Jane Clayton

You might be here because you look like you’re coping on the surface, but inside you feel stuck, overwhelmed, or like you’re quietly falling apart. Perhaps you’ve lived through early loss, trauma, or relationships that have left you carrying a deep sense of shame. 

Maybe you understand why you are the way you are, but still find yourself repeating painful patterns, struggling in relationships, or feeling disconnected from your body and emotions. Or you might be exhausted from holding it all together, wondering why past experiences still affect you – and longing to be met with care rather than judgement.

I work with adults living with complex trauma and chronic shame, including those shaped by childhood bereavement, attachment wounds, relational trauma, and significant life transitions. I also specialise in supporting women whose mental health is deeply intertwined with gendered social expectations, their bodies, hormones, and medical or menstrual experiences, including PMDD, perimenopause and menopause.

How I work

I’m a relational, integrative psychotherapist with a humanistic foundation, informed by trauma, attachment, somatic, and existential approaches. What that means in practice is that I’m emotionally present, collaborative, and actively engaged. I’m not a blank slate, and I’m not interested in offering quick fixes or purely cognitive strategies.

Clients often tell me they value that I balance gentleness with challenge. I work carefully and respectfully with trauma, while also being willing to name patterns, question self-blame, and support meaningful change. I don’t collude with the inner critic – but I also won’t rush you or push you beyond what feels safe.

Because trauma is often held beyond words, I work creatively where helpful, using art, symbolism and somatic awareness where appropriate. You don’t need to be “good at talking” – we work in ways that fit you.

What clients can expect

Therapy with me is relational, human, and grounded in dignity. I bring warmth, humour, curiosity, and honesty into the room, alongside deep compassion and a strong understanding of trauma. My own lived experience of loss, breakdown, recovery, and profound transition means I’m not frightened by despair, anger, or shame – and you don’t need to protect me from your truth.

Sessions take place in my private, garden-based therapy room – a calm, contained space many clients describe as safe, cosy, and deeply personal. Together, we create a relationship where you can feel seen, heard, and accepted – often for the first time.

Taking the next step

If you’re looking for a therapist who is warm but not passive, informed but not distant, and unafraid of depth, you may find we work well together.

You’re very welcome to get in touch to ask questions or arrange an initial session. Reaching out can feel daunting but you don’t have to do it perfectly. Just as you are is enough.

I specialise in working with adults affected by complex trauma and chronic shame arising from early relational experiences, including attachment wounds, bereavement, and developmental trauma.

I have a particular interest in supporting women whose mental health is shaped by trauma in relation to their bodies, health, hormones, and the wider social context, including major life transitions and identity change.

Before we agree to work together, I offer a free 15-minute telephone consultation.

​Therapy sessions last 55 minutes and start at £65 per session. 

A student discount of £55 per session is available with proof of enrolment at a University or College. Further discretionary subsidised rates may be available on request.

Payment by bank transfer is preferred, although I can take payment in cash. 

Working with and supporting people has been central to my career. Alongside my work as a psychotherapist, I have a background as an academic, business consultant, and cultural change leader, as well as experience in caring roles with young people and vulnerable adults. This breadth of experience informs a thoughtful, creative, and relational approach to therapy, shaped around each individual rather than a one-size-fits-all model.

Having sought therapy for myself during periods of mental health difficulty, I hold deep respect for how vulnerable it can feel to ask for support. I feel genuinely privileged to walk alongside people at times of crisis, transition, or uncertainty. Whatever brings you to therapy — whether past trauma, relationship difficulties, or fears about the future — I aim to be with you, offering both support and challenge at a pace that feels right.

Clients often describe therapy with me as a space where they begin to feel seen, heard, and accepted. Over time, many notice increased self-compassion and emotional awareness, clearer boundaries and greater confidence. They can begin to enjoy a more stable sense of self, relief from chronic shame and self-criticism, and an improved ability to tolerate vulnerability and difficult emotions.

My aim is not only to help you make sense of your experiences, but to support you in developing the internal resources you need to move forward with greater trust in yourself and in your capacity to live well.