Welcome to Jane Thompson Counselling
Counsellor providing both short-term and long-term therapy to adult individuals
Counselling and Therapy for Individuals
Welcome and thank you for visiting my website.
Life can be challenging, and we all need support from time to time. If you have found your way here, it could be now is the time when you need some extra help. As a counsellor my role is to provide a safe, non-judgemental, and confidential environment for you to explore and discuss the issues that are making life difficult for you and help you find the solutions to resolve them.
Whether it is personal or professional, addressing and resolving feelings of loss and distress or mental health issues such as anxiety or depression, counselling can help. I work at your pace so you are always in control of what you disclose and when and I will support you all the way. Through this process you can learn to better understand yourself and make sense of feelings and experiences that have been troubling you.
Beginning your counselling journey can be a daunting prospect so contact me if you would like more information.
Beginning your counselling journey can be a daunting prospect so contact me if you would like more information.
Therapy provides a safe and confidential space for you to talk to a trained professional about your issues and concerns. Your therapist will help you explore your thoughts, feelings and behaviours so you can develop a better understanding of yourself and of others (BACP).
How Can Counselling Help?
We can’t have the up if we don’t have the downs and at some stage in our life, we will all experience the downs. It is important to have a safe place where you can vent and talk about the challenges you are dealing with and often friends and family can provide this for us. However, sometimes the issue feels too big to share with loved ones or perhaps you can’t find the words to explain it.
Counselling helps you understand and voice your concerns and navigate the hard times when they happen, developing better strategies to cope. It also allows you unpack past experiences and begin to heal from traumas that you may still carry.
There are many different therapeutic styles available, but it is not one size fits all – what suits one person may not suit you. Research shows that the key to a successful counselling experience is not the counsellors theoretical training but the relationship between you and counsellor – the relationship is the therapy – so it is important you feel comfortable with the therapist you chose and can collaborate with each other to build a trusting relationship. This is why I offer a free 20-minute initial chat so we can start to get to know each other, and you can decide if the fit is right for you.
If you’d like to arrange an initial conversation email me or call on 07984 164712.
People come to me for help with a wide range of issues. Here are the more common issues I have supported
Anxiety
Depression
Stress
Loss and bereavement
Trauma
Self-esteem issues
Sexual Abuse and rape
Family conflict
Work related issues
Narcissistic abuse
Life stages
Mother-daughter attachment injury
Mother-daughter attachment injury
The mother/daughter relationship is a pivotal one. In her book Mother Hunger, Kelly McDaniel (2021) writes maternal love is our first experience of what love feels like, and the maternal care we receive informs how we feel about ourselves throughout life. Challenges within this relationship can be deep-seated and fuelled by generational trauma and conflict.
I have undertaken additional training and completed the Mother-Daughter Professional Attachment Training delivered by Rosjke Hasseldine, who is internationally recognized expert in mother-daughter attachment.
I can help you explore the relationship you have/had with your mother, identify and challenge destructive generational patterns, learn how to be heard and speak your emotional truth. Together we will look at themes that are causing you difficulties and explore how issues in your generational family is impacting you now.
For awareness, this is individual work and I’m not able to work with mother and daughter together. If you would like more information, please email me or contact me on 07984 164712.
Supervision
Regular supervision is an ethical responsibility and professional requirement not only to protect our clients but to allow counsellors the time and space to confidentially explore the work we do.
I view it as a collaborative experience in which you can grow and develop your skills as a practitioner. I aim to provide a trusting relationship where you can process your client work openly while feeling safe and supported to bring difficulties and challenges that have occurred in the therapeutic relationship.
I am an integratively trained supervisor, I have experience working in a trauma informed way and I offer supervision to both qualified and trainee counsellors.
I have a particular interest in supporting newly qualified counsellors as they develop and build their skills, and those new to private practice or about to embark on setting up their therapy business. I can help you navigate the practicalities of setting up and running your own business including contracting and assessments, payment terms and clinical wills, and attracting clients and finding your niche.
I also offer mentoring sessions for those in regular supervision who are looking for additional support in developing their skills and practice.
If you are interested in supervision please contact me to discuss further.
About Me
INTEGRATIVE COUNSELLOR
I am an integrative counsellor, combining the approaches of Person Centred and Psychodynamic therapy, however I use an eclectic approach meaning I adapt my style to best suit the individual client and I work holistically, considering the whole person and their physical, emotional, social and spiritual wellbeing.
I provide both short-term and long-term therapy to adults and offer in person or online sessions using Zoom.
EXPERIENCE
I have experience working with a wide range of issues and have undertaken further
training to support clients with anxiety and low self-esteem, attachment issues and trauma in which I use a phased approach that allows clients to explore and experience the trauma in a safe and stable way.
I have lectured on the CPCAB Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills at Basingstoke
College of Technology and I have 20 years’ experience working in organisations and understand the impact work place related stress can have on an individual.
ETHICAL FRAMEWORK
I am an Accredited Registered member of the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) and I adhere to their Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling. This includes having regular supervision to ensure I am working in the best interest of my clients, and I undertake ongoing continued professional development to further advance my therapeutic skills.
As an Accredited Registered member, my practice, qualifications and approach have undergone rigorous review and met the high standards of the BACP.
QUALIFICATIONS AND CPD
Diploma in Supervision
CPCAB L4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling
CPCAB L3 Certificate in Counselling Studies
CPCAB L2 Certificate in Counselling Skills
Post Graduate Diploma in Psychology
I regularly undertake Continued Professional Development (CPD) and further training.
Emotional Neglect and the Adult in Therapy
The Nuts & Bolts of Attachment Theory
Mother-Daughter Attachment Training
Working with Anxiety: A compassion-focused approach
Releasing Blocked Emotions
Narcissism and Echoism
Working Therapeutically with the Children of Narcissists
7 Keys for Working Successfully with Men in Therapy
Privileged Abandonment, Normalised Neglect and Trauma: Understanding Boarding School Syndrome
Online and Telephone Counselling
Contact Me
Feel free to email me if you have any questions about counselling or if you’d like to arrange an initial consultation. I offer a free 20-minute discussion by phone or Zoom (whichever you prefer) so we can briefly discuss your reasons for seeking counselling and I can explain how I work. By the end we will know whether I am the right person for you and, if you’d like to go ahead we can arrange a first appointment.
You can also contact me or leave a message on 07984 164712.
All enquires are usually answered within 24 hours, and all contact is strictly confidential and uses secure phone and email services.
MY LOCATION
My practice is in Caversham, near Reading town centre and easily accessible from Henley, Wokingham, Newbury, Basingstoke and surrounding areas. There is ample free parking and a good bus service
FEES & AVAILABILITY - COUNSELLING
Counselling sessions last 50 minutes and cost £60 per session to be paid before the start of your session. I provide a limited number of reduced-price appointments for counselling students while they are training; contact me to enquire about availability.
If you are referred by your EAP provider my fee is £70 per session.
Please note if you wish to cancel your appointment, I require 48 hours’ notice otherwise you will still need to pay for missed sessions.
I have various payment options including bank transfer, cash, debit/credit card or Apple Pay.
FEES & AVAILABILITY - SUPERVISION
I offer in-person and online supervision sessions.
1 Hour: £65
1.5 Hours: £80
Frequently Asked Questions
Counselling helps most people, but it isn’t a quick fix and will take time and consistency to work effectively though hopefully you will start to feel the benefits quite quickly.
It provides you time and space to discuss what is making life difficult in a safe and non-judgemental environment. The impact of counselling will be different for each person but often just having someone to talk to in confidence is hugely beneficial. We go at your pace with you deciding what you want to explore and when so you are always in control of what you share in therapy.
My role as your counsellor is not to tell you what to do nor give advice but I can help you develop your own insights to understand the cause of your issues and to find ways of coping so you are able to resolve them.
There are some issues that would be better supported by specialist organisations (such as active substance dependency or severe and enduring mental health conditions). If I feel that a specialised organisation or professional would be better able to support you, I will discuss this with you.
I work with people (over the age of 18) on an individual basis. While I am happy to work with any issues my clients bring, it is important that you get the correct support. If I feel that I am not best person for you to work with, I will discuss this with you and try to help you find the right support.
I'm afraid I do not offer therapy to those under 18 or couples. Please contact No.5 (https://no5.org.uk/) or Relate (https://www.relate.org.uk)
I offer both daytime and evening appointments, online or in person.
Your confidentiality is of the upmost importance to me, and all counselling session are confidential.
There are a couple of limitations in which I may need to disclose some of what you've told me. This would be where there is a clear, legal duty for me to disclose information, or where there is the risk of serious harm being done to either yourself or another person. Confidentiality will be discussed in more detail at our first session together.
This is down to the individual client and the issue that has brought you to counselling. Counselling is a collaborative process, and, in most cases, one session will not be enough to resolve the issues you are facing so I offer both short-term and long-term therapy to best accommodate what you need. For counselling to be successful it does require a degree of effort on the client’s part and consistency is key therefore time is set aside on a regular basis (usually weekly) for us to meet and explore the issues you are facing.
We can discuss this together at our first session and will regularly review throughout the therapy.