Jan Billington

How do we navigate ourselves safely and with purpose when we feel unable to? 

Children and Young People - alongside my private practice I work part-time in a local hospital supporting children and young people who are at point of crisis with their mental health. Early research suggests that the pandemic and post pandemic has created a culture where for some children and young people there has been a rise in self-harm, these damaging behaviours may serve as a way of managing their worries and emotions and almost always tend to run alongside negative thinking errors and negative thought patterns.  This type of maladaptive thinking is adding to the impact of their mental health. I will work with your child to identify what is behind their behaviour of self-harm (this could be due to unresolved trauma for example) and support them to manage their mental health in a more positive way.

This client base often like and benefit from beginning the therapy using outdoor spaces via my eco therapy sessions, especially those who may have poor self esteem and confidence or who may be very anxious. This type of therapy allows a gentler way of beginning and building the therapeutic relationship.

Adults - I have experience in supporting clients who are suffering from anxiety and low mood. Some causes of anxiety and low mood may be due to feeling afraid and alone, anxiety and low mood conditions have a way of making a person feel as if no-one else really understands. We will work together to identify the causes through my active listening and using practical methods to support how we can lesson those feelings.

I also have experience of supporting clients with loss and grief. Grief is a very personal thing, and everyone walks their grief journey differently, sometimes there may be complex or secondary grief which can be challenging to navigate alone. I am here to support you on your journey and to help you navigate each part.

If you are at a point in your life where you are feeling afraid for the future and feeling out of control, please reach out to me so we can safely explore what you are experiencing. 

Walking in Nature - I also offer eco-therapy which means ‘restoring and developing well-being through connection with nature’,  connecting with nature can have lots of positive health benefits. Walking helps to improve our mental health and well-being, and studies show that being in nature helps to reduce negativity, anger, anxiety and stress. 

It also helps to reduce blood pressure, lowers the heart rate, helps with muscle tension and the production of stress hormones. When we are outdoors we can be mindful of our environment, this can help to reconnect us to ourselves, in a more meaningful and positive way. It can help to increase our natural ability to regulate our emotions, and to support a reduction in our stress, anxiety and depression.

I use local parks to facilitate these sessions – some clients often prefer a mix of face to face and eco therapy throughout their therapy journey. This can depend on how they are feeling at that time and what they are trying to work through, eco therapy often support a client when they become “stuck” in the therapy. 

Offering a bespoke integrative approach to clients based on their individual needs.