Jane Stavert

I will have some spaces for either zoom or in person meetings at the end of September 2023. 

There are hundreds of ways and models attempting to explain what therapy is and how it works, over the years I have come to see it as a conversation in which your well being is the priority.  My intent is to offer, through gentle curiosity and enquiry, my training, knowledge and experience to help you better understand yourself and your choices as you navigate this stage of your life.

It takes courage to engage in therapy and it is undoubtedly challenging and painful at times, but warmth, compassion and humour are also key ingredients.

I have nearly thirty years experience as a counsellor and psychotherapist in universities and charities as well as in private practice.  My approach is integrative, in that I consider the impact of early experiences on later development, that there are some hard facts of life we all have to engage with and that the quality of our relationships is of paramount importance, particularly the ones we have with ourselves.

I am interested in everybody, but especially those of us who find ourselves at the interface of different cultures, identities and transitions at all stages of life.  

After all these years I have quite a relaxed approach, there must be room for laughter as well as tears, but I am not casual about the work itself.  Therapy is a serious undertaking, requiring courage and respect.

I, therefore, work to BACP Ethical Guidelines, have regular supervision and attend to my continuing professional development.  I have a detailed, written agreement that I ask you to read through and discuss before signing, we will have regular reviews of how the work is going and also consider additional resources that may be useful.

I think therapy is most effective when meetings are regular but this can be fortnightly rather than weekly, in between times I am available by phone and email for brief contact if necessary.

The first conversation whether by phone, online or in person is free of charge and lasts about half an hour, it's our opportunity to meet, ask questions and find out if what I offer is what you're looking for.

I will have some Zoom and/or in person spaces by the end of September 2023.

I initially trained as a Humanistic counsellor over 30 years ago and then as an Integrative supervisor with the Minster Centre in London and later with the Centre for Staff Team Development.

I have extensive experience of supervising trainees as well as experienced practitioners dealing with wide ranging issues including abuse, pre and post-bereavement, ageing, identity questions, neuro diversity and transcultural issues.

I believe that relational depth is at the heart of therapeutic work, our task as practitioners, and supervisors, is to embody a truly compassionate and receptive space in which we offer our experience and knowledge to the ‘other’. 

My own integration is three-fold; existentially there are issues that we all have to deal with eg death; early experiences continue to affect us throughout lives and that compassion, acceptance and authenticity in the therapeutic relationship can be reparative and support our innate capacity for wholeness.

In addition I have a working knowledge of the TA, Compassion Focussed and Internal Family Systems models.

Overall I aim to offer and encourage a gentle curiosity and sense of enquiry to assist our exploration of the client's thoughts, feelings and preoccupations and how we may best support them.

The integration of theory and practice and the immediacy of parallel process in practice and in supervision can be key themes for exploration, particularly for trainees. This often helps to de mystify unconscious processes and raises opportunities for enhancing and deepening the supervisor/supervisee relationship, as well as that of client and counsellor.

I very much enjoy supporting supervisees at all levels, often the most fruitful exchanges come out of declarations of  rocky road of  ‘I’m stuck/don’t know what I’m doing’.

I think it's important to consider our clients' whole context, not just what happens in the therapeutic dyad, so we have a bigger  picture  to explore, such as the norms of developmental stages like the ageing process, cultural affiliations and other circumstances.

The most frequent feedback I have is that I can often be challenging but that supervisees learn a lot.  I do  take the work itself very seriously but there is also plenty of space for laughter and joy. 

I abide by the BACP Code of Conduct.

I offer a first meeting via Zoom for about 30minutes, for which there is no charge, so you have time to ask questions and we can consider if I am the right supervisor for you.