Julie Heanan

Evening and Saturday morning appointments are available on request and subject to availability (due to demand).

I began my counselling career approximately 23 years ago, working with people with long term, debilitating illnesses, at The John Richardson Trust (which then became Tees Valley Counselling Services.) I took a break from counselling while my children were growing up and worked in a Primary Care setting for 13 years, delivering short term therapy, until I decided to focus on my private practice.

My core training was in Person Centred counselling, but over the years I have developed a more integrative approach to therapy and am quite capable in using a number of different ‘tools’ of the trade, including (but not limited to) Transactional Analysis (TA), Gestalt, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, (CBT), Bereavement Counselling  Mindfulness and healing with creative media. I engage in regular continued personal development , keeping my skills honed and updated.

I offer face to face counselling in my very comfortable therapy room, and also offer online and telephone counselling . Unfortunately, the building is not wheelchair friendly, but I do offer home visits to compensate for this.

I offer confidential and expert psychotherapy and counselling in a safe and comfortable environment and I am enthusiastic and passionate about my work. 

I aim to build a therapeutic relationship with my clients in which they can explore and express their difficulties without judgment. 

Although I offer therapy on relationship issues, I must clarify that I do not work with couples. 

During a first session I will go through a therapeutic agreement with my clients so that we can explore our expectations of each other, in the therapeutic relationship. 

I will then ask about what the client wants to achieve from therapy, thereby establishing realistic goals. 

Depending on the complexity of the problems presented by the client, I will explain the types of therapy I am able to offer and agree a plan of action with my client.