Christina James

I work Monday - Friday, mainly during the day. I have some limited evening slots on Monday and Thursday evenings. I do not currently offer any weekend slots.

About me

I am a person-centred counsellor originally from London and now based in North Hertfordshire (Stevenage). I have particular interests and experience in working with trauma and grief, having worked for a number of years in both a bereavement charity and for an organisation that supports survivors of domestic and sexual violence and abuse. I believe that loss and trauma sit behind many of the challenges we experience in life. 

My approach

My approach is to create an environment in which the therapeutic relationship facilitates greater self-awareness, self-understanding and self-compassion. Insight and empathy towards our own inner world can bring clarity and purpose to how we engage with ourselves, others and the choices and decisions we make.

Respecting your autonomy

The space I offer is yours, to be led by you and what you need. I will do my best to offer you empathy – understanding how you see the world and what your experiences have meant to you, to not judge you, and to be reliable and trustworthy in facilitating your healing, growth and development. I hope that together we will be able to create a space in which you feel able and willing to explore any aspect of yourself and your experiences. 

Bringing the world in

My counselling is anti-oppressive in that I seek to not pathologise you or any aspect of you but to understand and value the experiences that have created you. This can include an understanding and exploration of how power and privilege operate in our society, and how structures of domination including racism, patriarchy, heteronormativity and ableism, can cause or compound individual trauma and distress, and can cause us to pathologise ourselves. I believe that greater insight into how the political and the social play out in our individual lives can create significant relief and open up the possibility for transformational growth.

Inclusive practice

I welcome people of all identities, including those with diverse gender, sexuality and relationship identities, and those identifying as neurodiverse.

I work with clients in person (in Stevenage, north Hertfordshire) and remotely (both online and over the telephone). I work in an open-ended way meaning that clients continue to see me for as long as they feel is helpful.

I offer a free initial conversation, of up to 30 minutes, over the telephone or online in order for us both to assess whether we feel that we might work well together. In this initial conversation, I will ask a number of questions to understand what you are looking for and will give you an idea of how I work and an opportunity to ask any questions you may have.