Jess Whitehead - therapist in stroud-gl5

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Features

Concessionary rates

Availability

I have some availability on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday daytime online, or face to face in Stroud, either in a comfortable room or out in nature. I work online on a Tuesday evening.

About me and my therapy practice

Whatever challenges you right now I'll meet you human to human, with warmth, compassion and openness. In person or online we'll explore what you bring, at your pace. I'm a BACP-registered Integrative Counsellor, with a relational & empathic approach.

You are completely unique, so I integrate several therapeutic approaches, tailored to meet your particular needs - person-centred and trauma-informed, I draw on psychodynamics, attachment, the body and relational therapy. I'm committed to welcoming diversity in my practice.

We're born needing connection to, and care from, others and I believe we understand ourselves and the world through our important relationships. Those relationships taught us whether we were safe or loved, how others did or didn’t care for us and how to understand and meet our own needs. You may have had to adapt your way of being with others in order to get by, or have lost connection to what you want and need to live a full life. In my personal and professional experience, truly being seen, understood and validated can be transformative. Your sense of your identity and your experience of the world is important to me. Therapy can support you to understand who you have become and to try out possible new ways of being, in a safe and non-judgmental space.

You can develop self-compassion, understand and regulate your emotions and connect with your power to manage life’s challenges. Together, we may explore links between your past and present, notice what is happening in your body and be curious about how to honour and respond to that. We work at your pace and keep sessions under regular review – it's a collaborative process.

Practice description

My experience

I'm experienced working with anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, trauma, family issues, loss, low self-worth and abuse.

Alongside my private practice, I'm a self-employed counsellor at The Listening Post in Stroud, having previously worked at Help Counselling and the Minster Centre’s Psychotherapy and Counselling Service in London.

I have over a decade of previous career experience advocating for vulnerable people and those with mental health difficulties to access support from public services, with many years working in the NHS and not-for-profit sector before that. I'm familiar with both the stress and the fulfilment of high pressured work environments. I'm passionate about connecting with and using my experience to support and facilitate change for others.

As a registered member of BACP, I adhere to its Ethical Framework and Professional Occupational Standards, including continuing my professional development and undertaking regular supervision and training. I'm always developing my practice and am undertaking further training in body psychotherapy.

Qualifications

I hold the following qualifications:

- BACP-accredited Diploma in Integrative Counselling from the Minster Centre, a leading integrative therapy training institute.

- Foundation in Counselling - Minster Centre.

- BA (Hons) Sociology.

I am always developing my practice and am undergoing further training in Body Psychotherapy.

Your sessions

Sessions take place weekly for 50 minutes and I work on an open-ended basis, or shorter term (6 to 12 sessions).

I work face to face in a confidential and comfortable counselling room, online video sessions nationwide, or outside walking therapy where you benefit from movement and being in nature.

My first session

Making the decision to find the right therapist for you can be both daunting and a little exciting. It is a huge step towards a better understanding of yourself.

Please contact me through the directory leaving your email address and mobile number. I will always get back to you, so do check your spam/junk folder if you've emailed, as replies can get lost there.

I offer a free 20 minute phone or Zoom call before the first assessment session, to briefly explore what brings you to therapy, your hopes, fears and questions. We can then arrange an 80 minute initial assessment session, online or in person.

An assessment session is very much a two-way process as we get a feel for whether we're a good fit, to understand how your need for counselling may relate to your background and life experiences. You then have space to choose whether to go ahead with regular sessions.

What I can help with

Abuse, Anxiety, Bereavement, Child related issues, Depression, Eating disorders, Health related issues, Identity issues, LGBTQ+ counselling, Loss, Neurodiversity, Pregnancy related issues, Redundancy, Relationships, Self esteem, Self-harm, Sexuality, Stress, Trauma, Women's issues, Work related issues

Types of therapy

Brief therapy, Emotionally focused therapy, Existential, Humanistic, Integrative, Interpersonal, Person centred, Phenomenological, Psychodynamic, Relational

Clients I work with

Adults, Older adults, Trainees, Young people

How I deliver therapy

Long term sessions, Long-term face-to-face work, Online therapy, Outdoor therapy, Short term sessions, Short-term face-to-face work, Telephone therapy, Time-limited