Joanne Coleman


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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Hello and welcome. My name is Joanne, and I am a therapeutic counsellor based in Stanford Le Hope, Corringham, Essex. Offering online and telephone therapy means I am accessible to anyone across the UK as well as my surrounding area, helping people who, for any number of reasons, no longer feel like themselves or are not a version of themselves they wish to be.
There can be many reasons for losing a sense of who you are. We experience many different transitions in life and some of these can be difficult to adjust to - even if they are positive changes. Changing jobs, becoming a parent or stepparent, moving, reaching a milestone birthday etc can all change how you view yourself, your place in your life and can cause relationship problems or family issues. External factors and difficult life transitions such as separation or divorce, redundancy or retirement, bereavement, becoming ill or developing chronic pain can lead to loneliness and you may find yourself feeling sad, lost, anxious and scared without any idea of how to get back to your 'old' self again.
If you have parts of yourself you dislike, anger or behaviour problems, guilt, shame or regret you are unlikely to have a positive relationship with yourself, which can make it difficult to have positive relationships with others. If you lack confidence or are a people pleaser this can be an indication of low self-worth and a lack of self-esteem, which can affect many other areas of your life, such as making decisions, social anxiety or being overly critical of yourself. Trying to keep these parts hidden so others don't think less of you can be exhausting!
When you lose a sense of who you are or wish you could be someone else you might experience a lot of mental noise, such as repetitive thoughts, rumination, catastrophising and feelings of stress and anxiety. Left unchecked, these ongoing feelings can affect your sleep and your physical health, leading the way to depression, overwhelm and burnout. Talking to someone outside of your personal circle gives you the opportunity to share all of your thoughts and feelings from your own perspective, allowing you to gain some peace and clarity, alongside an understanding of yourself and your circumstances. Finding a way back to yourself and the person you would like to be is possible and I am passionate about the work I do in helping you to achieve this.
It is normal to feel unsure whether counselling is for you or could help improve your mental health. I have yet to come across anyone who has not been helped by having someone listen to them without judgement and understand where they are at this time! Get in touch if you would like me to help you too. Together, at a pace you are comfortable with, we will make sense of your story, how you developed your beliefs in yourself and how this can affect your thoughts, choices and behaviours. We will improve areas you feel are holding you back, lessen any burden you're under, and find a way forward that reconnects you to yourself and progresses you towards the person you would like to become.
Training, qualifications & experience
Until December 2022 I worked in residential care for people over 65, with a particular focus on the unique challenges faced by those dealing with Dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, as well as supporting their families. I also have first-hand experience of the difficulties faced by people working in the care sector who can often struggle to recognise or prioritise their own needs.
I hold a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling and through volunteering with a local mental health charity (Thurrock and Brentwood Mind) and my Private Practice (Brighterside Counselling and Psychotherapy) I have experience working with an extensive range of issues, helping clients to improve their emotional wellbeing and quality of life. My personal lived experience includes childhood trauma, suicide, separation, menopause, chronic pain and fatigue. These experiences have influenced the additional areas of knowledge I have, as well as my ongoing training – for example, I recently completed a program focusing on overcoming chronic pain and will be studying somatic trauma therapy during the remainder of 2024. This interests me on a personal level as well as being able to expand the services I offer clients, which already includes an awareness of how trauma is stored in the body, the affect this can have on our physical health, how our breath is linked to anxiety, our nervous system response to long term stress and how to utilise this knowledge to help improve not only our mental health but also our physical wellbeing.
Sessions are always centred on you as my client, you set the pace and decide what you would like to focus on during sessions. So, if you have no shared interest in the above that is totally okay. I do not feel it is necessary to have shared experiences in therapeutic work as even with those, our perspectives, values, morals, and the impact and effect on our lives will be different and therefore what may help me or another client, may not be what works best for you. This is why there is no one size fits all approach when working with me as the focus is always on finding out what will benefit you the most. However, previous clients have shared they found it helpful knowing we had been through similar experiences in life, and I feel that if you choose me as your counsellor it is unfair to ask you to share your background with me if I am unwilling to do a little of the same!
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
Therapies offered
Fees
£50.00 - £65.00
Concessions offered for
Additional information
My fee starts from £50 per session, and I also have a limited number of concessionary slots available to offer affordable therapy regardless of budget. As these can be in demand, I hold a waiting list for these sessions when applicable. Your personal requirements can be discussed at the time of enquiry.
I work remotely throughout the UK via online and telephone sessions, providing flexible appointments to fit around your other commitments. I offer short term therapy for an agreed number of weeks, ad hoc sessions, open ended and long-term therapy.
If you are interested in working with me please contact me to arrange a 10/15-minute complimentary call to discuss the issues you're having, answer any questions you have, ease any anxiety around starting therapy and help you to decide if I am the counsellor for you.
When I work
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Further information
I am a member of the British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP). I am also a registered member with the Information Commissioner's Office and I am fully insured.