Jennifer Smith
Verified Professional
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Registered MBACP: Counsellor, Psychotherapist and Supervisor
Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.
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, growth, healing and transformation whilst facilitating and 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)
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
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.
When I work
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If clients for any reason cannot fit into the above hours I can on occasion do appointments Friday-Sunday
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 current and ongoing studies are:
- Neuroscience and Therapy
- Soul Centred Therapy
- Jungian Psychology
- Jungian Archetypes
- Shadow and Advanced Shadow Work
- I am a lifelong student of Metaphysics
