Jane Abbott

Older Children and Young People counselling.

I am originally from Scotland and have lived in Wales for over twenty years. I am a warm, considerate and empathic person with a good sense of humour. I initially went to art school and taught in schools and colleges before training to become a counsellor. Since qualifying in 2005 I have had the privilege of counselling people of different ages and from many walks of life. I have worked with people in middle age, who have retired, young people at the start of their working lives, people about to become a parent/s, students and adolescents in and out of school, universities and colleges. I worked as a counsellor in schools and higher education for many years. As well as working with people from the UK I have extensive experience of working with clients from different cultures with different believes e.g. South East Asia, India, the Middle East, the Far East and various countries in Africa. Many of these clients live, work and study in the Uk as well as live in their home countries. I help client’s with a range of concerns and problems such as relationships, people questioning their sexuality, depression, abuse, bereavement and ill health to name just a few. 

I was trained as an Existential/Humanistic Counsellor but describe myself as an Integrative Counsellor which means my practice is informed by different therapeutic approaches adapted to meet the client’s individual needs. I aim to offer a safe, warm and empathic space in which to explore the clients reasons and feelings for coming to see me. It is very important that I see the client’s feelings, reasons and circumstances from their point of view. I believe the client is the expert of their own experience. I try to be non-judgemental, genuine and empathic and see the counselling relationship as one of the most important aspects of counselling. I see the relationship as a partnership where we work collaboratively to determine the most effective way forward. I work holistically and see the client as a whole person, I/we consider their emotions, thoughts, behaviours, physical health and social circumstances . Through periodic reviews I remain flexible to any changes.

I understand people can often be anxious and uncertain at the prospect of their first counselling session. At the beginning of the session I will introduce myself and explain confidentiality and it’s limit: what is shared in the session, stays in the session unless I feel the client at risk of harm to themselves or others. I will explain the first session is for the client to see if they are comfortable talking with me and I will briefly explain the Integrative Counselling approach and how it can be tailored to the client’s needs. I will ask throughout the session if the client has any questions. We will then explore the client’s reasons for seeking counselling and what the client hopes to gain from the counselling process. If possible I will ask some questions e.g. personal history, relationships, work, family life, health and previous experience of counselling. Towards the end of the session we will outline what the client may wish to discuss and explore in possible future sessions. I will then happily and answer any final questions and concerns.

Adult counselling.

Before I qualified as a  counsellor I taught art in schools and colleges. Since qualifying as a counsellor in 2005 I have had the privilege of counselling older children, adolescents, students and young adults. For a number of years I worked as a school counsellor and a counsellor in higher education. While growing up young people experience more changes in every area of their lives than they will again, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Their bodies, values and beliefs are developing and changing at pace and they have begun the experience developing and sustaining relationships. They also have educational pressures in the form of frequent exams and assessments that can cause considerable stress and anxiety. Young people and their families can also experience situations that are confronting: separation/divorce, bereavement, self harm, substance and new parental relationships to name but a few. I offer a safe, confidential space to work collaboratively with the young person to explore their thoughts, feelings, experiences and behaviours. I believe counselling can help young people develop confidence, self awareness and resilience. Counselling can help to explore making changes that could enhance their experience of life to help live a more fulfilled, happier life.

I describe myself as an Integrative Counsellor. As we are all different I have a flexible approach and use aspects of various counselling approaches to meet the clients needs. I believe one of the most important aspects of counselling is the relationship between the counsellor and client and in order to provide the clients with the opportunity to explore and discuss their feelings and problems I always try to be empathic, genuine and non-judgemental. I believe it’s extremely important to listen very carefully, in general we tend not to listen to one another and the affirmation of having been listened to cannot be underestimated. I work collaboratively with the young person and follow what they want to discuss and explore. I aim to see the client’s feelings and circumstances and problems from their point of view to gain an understanding of the reasons they came to see me and to explore possible ways forward.

I understand people can often be anxious and uncertain at the prospect of their first counselling session. At the beginning of the session I will introduce myself and explain confidentiality; what is shared in the session, stays in the session unless I feel the client is at risk of harm to themselves or others. I will explain this first session is to see if the client feels comfortable talking with me and the length and possible frequency of the sessions. I will listen to what the young person wishes to explore in the sessions and what the client hopes to gain by going through the counselling process. I will carry out a brief assessment asking some questions e.g. about the clients level of anxiety, their family and friendships. Towards the end of the session we will outline what you wish to explore in future sessions and if you wish to continue. Throughout this and each session I will ask of the client has any questions.

Adult Counselling

Before I qualified as a  counsellor I taught art in schools and colleges. Since qualifying as a counsellor in 2005 I have had the privilege of counselling older children, adolescents, students and young adults. For a number of years I worked as a school counsellor and a counsellor in higher education. While growing up young people experience more changes in every area of their lives than they will again, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Their bodies, values and beliefs are developing and changing at pace and they have begun the experience developing and sustaining relationships. They also have educational pressures in the form of frequent exams and assessments that can cause considerable stress and anxiety. Young people and their families can also experience situations that are confronting: separation/divorce, bereavement, self harm, substance and new parental relationships to name but a few. I offer a safe, confidential space to work collaboratively with the young person to explore their thoughts, feelings, experiences and behaviours. I believe counselling can help young people develop confidence, self awareness and resilience. Counselling can help to explore making changes that could enhance their experience of life to help live a more fulfilled, happier life.

I describe myself as an Integrative Counsellor. As we are all different I have a flexible approach and use aspects of various counselling approaches to meet the clients needs. I believe one of the most important aspects of counselling is the relationship between the counsellor and client and in order to provide the clients with the opportunity to explore and discuss their feelings and problems I always try to be empathic, genuine and non-judgemental. I believe it’s extremely important to listen very carefully, in general we tend not to listen to one another and the affirmation of having been listened to cannot be underestimated. I work collaboratively with the young person and follow what they want to discuss and explore. I aim to see the client’s feelings and circumstances and problems from their point of view to gain an understanding of the reasons they came to see me and to explore possible ways forward.

I understand people can often be anxious and uncertain at the prospect of their first counselling session. At the beginning of the session I will introduce myself and explain confidentiality; what is shared in the session, stays in the session unless I feel the client is at risk of harm to themselves or others. I will explain this first session is to see if the client feels comfortable talking with me and the length and possible frequency of the sessions. I will listen to what the young person wishes to explore in the sessions and what the client hopes to gain by going through the counselling process. I will carry out a brief assessment asking some questions e.g. about the clients level of anxiety, their family and friendships. Towards the end of the session we will outline what you wish to explore in future sessions and if you wish to continue. Throughout this and each session I will ask of the client has any questions.

Adult Counselling.

I am originally from Scotland and have lived in Wales for over twenty years. I am a warm, considerate and empathic person with a good sense of humour. I initially went to art school and taught in schools and colleges before training to become a counsellor. Since qualifying in 2005 I have had the privilege of counselling people of different ages and from many walks of life. I have worked with people in middle age, who have retired, young people at the start of their working lives, people about to become a parent/s, students and adolescents in and out of school, universities and colleges. I worked as a counsellor in schools and higher education for many years. As well as working with people from the UK I have extensive experience of working with clients from different cultures with different believes e.g. South East Asia, India, the Middle East, the Far East and various countries in Africa. Many of these clients live, work and study in the Uk as well as live in their home countries. I help client’s with a range of concerns and problems such as relationships, people questioning their sexuality, depression, abuse, bereavement and ill health to name just a few. 

I was trained as an Existential/Humanistic Counsellor but describe myself as an Integrative Counsellor which means my practice is informed by different therapeutic approaches adapted to meet the client’s individual needs. I aim to offer a safe, warm and empathic space in which to explore the clients reasons and feelings for coming to see me. It is very important that I see the client’s feelings, reasons and circumstances from their point of view. I believe the client is the expert of their own experience. I try to be non-judgemental, genuine and empathic and see the counselling relationship as one of the most important aspects of counselling. I see the relationship as a partnership where we work collaboratively to determine the most effective way forward. I work holistically and see the client as a whole person, I/we consider their emotions, thoughts, behaviours, physical health and social circumstances . Through periodic reviews I remain flexible to any changes.

I understand people can often be anxious and uncertain at the prospect of their first counselling session. At the beginning of the session I will introduce myself and explain confidentiality and it’s limit: what is shared in the session, stays in the session unless I feel the client at risk of harm to themselves or others. I will explain the first session is for the client to see if they are comfortable talking with me and I will briefly explain the Integrative Counselling approach and how it can be tailored to the client’s needs. I will ask throughout the session if the client has any questions. We will then explore the client’s reasons for seeking counselling and what the client hopes to gain from the counselling process. If possible I will ask some questions e.g. personal history, relationships, work, family life, health and previous experience of counselling. Towards the end of the session we will outline what the client may wish to discuss and explore in possible future sessions. I will then happily and answer any final questions and concerns.