Janie Ironside-Wood

I have availability in my practice currently and I work during daytimes from Mondays to Thursdays.  

I have a clinical diploma in Humanistic Counselling - which is a very warm, relational 'school' of therapy.  I aim to provide a safe, confidential space where you can talk about your thoughts and feelings in depth without feeling judged.

Humanistic counselling believes that you, the client, hold the ultimate wisdom. It puts you in control, to set the direction and to talk about the things that really matter to you.  My role is to support you and to listen to you, metaphorically to walk alongside you and to help you explore your world

People have been the focus of my life for as long as I can remember: working, listening, empathising, encouraging, supporting – everything that goes with building and enjoying relationships with other people.

​I started out as a Samaritan volunteer many years ago and I’m also a certified coach, mentor, workplace mediator and workplace mediation supervisor. In my corporate life, I have adjudicated on cases of bullying and harassment.​

I have many years’ experience in the workplace as a senior leader in Communications, working for major UK broadcasters, including BBC, ITN, GMTV and TV-am, as well as the House of Lords and high profile individuals. I have also been a director of a public relations agency working with showbusiness clients, property businesses, magazines and publishing.

I work both online and face to face.  This is your time to talk about the issues, challenges, or dilemmas that may be affecting your sense of wellbeing or, indeed, your life.  I will listen to you and, while you will choose what to discuss, I will probably ask a number of open questions, aiming to help you reach a greater sense of clarity or peace of mind.  I will not tell you what to do.  Humanistic counselling believes that clients will ultimately find their own way to grow and to find enlightenment. I am there to support you and to accompany you on that journey.

Sessions are 50 minutes long and what you and I discuss is confidential (unless in the very unlikely event that I feel you, or someone else, is at serious risk of harm in which case we would discuss the best way forward). 

The first session is a chance to see if you feel that I am the right counsellor for you - and also for me to assess whether I feel I am the right person to help you.  I will probably want to find out basic details from you, what's been happening in your life so far and to find out what has brought you to counselling. We will probably discuss how we contract for the future, for example how many sessions you think you might want, and what you think you need from me as your counsellor.  I'll also outline cancellations policy etc - so some basic admin as well.