Jane Abbott

I have over 16 years experience of working specifically with older children, young people and young adults age 11-25. I have worked in a number of secondary schools, university and private practice. I have always enjoyed working with young people and feel very privileged to have been given the opportunity. I call myself an Integrative Counsellor and my practice is informed by different counselling approaches, I am able to work flexibly to meet the needs of each individual client. I believe that one of the most important aspects of counselling is the relationship between the counsellor and client. In order to establish and develop that relationship, I try to be non-judgemental, empathic and genuine. I aim to see the client’s feelings, circumstances and issues from their point of view and feel it is extremely important to listen the young person. I have found that we rarely listen fully to one another and the affirmation of having been listened to cannot be underestimated. I work collaboratively with whatever the client wishes to talk about. I try to help the client gain an understanding of their feelings, the reasons they came to see me and explore possible ways forward.