Julie Mitchell

I work Mondays to Thursdays, 10am to 7pm.

I have extensive supervisory, coaching and mentoring experience from my previous career in the Police Service at Sergeant, Inspector and Chief Inspector levels. 

I am now a private practice counsellor and EMDR practitioner and I predominantly specialise in trauma. I work one to one with adults, both in person and online. My supervision training was with the Counselling Tutor, providing scope to work with supervisees in-person and online. 

I offer a supportive and encouraging attitude towards supervisees to help each individual develop both professionally and personally. I will work at your pace, and focus on supporting your client work, your professional development and also your self care.

I am open and approachable, and will work hard to develop trust between us that enables you to bring any difficulties you are having within the safety of a supportive and caring supervisory relationship. In addition, I will also gently challenge any areas of concern and work with you to remain within ethical boundaries. 

My initial training included Person-Centred and CBT, with a placement in a bereavement service. Given my policing background and experience with trauma, I trained as an EMDR practitioner and now also offer training in that field. As there is a lack of availability of EMDR supervisors, I also welcome EMDR therapists requiring supervision for their client work.

I have undertaken training in the Internal Family Systems approach, and use this within my counselling and EMDR work.

In the first session, it is helpful for me to have an overview of your client work (number of clients, types of issues etc), your qualifications and experience so far.

Through my company, Optima York Ltd, I provide EMDR training to qualified counsellors, coaches and other professionals in therapeutic roles. 

The training course has been endorsed by the CPCAB and is delivered through both in-person and online modules. The following content is covered:

The impact and signs of trauma, the brain structures involved in processing information, theories underpinning EMDR, and the 8-phase EMDR protocol. We then move onto more complex work, covering working with shame, attachment-focussed EMDR, repairing developmental deficits, an introduction to Internal Family Systems, how to work with protective parts and effective use of interweaves.

The course is designed to give delegates the confidence, knowledge and skills to effectively use EMDR with their clients. There is plenty of opportunity for skills practice on the course to allow delegates to have the experience of being both client and therapist, and learn the practicalities of explaining and delivering this technique with confidence.

The next EMDR training starts in September 2025, details as follows:

Dates:

Module 1 – Friday 19th and Saturday 20th September 2025

Module 2 – Saturday 15th November 2025 (online via Zoom)

Module 3 – Friday 12th and Saturday 13th December 2025

Module 4 – Saturday 24th January 2026 (online via Zoom)

Venue for Modules 1 and 3:

Quaker Meeting House, Friargate, York YO1 9RL

Training times for Modules 1 and 3: 9.30am to 4.30pm

Training Times for Modules 2 and 4: (online): 9.30am to 12.30pm

Course fees and FAQs can be found on the website:

www.optimayork.co.uk/course

My first career was as a police officer of 27 years service. Throughout this time,  I encountered people in all walks of life whose lives had been affected by mental ill-health. This ranged from common issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, and self-harm, to complex problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder. 

I undertook additional roles to provide support to colleagues who were experiencing problems and those subject to disciplinary processes. I found the help I provided to be particularly rewarding and therefore decided, in preparation for retirement from the police service, that I would build on my BSc Psychology degree and train to be a therapeutic counsellor. 

During my training, and subsequently, I provided many hours of voluntary work to a local bereavement support service. I found that clients who were struggling to cope with their bereavement were often struggling with other aspects of their life, including relationship difficulties, physical or emotional abuse, or other traumatic events. I found that given the opportunity to talk through their difficulties, and be heard without judgment, clients felt more able to accept what had happened and be able to more forward in a positive way. 

Since starting my private practice, I have been trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) which is a technique used to help clients deal with traumatic responses. This can include PTSD, anxiety / panic disorders, sleep issues, and phobias. I integrate this technique alongside talking therapy where appropriate.

I am a private practice counsellor and provide a flexible service to meet the needs of each individual client. Counselling appointments are 1 hour long, normally weekly, and the number of sessions can be adjusted as appropriate. 

I adapt the type of counselling support according to the needs of the client. For those wishing to address 'symptoms' of common issues such as anxiety or panic, an EMDR approach may be suitable. However for those wishing to address the underlying issues behind their physical or emotional reactions, a person-centred approach may help. This entails listening to the client and truly understanding their experience, without judgment.  

Sharing personal information with a relative stranger can be a daunting prospect. I seek to develop a strong therapeutic relationship with clients, to help them to feel comfortable to speak with trust and confidence, and relinquish the burden of troubles that have been holding them back from living a positive and enriching life.

I believe that the success of counselling outcomes for the client is more reliant on the quality of the relationship between counsellor and client, rather than the type of counselling approach. 

I offer counselling sessions either online via Zoom, or in person in my counselling room at home.

Before you decide to undertake counselling sessions with me, I offer a telephone consultation, free of charge, for you to explore what I can offer to address your needs. Feel free to give me a call to see if I may be the right person to help you.