Anne Marie

Anne Marie (they/them) is the Trans+ Counselling Service Manager at Spectra. They are proud to work within an organisation whose values align so closely with their own and have been part of Spectra for many years, first through their trainee counselling placement and later managing Spectra’s free counselling service for LGBTQ+ young people. They are passionate about ensuring trans and gender-questioning folk have access to high-quality, peer-led and cost-free therapeutic support.

Trained psychodynamically, Anne Marie came to counselling following a background in developmental psychology and over a decade spent working with infants, toddlers and their families. Their work is grounded in a deep curiosity about how our earliest experiences shape the ways we relate to ourselves, others and the world around us. When working with clients, Anne Marie strives to meet and welcome every part of the person in the room. They hold a particular interest in helping adults tune into their inner child, recognising the importance of play, creativity and imagination as sources of resilience, meaning and change. They believe that imagining different futures and possibilities can help people move towards lives that feel more authentic, fulfilling and aligned with who they are.

Anne Marie understands that many trans+ people have experienced misunderstanding, judgement or harm within mental health services. Their work is informed by a commitment to creating spaces where therapeutic values of safety, confidentiality and non-judgement are brought together with lived experience, allowing clients to explore their feelings, identities, relationships and challenges within a deeply empathetic and affirming environment.

Alongside their work in counselling, Anne Marie is passionate about DIY music, grassroots community organising and the transformative potential of collective action. They’re often heard cheerleading people who seek out communities where new ways of being and belonging can be imagined together to build a new world in the shell of the old.