet, please feel free to email me any questions you may have.
I wish you the best and hope you’ll find what you’re looking for.
Star - aka Lyn (Chinese) / Ploy (Thai)
She/Her
How are you… really?
Have you been struggling with some of these and beating yourself up about it?
Anxiety, stress, and feeling overwhelmed at work, in social situations, or your relationships
Regularly feeling hijacked by your emotions
Self-criticism, overthinking, and perfectionism tendencies
Chronic people-pleasing and difficulty setting healthy boundaries
Low mood or depression
Guilt, shame, and regrets
Struggles with identity, sense of self, belonging, and life choices
Cultural adjustment in social or work settings
Dealing with hidden or unvalidated grief, or grieving from afar
You’re not alone. Many of us experienced some of these at some point in life, but if you’ve been struggling for a while and it’s negatively impacting your life and relationships, please get in touch.
“It’s not about getting the feeling out of the mind, or hiding it, but about experiencing it with acceptance.”
-Carl Rogers
How can I help?
It depends on what you hope to achieve from counselling. I will empathetically and compassionately work with your needs and goals, whether that’s to offload and figure things out, or to understand, heal and grow from your experiences.
Maybe you want to gain more clarity and self-trust, feel more in control of your life journey, or feel lighter and know that you’ll be OK even if things are not OK. If developing different coping skills is what you need, it’s about finding what’s relevant for you and for your life now.
I provide an affirming and reflective session. Your authentic thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are welcome here. Our session is a dedicated time in a safe zone for you to explore, process, reflect and experiment. It’s for you to discover 'you' and the answers that are right for you. I place great importance on attuning to your world, so you feel heard, accepted, and validated as you are - here’s where the therapeutic work begins.
Who do I work with?
My lived experiences have inspired me to focus on helping clients from multicultural & international communities, including Adult Third-Culture Kids, Expats, and Repats. I understand that while our life experiences can be rich and colourful, the hidden challenges they present can lead to internal conflicts and unhelpful coping mechanisms.
Over the years, I've found great fulfilment in helping clients from all walks of life who struggle with internal conflicts and unhelpful patterns stemming from childhood emotional neglect. I believe emotional neglect is one of the most hidden and damaging forms of trauma.
Some of these may resonate with you:
I have a complicated family background. My upbringing was somewhat unconventional, and I often feel conflicted, and lacking self-trust.
My childhood was unstable and I lacked emotional support. I feel like my negative experiences back then contributed to some of my struggles today.
I felt lonely throughout my childhood.
I had a privileged upbringing and came from a loving family. I feel like I shouldn’t be feeling the way that I do. I feel guilty about my struggles.
You may be interested in reading some of my blogs here.
Online counselling
It’s all about making the process as accessible and comfortable as possible.
My clients and I appreciate the flexibility, ease, and sense of freedom that online counselling offers. There’s also something unique about the focused closeness you can experience from an online 1-2-1 interaction. This option can be particularly helpful if you have a busy or unpredictable schedule, feel more comfortable in your own space, or are shy and anxious about discussing difficult topics in person.
From the start of my journey, I was drawn to online counselling—to help and learn from people beyond my local area. I believe we can all benefit from building a support network that includes people both near and far.
Outdoor Counselling
Counselling doesn’t have to be behind closed doors. It can be outdoors, with nature and fresh air.
We may walk and talk, sit and chat, or take our mats to lie on the ground and look at the sky whilst we chat. It’s an opportunity for our thoughts and feelings to be expressed and processed, allowing some of the burdens to drift away with nature. Much can happen when the outdoors becomes part of the therapeutic process.
It’s also helpful if you find face-to-face interaction or eye contact uncomfortable in a counselling setting. You may find it easier to open up in an open space.
90-minute single session
If you’re not looking for ongoing therapy (or not sure what you need), a single session may be a good alternative for you.
This focused 90-minute session can be unexpectedly impactful. The ability to work things through in a confidential and unbiased setting can provide great relief and insight into your situation. This is the time for you to say it out loud and let your honest thoughts, feelings, wishes, and fears be heard without judgement or repercussions.
As a time-limited session, you’re encouraged to carefully consider what it is you want from the session. It may be to figure things out, or an occasional safe space and time to process specific life events. This is also particularly useful if you have limited time or an unpredictable schedule.
“Star provided me with tools to hold on to for life."