Rooted in strength Commitment to care
Sometimes the first step is simply having somewhere safe to talk.
A space to understand, heal and move forward.
Understanding What's Underneath
Hi, I'm Toni, an Integrative Relational Counsellor and Founder of Evoak Counselling. I'm a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
I have a particular interest in how difficult experiences growing up can continue to affect us in adulthood, including the ways we learn to cope. Sometimes this can show up through alcohol, drugs, food, relationships or other behaviours that can become difficult to change.
I have over 20 years' combined experience working across NHS, prison, addiction, education and community settings, supporting adults and young people through a range of difficult life experiences, including trauma, domestic abuse and relationship trauma, addiction, anxiety, depression and relationship difficulties. This has given me a deeper understanding of how our experiences can affect the way we feel, cope and relate to others.
My work is also shaped by my own life experiences, which has given me an understanding of how difficult and overwhelming life can sometimes feel.
I offer a safe, supportive space where you can explore what's going on for you at your own pace. I work in a way that is shaped around you as an individual, because I don't believe one approach works for everyone.
My aim is to help you build self-awareness, work through challenges, and feel more able to move forward in a way that feels right for you.
View my BACP profile
Why work with me
- Qualified & Professional - I'm a qualified Integrative Relational Counsellor and registered member of the BACP, working within their professional and ethical standards.
- Understanding You as an Individual - There's no one-size-fits-all approach. Our work together will be shaped around you, your experiences and what you want from counselling.
- A Space Without Judgement - Whatever brings you to counselling, you'll have a space where you can talk openly, feel heard and explore what's going on for you without judgement.
- Experience That Shapes My Work - My experience across addiction, prison, NHS, education and community settings has given me an understanding of the different experiences people can carry and the ways they may learn to cope.
- Flexible Ways To Meet - I offer individual and group counselling face to face, online and by telephone, giving you the choice of what works best for you.
The Story and Mission
Evoak Counselling was created from lived experience.
My journey into counselling began through navigating my own complex life experiences. Through that process, I experienced the difference it can make to feel truly heard, understood and supported, and how beginning to understand ourselves can help us move forward.
That experience shaped the way I work today.
I've always been drawn to supporting others and have spent many years working alongside people experiencing difficult and complex situations. I've seen how much can change when someone feels safe enough to talk openly without fear of being judged.
Evoak Counselling is built around that belief — your story matters, your pace is respected, and you don't have to have everything figured out.
I'm particularly interested in how experiences from our earlier lives can stay with us and influence how we feel, relate to others and cope as adults. Sometimes the things we turn to for comfort or to get through difficult feelings can eventually become patterns that are difficult to change.
My aim is to help you understand what may be underneath those patterns, with less judgement towards yourself, and support you in finding a way forward that feels right for you.
Why Evoak Counselling
The name Evoak brings together two ideas — growth and strength.
“Evo” represents growth and change, while “Oak” represents strength, stability and resilience.
For me, Evoak reflects what counselling can offer — a space to understand yourself, recognise what may be keeping you stuck and begin to make changes in your own way and at your own pace.
Like an oak tree, our experiences become part of our story. They can shape us, but they don't have to define where we go next.
Evoak Counselling is about understanding where you've come from, recognising the strength you already have and supporting you to find your own way forward.