Jennifer Smith
About me
I am a highly skilled Client Centred Counsellor/Psychotherapist & Supervisor of Counsellors with over 22 years experience. I work from the heart bringing the qualities of a congruent, mindful & compassionate presence to the therapeutic relationship.
Face to Face sessions take place in a dedicated Therapy Suite based in the heart of Liverpool City Centre and in St. Helens, Merseyside. I also offer on-line Video sessions.
The name of my practice is Therapeutic Avenues which is a synthesis of all my training, qualifications and experience to date. I provide individual 1:1 Counselling/Psychotherapy Sessions, Supervision to other Counsellors and those in the Helping Professions, Vocational Mentoring and Transformational Groupwork. I also work on a sessional basis for organisations.
Counselling Experience
Over the last 21 years, I have had the privilege of working as a Counsellor, Supervisor, Workshop Developer & Facilitator in a large Civic University, providing many thousands of hours of individual therapy to students and staff, humbly witnessing the power of their transformational processes. I have also witnessed the pain, crises and weariness of clients struggling to find direction, purpose and vocational fulfilment when they find themselves treading a road that just doesn't feel right and shared with them the joy of connecting to their authentic self.
“When you don’t follow your nature there is a hole in the universe where you were supposed to be.” -Dane Rudhyar
I Specialise in the following:
Change and Transition
Loss
Experiencing sudden, unpredictable and critical events
A search for meaning and purpose
Self-Enquiry
Life Review
During therapy sessions, I aim to work collaboratively with clients in their frame of reference, facilitating the process of self-acceptance, healing, growth and transformation whilst assisting the client to embrace contradictions and encompass paradox, promoting a wholistic self-acceptance.
"The curious paradox is that when I accept myself, just as I am, then I can change.”
- Carl Rogers
Supervision Experience
I have over 15 years experience as a Supervisor of both qualified and trainee counsellors, I offer reduced fees to trainee counsellors which include writing competency reports.
Training, qualifications & experience
2010-2014: Bangor University CMRP
Mindfulness Based Approaches (Masters Level)
2009-2010: University of East Anglia
Focusing Oriented Psychotherapy
2008-2009: University of Manchester
The Supervision of Counsellors and Helping Professionals
2001: Person Centred Connections: Group Facilitation
2001: PCCS Manchester: Advanced Person Centred Practise
1999-2000: PCCS Manchester
Person Centred Counselling Diploma (BACP Accredited)
Member organisations
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
BACP is one of the UK’s largest professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy. Therapists registered with the Association fall into a number of different membership categories such as Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP and Registered Member MBACP (Accred), each standing for different levels of training and experience. MBACP (Accred) and MBACP (Snr Accred) members have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by the Association.
Registered members can be found on the BACP Register, which was the first register to achieve Accredited Voluntary Register status issued by the Professional Standards Authority. Individual Members will have completed an appropriate counselling and/or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but will not appear on the BACP Register until they've progressed to Registered Member MBACP status.
All members are bound by a Code of Ethics & Practice and a Complaints Procedure. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
Accredited register membership
Accredited Register Scheme
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
- Change and Transition
- Loss
- A search for meaning and purpose
- Self enquiry
- Life review
Fees
From £55.00 to £65.00
Free initial in-person or telephone session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Counselling & Psychotherapy: £55 - £65 per 1 hour session - depending on location/face to face/online etc.,
Personal Development Groups: £160.00 per two hours - maximum of 8 participants
Individual Supervision £65.00 per hour or £75 per 1.5 hours - reduced fees for trainee therapists or online sessions (I also offer some pro bono sessions for low paid care workers)
Group Supervision: £160.00 per two hours, maximum of 8 supervisees (Reduced fees for voluntary organisations)
I offer a free initial 30 minute telephone consultation for any of the above services. If, for any reason, we are unable to work together I have a list of other professionals or organisations I can refer you to.
Availability
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Further information
I work with clients either face to face or online video sessions - working online means I can cover most of the UK. During lockdown, I undertook specific training to work online with clients.
Over the past 22 years, I have completed many professional development training sessions and longer courses. I hold a qualification (Nottinghamshire NHS Trust/Centre For Trauma Studies - 2003) in Critical Incident Stress Debriefing and have provided this service both in groups and individually to witnesses and survivors of critical incidents and terrorist attacks.
After completing a Train the Trainer Course in Suicide Prevention, I have provided many Suicide Prevention workshops both in Higher Education and the Public & Voluntary Sectors.
My most recent and current studies are:
- Neuroscience and Therapy
- Soul Centred Therapy
- Jungian Psychology
- Jungian Archetypes
- Shadow and Advanced Shadow Work
