Frankie Jones

Hi, and welcome. I’m Frankie.

Looking for a therapist isn’t always easy, whatever’s behind it. I’m glad you’re here, and happy to answer any questions.

I’m a queer, neurodivergent Psychotherapeutic Counsellor (MBACP) and trainee integrative psychotherapist (UKCP), working with adults in Oxfordshire and online. Many of the people I work with are LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, creative, or used to being the one who helps, and are tired of having to explain themselves before they can get any help.

I offer short and long-term, open-ended and one-off sessions, including low-cost places on a sliding scale. I gladly welcome all inquiries, and aim to reply within 24 hours.

Where you might be

Life can be intense and overwhelming at times. You might be feeling anxious, lost, stressed or stuck, unable to see a way forward on your own. Whatever has brought you here might be new, or might be something that keeps returning.

It can be easy to feel alone in some of the experiences that make us human, particularly where shame and isolation are involved – but these experiences are rarely as unique as they might feel from the inside. Reaching out involves risk and vulnerability, so it’s completely understandable to have mixed feelings about starting, and to take things at a pace that works for you.

A bit about me

I’ve always been drawn to people. I started studying Counselling and Psychotherapy a few years after my own experience of affordable counselling as a young person, which changed the trajectory of my circumstances. I believe that people really matter, and that helping relationships can make a difference.

I bring lived experience of queerness and neurodivergence to my work, and trauma-informed and anti-oppressive principles are at the heart of my approach. I have nine years’ full-time experience in relational roles across community, residential and mental healthcare settings, and I’m also an experienced youth worker.

What therapy looks like

People undertake therapy for any number of reasons - including (but certainly not limited to) a sense of generalised anxiety, life transitions, work stress, questions and concerns about identity, relationship difficulties, or something else altogether. Sometimes how we feel internally can be quite different to how others experience us in our day-to-day lives.

Therapy is fundamentally a space that’s about you. Much of it is simply talking, exploring and being supported, at a pace that works for you. As you and I build a relationship, we might look together at the patterns you’ve noticed, what sets them off, and the stories you carry about yourself - or we might not, depending on what feels useful. Either way, in forming a helping relationship with an insightful, supportive other, new possibilities can emerge.

Getting started: I suggest we start with a short, free introductory phone call, so that you and I can get to know one another, and you can ask me any questions you might have. You might then like to have a “taster session” to see if we are a good fit. I don't charge for these unless you decide you would like to go ahead.
Settling in: Sessions take place weekly, in person and/or online from my office in central Didcot. In the early stages of therapy, we will continue getting to know one another and explore what a safe and effective therapeutic relationship might look like for you – including (according to your pace and comfort) exploring what’s brought you here, your hopes for therapy, possible triggers, whether you would like a fixed or open-ended duration and perhaps some of your history.
Along the way: Throughout therapy, you and I can have regular check-ins on how the work is going and adjust the pace or focus if needed. There may be times where you prefer to work according to what is coming up for you on the day of each session – or, this may be how you prefer to approach therapy most or all of the time. This is a space and a process that’s about you and your needs, and I adapt my practice accordingly.

What you might want from therapy is up to you, and it is not unusual or problematic at all for this to unfold and shift throughout the process. My desire is to create a space in which you can feel at home, find some peace and calm, and work through whatever might be troubling you.

How I work

I practice relational psychotherapy. This starts from the idea that we are shaped by our relationships. So, alongside what’s going on inside you, we’ll look at how you relate to family, friends, communities and the wider world, vice versa, and how all of that shapes you in return.

My approach is integrative, informed by humanistic, existential and psychodynamic theories. Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, I adapt my practice to suit you, and what you respond to.

One-off sessions

A one-off session is a single, focused conversation. It isn’t a full course of therapy, but it can be a useful place to talk something through, get another perspective and work out what you need. We’ll finish by thinking about next steps together, which might include signposting you to other services or resources, or booking further sessions with me if that feels right. There’s no obligation either way.

What I often work with

Queer lives: transition, gender and sexual identity, dating and relationships including relationship configurations, friendships
Neurodivergence: questioning, late diagnosis or self-identification, masking and burnout, sensory overwhelm, work and relationships that don’t fit, special interests, and working out what your needs actually are
Helping professionals and carers: burnout, compassion fatigue, carrying other people’s pain, finding it hard to switch off
Creatives: creative blocks, perfectionism, sharing your work
Anxiety, low mood and overwhelm
Trauma and early experience
Identity, belonging and change: background, social and economic context, work and purpose, strained or estranged families, big life changes

Ways we can work

Alongside talking, we can bring in walking, drawing or painting, writing and journalling, gardening, psychoeducation or more, if that would be helpful to you.

I work with clients from various backgrounds, and am particularly experienced in supporting Neurodivergent individuals and in working with childhood trauma.

Practicalities

Fee: £60 per session (one-off sessions £75). Talking about money and affordability can be difficult, which is completely understandable. I offer some low-cost places on a sliding scale, and concessions available for low income, keyworkers, students, unemployed people, refugees and over-65s. Please drop me a line and we can see what is available.
Availability: Monday and Tuesday in person, with some flexibility for online.
Where: Central Didcot, or online via Google Meet.

My current availability is Monday and Tuesday, with some additional flexibility throughout the week for remote work.

First steps: How does it work?

Finding the right therapist for you is so important. If you would like to make an enquiry, please get in touch at frankie@frankiejonestherapy.co.uk. I aim to reply within 48 hours, but it is usually sooner.

• I suggest that we start with a brief phone call, if this feels comfortable, so that I can get an understanding for what brings you to counselling.
• If you would like to proceed, we can then arrange an initial 50-minute session to assess whether my services and approach would be a good therapeutic fit for you, and to allow you to ask any questions that you may have.
• Before we meet, I will provide some more formal written information on what to expect (around confidentiality, cancellation, holidays and so on), as is standard, for you to consider.
• During an initial session, you and I would discuss the above and any questions you may have, and you may then wish to take some time to consider going ahead.

I do not charge for initial sessions unless you and I decide to proceed with counselling, in which case it will be charged according to the usual hourly rate

Thank you for visiting. Do get in touch if you feel you might like to.