Counsellor Jill Ashforth
I am a creative counsellor who is also an artist. Our website features some of my artwork. You can view more of it here
http://www.jillashforthartist.com
I have a Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling from Edinburgh University, as well as additional training in counselling online from Counselling Tutor. I am also a member of COSCA.
Jill’s approach to counselling
When I am with clients I hope to create a safe space where they can take time to explore their thoughts and feelings on whatever brings them to counselling with someone they trust.
I use ideas from many sources to inform my counselling but I am greatly influenced by the beliefs of Carl Rogers and the Person Centred Approach. He believed that everyone had the ability to grow and change given time and the experience of being listened to with empathy and respect.
Together we will discuss what you hope to achieve in our sessions and what works best for you. My aim is to help you make connections and discoveries and so help you resolve your own problems. We will begin with a free 30 minute session where I can start to get to know more about you and you can ask any questions you may have about counselling and what to expect from our sessions.
During our sessions I will offer suggestions on how to cope with the symptoms of anxiety, stress and trauma and equip you with a toolkit of skills for life. These could take the form of stretching or simple movements, self-massage, breathing techniques and visualisations, where we use the power of ones imagination to relax on a guided journey. I will offer you the opportunity to try creative approaches which may include keeping a sketchbook journal, making images or working with pictures and objects – or we may simply talk. The choice is yours.
Counsellor Kevin O’Donnell
My name is Kevin O’Donnell. Prior to becoming a counsellor, I worked as a scientist in both the public and private sectors. I have a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling from the University of Edinburgh, where I am currently enrolled in the Professional Doctorate in Counselling and Psychotherapy programme.
Kevin’s approach to counselling
My main influence is the person-centred approach associated with Carl Rogers. This is in large part because it is in line with my own personal beliefs and values – essentially that you should be treated with honesty, empathy and respect – and that all of us have potential that we can be helped to fulfil. However, I take a pragmatic approach to other schools of counselling thought and will use them if helpful for a particular client, in making sense of their life. In particular, the psychodynamic approach, which looks at how patterns formed in childhood can impact on our adult lives, can be a useful lens through which to look at things.
Regardless of the type of counselling carried out, there is general agreement that the most important thing is actually the relationship between counsellor and client. That is why the free 30 minute preliminary session is so important. It gives you the opportunity to decide whether I am someone you can talk to and trust.
I am a member of COSCA and am bound by their code of practice.
The standard rate for our counsellors is £40 per session. Each session will last 1 hour and they are typically weekly or fortnightly.
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