Jen Keppie
Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.
This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Welcome
I appreciate that taking the first steps in looking for support can be a daunting thing – I hope to offer a warm welcome as you have a look through my page to see if you think I might be the right person to support you. If, having read my profile, you think you would like to get in touch for an initial chat, please see the information at the bottom of the page for next steps.
How can I help?
I support people experiencing feelings of anxiety, overwhelm or ‘feeling a bit lost’. What is behind these feelings will be unique to you – you may have experienced a particular life event, relationship difficulties, a form of loss, or perhaps not even know what has led you to feeling this way. I will be alongside you as we explore together what these experiences mean for you and together work to find a way forward that makes sense for you.
I have extensive experience working with people dealing with bereavement, loss and grief.
How I work
I am a BACP registered person-centred counsellor with a particular interest in eco-therapy and working outdoors. I offer outdoor therapy sessions in the Inverness area to individuals over the age of 18. I also offer online and indoor in-person counselling sessions.
I approach my client work with deeply held attitudes of respect and open-mindedness, hoping to foster a sense of trust and connectedness from which we can work together on what is troubling you. As a person-centred counsellor I won’t tell you what is ‘wrong’ with you, or tell you what you 'ought' to do. I don’t necessarily have all the answers and certainly won’t try to ‘fix’ you. Instead my aim is to 'be alongside' you, to try to deeply understand you, your experiences and your feelings from your perspective. Being heard and understood in this way is not something we often encounter in every-day life, and it can help us find more clarity about the way we are feeling. In developing deeper understanding, accurate awareness, personal meaning or acceptance around the things you are experiencing, together we can start to find a sense of how you might want to move forward with things.
Outdoor Therapy
In taking my counselling practice into the outdoor environment, I am able to offer a therapeutic space where you can embrace your own unique relationship to and with the rest of the natural world - the 'other-than-human' - as part of your counselling and healing process. For some this might be as simple as taking a walk amongst nature whilst we talk; for others it may be about engaging with metaphor, connecting with personal spiritual meaning in nature, or perhaps exploring mind-body connection through the physicality of the experience of being outdoors. Many of us are simply aware that mindfully engaging with and relating to our environment can impact positively on how we feel – often contributing to a broader sense of connectedness, belonging and value. Each of our relationships with the world around us is unique, and so the experience of outdoor therapy will be personally meaningful to each of us in our own way.
With the growing climate crisis there is an increasing awareness of the experience of 'eco-anxiety' – despair and anxiety about the state of the planet, and an awareness of how alienated we (humans) have become from the ecosystem to which we belong. It may be that this (in full or in part) is what has brought you to counselling – it may be an explicit awareness, or an underlying, niggling sense that contributes to an experience of general unease or distress. This can impact how we are able to cope and deal with other problems and difficulties in our lives. From an eco-therapy perspective, repairing our relationship with the rest of the natural world is a mutually beneficial process, supporting a sense of personal healing and growth for us (humans) whilst also promoting an attitude of respect and care for our planet.
In addition to working outdoors, I offer indoor face-to-face sessions, and online counselling.
Introductory meeting and next steps
I offer a 20 minute introductory phone or video call in order to help you decide if you would like to go ahead with counselling, and for us both to assess whether it feels like the right fit. There is no commitment to enter into therapy with me - the most important thing is that you find a practitioner you feel comfortable with.
If you would like to go ahead with an introductory meeting, please feel free to drop me a message (using the 'Email me' button) and I will be happy to arrange this with you. Please keep an eye on your junk email folder in case my response lands in there (I will always aim to reply within 24 hrs Mon-Fri). I look forward to hearing from you!
Training, qualifications & experience
Originally trained as a nurse, I worked around the UK and overseas for over 16 years. With 15 of these years spent in Intensive Care Units, I have an extensive background working with and supporting people going through profoundly traumatic and life-changing experiences. In my 30s, and still in the midst of my nursing career, I developed a growing curiosity about talking therapies, and starting exploring this through various courses and self-study. In 2018 I made the leap into my professional counsellor training and for a time managed this alongside nursing until I eventually made the move towards making counselling my full time profession.
I am passionate about the person-centred approach and find this style of counselling, this 'way of being' alongside those experiencing emotional and psychological distress, to be profoundly humane and compassionate. I find it to be a natural fit with my own inherent values and sense of integrity.
Alongside the person-centred approach, my other great passion is the outdoors and the 'other-than-human' with which we share the world. I am fascinated by the creatures, plants, landscapes, elements, spiritual beliefs, cultures, histories that we live amongst and alongside, and our relationships to and with them.
In addition to my private practice, for the past 4.5 years I have also worked for a charity offering support to families who have experienced baby or child loss. In this role I offer counselling support to bereaved parents across the Highland region.
Postgraduate Diploma, Person-Centred Counselling and Psychotherapy
University of Aberdeen / Persona Development and Training, 2018-2020
Certificate in Nature Connection Facilitation
Forest Therapy Hub, 2024
Training Certificate in Outdoor Emergency First Aid
BASP, 2024
Taking Therapy Outside
Hayley Marshall, The Centre for Natural Reflection, 2023
Certificate in Trauma-Focused Therapy
Dr Mark Widdowson, The Link Centre, 2022
COSCA Certificate in Counselling
Edinburgh College and Glasgow Caledonian University, 2017-2018
Introduction to Counselling
Birkbeck, University of London, 2013
BSc Hons Nursing Studies
Kings College London, 2002-2005
Member organisations
BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred). Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision. Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training. All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.
Accredited register membership
The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Other areas of counselling I deal with
- Outdoor therapy
- Eco-therapy
- Nature connection
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£50.00 per session
Free initial online session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
£50 per 1 hour session
If you think you will struggle with affordability, please feel free to have a chat with me about this - I will be open to exploring what might be mutually manageable.
When I work
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | |||||||
| Afternoon | |||||||
| Evening | |||||||
| Night |
Please feel free to discuss your requirements around the timings of sessions - I may sometimes be able to create availability beyond the days or times above, so please ask!
