Jessica Sullivan

My practice days are Monday and Friday, I have some limited evening sessions also available.

I believe that the trusting and supportive relationship between the counsellor and the client is the most important aspect of counselling. As a supervisor my role is to support and facilitate you to do your work in a safe, contained way to the best of your ability. I abide by BACP's Ethical Framework for the counselling professions.

I am a thoughtful and pragmatic therapist and supervisor who seeks to provide you with a compassionate, reflective and safe space, to energise you to support your clients. I am happy to work in person or online.

I have been working as a therapist for 23 years, originally trained as a Psychodynamic Psychotherapist I use two approaches . I work in an open ended way psychodynamically, to help deal with the many issues which stem from childhood. If working more briefly I employ a forward looking Solution Focused therapeutic approach.

As a supervisor my approach is underpinned by my psychodynamic roots but I will work in a way which is constructive for you and your caseload. Previous experience as a workplace counsellor means I have a good understanding of issues within the workplace and how personal problems can affect a clients work life and vice versa .

Initially we could have a brief telephone or email conversation to  arrange an appointment to meet for a taster supervision session. 

I believe that this is a two way process to help me to understand how you work with your clients and what you are looking for from a supervisor and for you to decide whether you feel that you can work with me. 

If all is satisfactory we could then agree a way of working together from there.

My private practice days are Monday and Friday, I also have a limited number of evening appointments

I believe that the trusting and supportive relationship between the counsellor and the client is the most important aspect of counselling. I abide by BACP's Ethical Framework for the counselling professions.

I am a thoughtful and pragmatic therapist who seeks to mobilise the resilient and courageous part of you to help you to make the changes you need to begin to improve your life. I will support you confidentially with care and compassion as you learn about yourself and try new ways of approaching your difficulties.

I have been working as a therapist for 23 years, originally trained as a Psychodynamic Psychotherapist I use two approaches . I work in an an open ended way to help deal with the many issues which stem from childhood. If working more briefly I employ a forward looking Solution Focused therapeutic approach to help you move on from your current concerns in a practical and pragmatic way.

My experience as a workplace counsellor means I have a good understanding of issues within the workplace and how personal problems can affect your work life and vice versa , I can also support you if you have been affected by a traumatic incident in the workplace or in life. 

I have the following interests.

Addressing the emotional aspects of diabetes

Helping individuals navigate the declining health of their parents and the losses that this might bring. 

Supporting cancer patients during and post treatment and helping them come to terms with their diagnosis and prognosis. 

My clinical experience includes: self harm, suicidality and safeguarding of vulnerable adults and children, depression, anxiety, work stress, workplace grievance and bullying, relationship issues, early attachment, eating disorders, workplace trauma, bereavement, sexual abuse, ethnicity and cultural sensitivity, spirituality, working appropriately with clients in the court process, patient recall support. I have an understanding of enduring mental health issues, medication, substance misuse and addiction.

My approach to therapy looks at how early life experiences in childhood and  family dynamics shape your ways of coping which you then use throughout your life. 

Sometimes these do not work for you once you leave your family unit and move out into the world as a young adult meeting new people and living in new environments.I can help you to think about this and perhaps think of different ways in which you can cope and relate to people, helping you to make different choices about how you want to live your life. 

We can work with this in an exploratory way which addresses your life as a whole or we can focus on specific parts of it to do a shorter piece of work. 

Whilst I will give you a confidential and calm space to speak your concerns, I do also ask questions to help you to say more and may offer some suggestions about what I think might be happening or what might be helpful for you.

Initially I will have a brief telephone conversation with you to arrange an appointment to meet for an assessment which usually takes about 60-75minutes (I charge a single session rate for this). I might use an evaluation tool (Core 10) to understand how you are feeling. The assessment is a two way process to help me to understand what is troubling you and for you to decide whether you would like to work with me. I welcome any questions you have about the process, in order to gain from it, it is important that you understand how counselling works.

If appropriate we will then arrange a time and day to work with each other normally on a weekly basis. We can either meet in an open ended way for as long as necessary or we can agree to work for a set number of sessions which can be suggested by you with some input from me.

If I feel that my particular skill set and experience don't suit your concerns, I will suggest to you other places you might go to for help.