Jen Crawley

I am available week days.

I do not work in the evening or at weekends.

Hi I'm Jen. I am a trauma-informed counsellor living in Hove. I work with clients from home, on Zoom, meaning that we have the flexibility to have sessions wherever you are in the UK. 

My area of expertise has come from noticing recurring, common issues in my clients which stem from negative experiences during childhood. Unresolved, these emotional wounds can cause anxiety and depression as well as a myriad of other symptoms. We can be left feeling that we have lost ourselves somewhere along the way and are perhaps not living an authentic life. This work tends to be less about changing who we are but more about unveiling who we really are and reclaiming our identity and the confidence to truly be ourselves.

The most common adverse experience is childhood emotional neglect where the emotional needs of the child were not sufficiently met.  Quite often this occurs in families which appear to be very 'normal' from the outside but for various reasons, the parent(s) are unable, or not equipped to be emotionally available.  This leaves the child with unmet needs and left to deal with what can be very overwhelming feelings, alone. Quite often there is one or several events that cause trauma in childhood but it is the insidious and repetitive nature of not being supportive or empathic towards the child's experience which carries more harm.

I work with each client to gently explore their individual experience and bring to light what has happened. Together we pay attention to the feelings that will arise with kindness and curiosity in order to heal and move forward. Talking in a safe space enables us to look at painful experiences that we often supress in order to cope with life. Talking about them brings insight, self- awareness and acceptance of the past, new beginnings evolve and new perspective help us to fulfil our true potential.

Counselling can be a life changing. It is a privilege for me to work with anyone who takes the courageous step of reaching out.

I work exclusively on Zoom which allows clients to talk from home or work.  It also means we can continue our work if you're away from home or even a bit under the weather.

The minimum requirement for online sessions is that you have good wi-fi and can not be heard or disturbed during our sessions.  Confidentiality is absolutely key so that you feel safe to fully explore your feelings.

After you make initial contact we'll arrange a time and date to have a chat over the phone about what the key issues are. This is a free service and can last up to 30 minutes. I'll invite you to go away and think about if you would like us to start working together. I'll also encourage you to talk to a couple of other counsellors because a good fit is a really important part of the work. Our chat will also help me to make sure that you have an issue that I know I can help with.  If I think I can't, I'll be upfront about that and sign post you. If after I feel I can help and you've decided you would like to start therapy with me, then just let me know and we can start planning our weekly sessions.

In your first session we'll talk about our working agreement. You'll have an opportunity in this session to share any concerns, ask questions and talk about what counselling means to you.  If you've had counselling before we can talk to understand what may or may not have been helpful.  I'll be able to clarify what you may come to expect and discuss your hopes, fears and expectations. Counselling can still be a taboo subject sadly and there are myths around what counselling is.  There will be time in this, and other sessions for us to explore these things so you can enter the relationship with a full understanding of what to expect. This will help us to build trust in our relationship because I am always transparent and direct.

​​In my work I integrate different theories that I have trained in. I also continue to develop my skills and attend ongoing training which is a requirement of a registered practitioner. Primarily my work is client led and from there I may integrate other ways of working that will support you in your journey. I find that integrating other techniques as required can really help clients to identify issues and feelings that may have lay hidden in the unconscious.