The Hartlepool mother-of-three has opened a psychotherapy business called HG Response Ltd in town after years of working towards the goal.

Now she's helping clients from an area stretching from York to Newcastle, all from her base in Church Street, Hartlepool.

The 57-year-old is also continuing her role as a psychotherapist working with the NHS.

She deals with people who have conditions such as anxiety phobias or depression.

Christine, whose daughter, Karen Featherstone, 32, is working in her new Hartlepool practice as company secretary, said: "I am dealing with people with anxiety and depression and getting them back into work.

"I decided to start my own practice which I have always wanted to do."

Her working career has been rich and varied. As well as the NHS, she has worked with the New Deal for Communities, was employed in the housing sector for 12 years, worked with victim support as a community safety project officer and also with the Hartlepool MIND group.

But her own psychotherapy is her "ultimate goal and now I have got it", she says.

Christine is married to Barry Paul, 59, and has two sons Stephen, 36, and Christopher, 28. She qualified as a psychotherapist three years ago with help from the NDC and said: "I feel as though I want to give something back to the community."

Her business can be found close to Hartlepool Railway Station. It's why Christine believes she gets clientele from Newcastle, Durham and York as well as Hartlepool.

She explains how she provides help to her clients. "I help people to learn how to relax. That way they can see things much more clearly.

"It is not just about sitting and talking. It is about giving them the skills to move forward."