Hello and welcome. My name is Janine and I offer counselling and psychotherapy to clients of all ages both in private practice and as part of a local charity counselling service.

Life can be really hard at times and many people choose to work with me for support with relationship difficulties, breakups and difficult family dynamics, sadness, fear, anxiety, stress, loss, bereavement and anger, to name a few. Sometimes it may be hard to pinpoint exactly what the issue is and that's okay too as we can explore it together.  

Working with Young People 4yrs-15yrs

I specialise in working with young people with complex issues, using a systemic approach to be able to work with the whole family unit where appropriate. I have over 16 years experience working with young people and their families, in education and care settings and over 3 years experience building successful therapeutic relationships with a very varied client group. This includes working with adults and young people in main stream school who have been diagnosed with Autism, Asperger or ADHD.

With younger children I offer play therapy and creative ways of working to enhance their emotional literacy, ability to communicate and experience therapy through the universal language of play. This is a preferred way of working, as sometimes, due to a child's age and development finding the words or 'talking therapy' can be difficult. I also hold a current Enhanced DBS Certificate which has been renewed regularly since 2004. 

When working with young people, I have specific programmes available that meet the therapy needs of the young person and the strategic needs of the family in order to improve communication, understanding and difficult behaviours and create a more positive and harmonious family life balance. 

Working with Adults and Young People 16yrs +

I have gained deeper insights through my experience as a Counselling Tutor for adults who are training to be therapists and I am 2/3rds of the way through a BSc degree in Psychology which has focused heavily on cognitive psychology, and child development psychology.

As an Integrative Counsellor I draw on therapeutic approaches including Person Centred, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Transactional Analysis.

When working 1:1, I completely understand that one approach will not fit everyone, so we can design a tailor-made programme together, to incorporate different approaches that you like the sound of.

Whether you have experienced therapy before or you are new to counselling, feeling safe in talking is a key part of the process. My aim is for us to build a strong and trusting working relationship, offering confidentiality, genuine care and understanding to support you in feeling as comfortable as possible. This is one relationship where it is, and can be, all about you and what you need, without any judgement, whilst we explore the difficult thoughts and emotions you are experiencing and find ways of managing them or find the courage to make positive changes.

For this reason, I offer a free phone call to explore your needs and expectations from therapy, answer any questions you may have and it gives us the opportunity to get a sense of whether we would feel comfortable working together. There would never be any pressure to commit when you contact me as this is your journey and it's really important that you start when you feel ready.

I work from home in a calm and quiet garden setting not far from junction 11/11A of the M1 or the A505. I can offer online and face-to-face sessions and there are COVID-19 safety procedures in place.

As part of this risk assessment and care for the environment, Courage2Be Counselling Services is now a paperless service. This means that the process from our initial phone call to our first session is simple and straightforward. However, please note that I do not subscribe to Welldoing's online booking system as I prefer a more personal approach. Once we have confirmed an appointment time, you would receive automated booking confirmation and appointment reminder emails through my own digital booking platform. 

If you would like to find out more about the counselling process, the services that I offer or if you would like to enquire about starting therapy, then please, do get in touch via the contact button above and I look forward to hearing from you.

Best Wishes,

Janine