Jane Spencer BA (Hons), MA, UKCP Psychotherapist, Frome based and online

Contact me to arrange an initial free 25-minute consultation via telephone or ZOOM.

Adult counselling and psychotherapy

It can feel like a big step deciding to seek counselling or therapy. I offer a space that will hopefully enable you to feel that you are taking a step in the right direction.

Life can sometimes feel difficult and overwhelming. I provide a safe, empathic space so that you can explore your problems, worries and fears without feeling judged or blamed. Exploring emotions and thoughts with someone else who is there to listen to you, think about you and support, can help you make changes in your life. Reflecting on how past and present experiences are intertwined can help you to understand yourself better and free you from patterns of thinking and responding that are now holding you back.

We can work together to discover the changes that you want to make in yourself and in your life. We can think together about how you can get to where you would like to be and what is stopping you from living your life in the way you would like to live it.

I have 25 years' experience as a counsellor and psychotherapist, working privately and for nationally known organisations. I work with a wide range of issues including anxiety, depression, bereavement, loss, relationship issues, negative thought patterns, low self esteem, separation and divorce, domestic violence, suicidal ideation, self harm, eating issues, trauma and childhood neglect and abuse.

The work we undertake together can be issue based or more explorative depending on your needs. I am integrative in my approach as I believe that I can be most effective by offering you a range of ways of understanding and managing challenges in your life to suit your individual needs.

I am based in Frome. I am also able to offer counselling and psychotherapy to people further afield via ZOOM. During the Covid-19 lockdowns I have been using ZOOM and clients have found this to be a convenient and effective way to work.

Counselling and Psychotherapy with children and young people

I also offer counselling and therapy to children and young people from aged 5 to young adults. I work in an integrative way using a variety of approaches to meet the needs of your child. I offer an empathic, supportive and non-judgmental space to help your child move forward in their life and achieve their potential. I am experienced and skilled at helping children and young people find ways to engage, share and explore their feelings safely.

With younger children I use play and arts as this is usually the most natural way for them to explore their inner world; using play and art can be a non-threatening means for them to communicate how they are feeling. With older children and with adolescents I use mainly talking based therapy. However I also have play and arts materials available for the young person to make use of, regardless of their age, if this feels helpful. Sometimes using these materials can support a young person to express themselves and process difficult experiences or feelings in a non verbal way when it is hard to find the words.

I have worked with young people presenting with a wide range of issues including  depression, anxiety, anger, eating issues, struggles with peer relationships, bullying, low self esteem, lack of confidence, divorce and separation, bereavement, family illness, self harm, suicidal thoughts, domestic violence, rape and assault, trauma, abuse, neglect and body dysphoria. I have experience of working with children and young people with ASD, ADHD and learning disabilities.

Work with parents and carers

Being a parent can be difficult and challenging. Sometimes working with you as a parent (or carer) directly is helpful and can be a way forward to support a child or young person particularly when they are reluctant to attend themselves. As well as supporting you to understand your child better, it can be helpful just to have time to think about being a parent and what that means for you.

I offer a reflective, non judgemental space to think about your relationship with your child maybe where there are family issues, where your child is experiencing emotional or mental health difficulties that are hard to deal with or where you feel you are struggling to relate to your child in the way that you would like. Sometimes it is just reassuring to talk things through and know that you are offering your child the right support.

This can be a space for you as a parent to understand your own emotional responses and think about different ways to understand and be with your child. It can also be an opportunity to explore your own experiences of being parented when you were young and how this may be impacting you as a parent now.

I am able to offer sessions with you and your child together where this is useful. For younger children this can often be the most helpful way forward rather than individual therapy for the child.

Parent Infant Psychotherapy

Becoming a parent can be a challenging time for many people. Alongside the joys that having a baby brings, it can also bring more complex feelings such as anxiety, fears and self doubt. You may find that it feels harder to form a close bond with your infant than you expected or sometimes you may feel overwhelmed by the responsibility of becoming a parent. Relationships with those close to us can change in ways that we had not anticipated. Past experiences can be stirred up unexpectedly by preganancy, the birth or just by being a parent. The ideas we may have had about having a baby may be challenged by the reality of day to day life caring for an infant or toddler.

Having a space to explore your relationship with your child and the changes in your life and your sense of self, will support you to build a closer bond and feel more confident in yourself as a parent. It can enable you to adjust to your new role and responsibilities and deal with the sometimes tumultous feelings that being a parent of a newborn baby can bring.

I have experience of working with a wide range of issues including ante and post natal depression.  I work with parents where difficulties with fertility, past miscarriages, losses or other traumas are impacting on your relationship with your baby. Sometimes difficult pregnancies or births can affect the way we feel as parents. It can be just helpful to have a space to think through some of the challenges and changes in order to feel more confident that you are on the right path.

Work can begin in pregnancy where this is helpful.

Supervision and consultation

I offer clinical supervision to counsellors and psychotherapists. I supervise work with adults, children and young people. I work with both experienced and trainee clinicians.

I am also able to provide consultation to professionals working with children and families either ongoing or as a one off session.

In the current situation with coronavirus, I am offering online counselling and supervision via ZOOM as an alternative to in-person sessions.