About

How I work

My name is Julia and I am a Person-Centred counsellor based in Portsmouth, U.K.

I work with openness, honesty and integrity, and I place trust, hope, and acceptance at the centre of my work as a counsellor.

I work primarily using a Person-Centred approach, which means that I seek to facilitate and not lead your counselling process in ways that feel right for you. This means our work together will be unique to you and will involve an exploration of thoughts, feelings, and experiences as they arise. We may also consider strategies, tools, and ideas that will effectively support you throughout your counselling process and beyond it.

My focus as a counsellor is to create a safe and non-judgmental space for our work together.

I care about being able to show up for everything that you would like to bring to counselling and I do not want you to feel that there are things that need to be left outside of our work together (unless this is your choice). To facilitate this, I welcome an active dialogue about what you need at different times, and I invite ongoing feedback on how things are working for you, so that we can ultimately reach a point where our work leaves you feeling resourced enough to no longer need my support.

I currently offer sessions that take place via phone and online video call and chat. I am experienced in working remotely and am very aware of how working in this way can be especially supportive. Read more about how this could work for you here.

I also offer walk and talk therapy in Victoria Park (Portsmouth), and along Southsea seafront.

Areas I work with

I have knowledge and experience in supporting clients who would like support with:

Anxiety

Autism

Bereavement

Depression

Identity exploration

Gender exploration

Life transitions

Relationships

Spiritual exploration

Sexuality exploration

Stress

Suicidal thoughts

Visible difference

I am also experienced in supporting clients who are not quite sure what is ‘wrong’, and who would benefit from exploring things in an open way in their sessions.

I often work with clients to find ways to develop self-acceptance, wholeness, and authenticity. I have experience of supporting clients to explore questions about their identity, and / or a sense of feeling ‘different’, or of being ‘on the outside’ of things.

I am open to working with any kind of client provided they are based in the U.K. and are over 18. I will always be honest about my competency, knowledge and experience when discussing what you need, and I am happy to assist in supporting you to access alternative support if that is what is in your best interest.

Professional background

I trained as a Humanistic Counsellor at the University of Chichester and I am a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

I have previously worked with university students at the University of Portsmouth and I currently work with NHS Staff across the University Hospitals Sussex Trust. 

I have trained in the use of reading and writing for creative and therapeutic purposes with the bibliotherapy organisation Zuntold, and will commence working as a practitioner within this organisation later this year. 

Prior to training as a counsellor, I worked as a Specialist Mental Health and Autism Mentor with university students for several years. During this time, I was a member of the University Mental Health Advisers’ Network (UMHAN) and worked with many students on the autism spectrum, as well as students with a mental health diagnosis or a specific learning difficulty. I have completed training in autism and mental health practice with Autism Hampshire, the Open University, the National Autistic Society, and Rethink Mental Illness. I also value mindfulness and meditation practice and have trained in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction with the British Mindfulness Institute.

Before working as a Mental Health Mentor, I qualified and worked as a Secondary School English Teacher, and I continue to be passionate about the power of literacy, communication, and stories.

I hold professional indemnity insurance, and I am registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) as a Data Controller to ensure your data is managed safely. I hold an Enhanced DBS check.

My practice is supported by access to regular Clinical Supervision.