Joanne Oates

I am a qualified therapist with over 16 years of experience to help you.  I have worked with many people through difficult times in their lives, with trauma, abuse, relationship issues, depression and anxiety as well as many other issues. 

I offer couples and relationship therapy. Relationships are very complex and we sometimes need help to work our way through issues together, which impact upon our mood, how we cope and our family life.  

I know life can sometimes feel harder or more complicated, and your usual ways of coping are no longer effective. I offer a safe environment and a warm non judgemental relationship which creates a space to help you reflect, understand your thoughts and feelings, explore underlying issues and increase your awareness of what has or is happening and explore your options.

Working together we can increase the capacity for personal change and to feel more in control of your life.

My philosophy is that everyone has potential, meaning that change and personal growth is always possible.

I also have over 9 years experience as a clinical supervisor and have worked with trainees, newly qualified counsellors through to very experienced practitioners. Also supporting therapists through their accreditation application.

I provide individual supervision to counselling practitioners from all disciplines and I am very happy for you to contact me to have a discussion about your supervision requirements. I also have experience of working with other professionals in supervision; Mental Health Practitioners, Teachers, Victim Support, who might also need support and guidance with emotional aspects of their work whilst working with individuals who are experiencing trauma.

Within our sessions we can also help you understand why you feel like you do, draw from early life experiences or events which may have created unhelpful cycles or patterns in your life. The strength of our working relationship determines the success of therapy and in my experience people are more likely to get to the root of their issues if they can feel trust and be accepted for who they are. I believe you are the expert on yourself and your life but sometimes we need someone to help us reflect and think more clearly for a period of time. I respect that all of us are individuals and all have diverse and different experiences, feelings and beliefs and I draw from the different theories I have learnt during my extensive training and years of experience to find the right approach for you.

My philosophy is that everyone has potential, meaning that change and personal growth is always possible. I have a wealth of  experience of working with many different presenting and underlying issues which can manifest in many ways. At our initial meeting we can discuss how we might work together, carry out an assessment of your needs and an indication of how we might proceed. I offer short and long term counselling and psychotherapy, which can also be discussed at our first session.

I offer an initial free 15 minute telephone discussion, to find out about you and how I might help, and answer any questions you may have.

I provide individual supervision to counselling practitioners from all disciplines and I am very happy for you to contact me to have a discussion about your supervision requirements. I am happy to work with counsellors from all modalities and have a good working knowledge of the many theoretical approaches. I also have experience of working with other professionals in supervision; Mental Health Practitioners, Teachers and Victim Support for example, who might also need support and guidance with emotional aspects of their work whilst working with individuals who are experiencing trauma.

I have extensive counselling training and experience and I am used to working with clients who have experienced traumatic, life-changing and existentially challenging life events and experiences.

I believe that supervision is a collaborative process and I offer a supportive and non-judgemental space for supervisees to continue to develop self-awareness, to recharge batteries and to explore any professional, developmental, personal and ethical issues that are relevant to practice, thereby helping to ensure the best possible outcome for you and your clients.

I offer a free initial 20 minute telephone discussion to find out your supervision needs, and answer any questions you may have.