Jenny Jones
Counsellor
Are you struggling to cope following the death of someone close? Perhaps your stomach is in a tangled knot, and you don’t quite know what you’re feeling. Maybe you’re finding it difficult to adjust to other losses or changes in your life. Whether you’ve suffered a bereavement or you’re seeking help to make sense of some other change in your life, I will offer you a warm and non-judgemental space to explore the issues that have brought you to counselling.
Taking the time to come to counselling is a commitment to yourself, can be incredibly hard work and often takes great courage. Whatever your focus for therapy, I will offer you compassion and hold the hope for you when you’re unable to see that things can, and will, get better.
I offer both short-term and longer-term counselling.
My personal experience of life – and death – has taught me that we are each unique individuals with diverse experiences that impact us in different ways. The thing that helps us through those difficult periods can be different from person to person, and it can change as we come across new challenges.
I'm trained to work integratively - that simply means that I have studied a range of different ideas about how we come to be as we are, and that I'm able to work in a flexible way that suits you and your needs. Perhaps you're creative and connect best through imagery, or maybe you're a practical thinker and find it helpful to write things down and give them order.
Do you sometimes go into a sudden panic, where you feel completely out of control? You might want to explore and practice techniques that will help you to manage attacks of overwhelming anxiety...perhaps you're not sure what you need beyond a listening ear, compassion, and a space where you feel accepted.
Don't worry if you just don't know - we can work it out together. I believe that you are the expert of your own experience and, as we work together, I will support you to use that experience, along with self-knowledge, acceptance and compassion, to go out and face each day with hope.
Why choose me to work with?
For 20 or so years prior to training as a counsellor, I was a listening ear, supporting people in distress, through various helping roles. Alongside seeing clients privately, I currently volunteer as a hospice counsellor. I feel privileged to have worked with each and every one of my clients, to share a part of their journey, and to witness those moments when the future suddenly seems more bearable.
In our first session we will explore your aims for counselling and take time to reflect on how we can best work towards these aims. Your preferences will be at the heart of how we use our time. If you feel unsure about what your preferences are, you might find it helpful to look at Mick Cooper and John Norcross' Inventory of Preferences which gives some really useful examples.