Our Therapists
All of our therapists are registered with an ethical body, have enhanced DBS checks, are highly skilled and trauma informed.
Gemma
Hi I'm Gemma...
I have a foundation degree in Integrative Counselling. This means I am able to use different models of practice to suit each individual whilst maintaining a person-centred core approach to therapy. I have worked as a childcare professional in many different roles such as nursery nurse, teaching assistant and one to one support for children with additional learning needs, ADHD, Autism and children who struggle with behaviour.
My love and passion for working with children continues and after working with children who had experienced trauma in the roles described, I have developed a strong wish to be able to understand and do more to help them further. This is what led me back to university to study counselling.
I have been a counsellor at Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Domestic Violence (HARV) team. My own personal experience of domestic abuse, which was an incredibly difficult time in my life, has informed me deeply about this struggle and has inspired me to work alongside women and children who have had similar experiences. I have a particular knowledge and expertise in this area.
I now work in many school supporting children and also with teens with complex trauma within mainstream schools and specialist schools.
Within the therapy sessions children and young people have a safe space to explore thoughts and feelings and develop techniques and coping strategies to help and better understand themselves and their needs.
Helen Jane
Hi I'm Helen...
I am a BACP registered psychotherapist experienced in working with both adults and children. After enjoying a 20-year career in teaching and education, I retrained to gain a postgraduate diploma in Integrative Psychotherapy. My insight, from working with children and young people, enables a deep understanding of the significant impact of our early experience on our potential to learn and to feel happy and valued as adults in everyday life.
I work in schools supporting children, in therapy sessions, children have time to focus on emotions and life events, often difficult to access purely through talking, helping them to explore and better understand themselves and the way they relate to others.
I also work with adults. Through therapy and counselling, I always provides a warm and caring environment where thoughts, feelings and concerns can be shared in an honest and non-judgmental way.
I understand the importance of being listened to and she works openly with each client. I designs therapy to include appropriate interventions which provide ways for feelings of anxiety, low mood, anger and stress, and relationship issues to be explored. My aim is for each person to regain a sense of self or a deepening sense of becoming closer to the “real you”.
Maxine
Hello I’m Maxine.
I am a HCPC Registered Psychologist (Educational), PTUK Registered Therapeutic Play Practitioner and am currently working towards accreditation as a Sandplay Therapist with the Association of Sandplay Therapy (AST).
I’ve worked with children for the past 30 years and love it. I started as a children’s play-worker for Women’s Aid, and then worked as teacher in mainstream and alternative settings. Working at a centre for children recovering from bullying, I witnessed the power of providing safe spaces and holistic education for children to share experiences and foster self-confidence and healing.
I qualified as a Psychologist (Educational) in 2006 and worked in different Local Authorities using collaborative approaches to support development, growth and change with individuals, groups, and settings. My interest in working therapeutically is long-standing; over the years I have completed trainings in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Solution Focussed Brief Therapy, Narrative Therapy and Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) so that I bring a range of skills and perspectives to each encounter whilst maintaining a person-centred approach.
I qualified as a Therapeutic Play Practitioner in 2021. Play is integral to child development; I feel it is the most natural resource to help children experiencing tough times, muddles or worries to express, explore, and discover themselves and find more satisfying ways of being. My approach is collaborative and child-led; each child has unique capabilities and I seek to provide Therapeutic Play experiences to support each child to discover and be themselves.
I believe that change is enabled by acceptance and self-discovery, and in my work, I seek to be playful and curious, enabling clients to create narratives about their life and who they are becoming.
I offer Therapeutic Play sessions to children in schools and in our playroom in Colne. I also offer Therapeutic Parenting support and Consultation with schools in support of their children.
Chanelle
Hi I'm Chanelle...
I am a BACP registered Counsellor and Psychotherapist. I have a Foundation and Bachelors degree in integrative counselling. I alway work in an empathic person-centred approach to therapy and can also offer different interventions to find what works best for you, your child or teen.
Previously, I was involved at a charity offering counselling and before that owned a beauty salon for ten years. I am very much a people person and has an approachable manner offering a relaxed, confidential, safe place to explore your emotions, thoughts and feelings to enable growth, change and a positive way of moving forward in life.
I am particularly good at connecting to teens who can find coming to therapy difficult, I love to listen and create a therapeutic relationship which works.
I get great fulfilment in life through offering help and support to others.
Claire
Hello I'm Claire...
I am a person centred therapist who works with children, teens and adults
I have an optimistic view of human nature, and believes that, given a safe space in which to gently explore, we can all increase our self awareness and work towards the resolution of inner conflicts.
I previously provided therapy at a women's charity, helping clients with a variety of different issues, including relationship difficulties, anxiety, depression, self harm, domestic violence and long covid.
I have a Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy from The University of Salford and is a registered member of the BACP (British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists).
Prior to training as a therapist, my role involved supporting people who had suffered life changing injuries or bereavements as a result of medical procedures. Seeing the way in which those people found a way to move forward positively with their lives after having counselling was one of the factors that inspired me to become a therapist.
What clients said about Claire...
I had never experienced therapy, so naturally I didn’t know what to expect or how it was even going to impact my life. All I knew was I was struggling, I needed some help.
Right from the first phone call to Claire, my worries vanished, she put me at ease. The journey I went on during the sessions, transformed my thoughts, how I felt about myself, how I behaved and mostly it prevented me from hating or criticising my every thought and actions!
Claire helped me to process deep rooted feelings and to see how my life was not as awful as I played it out in my mind, she very cleverly let’s you tell yourself how to heal, when we finished our last session, Claire summarised our journey, she’d listened, understood and empathised while making me feel heard and valued!
I feel extremely lucky to have been in such great hands, thank you xx
Mrs W, October 2023
Working with Claire over the last few months has really helped me to see things much clearer and in a new light. I felt safe, supported and heard every week and slowly over time, I've learnt to recognise behaviours I was displaying as well as ways to overcome and deal with these. It's been a game-changer and I would highly recommend Claire for anyone who is feeling 'stuck' and looking to change previous patterns. Thank you!
Ms G, January 2024
Lynda
Hello I'm Lynda...
I am a registered member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy with a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling. I have been qualified for 13 years and have worked with adults, young people and children presenting with issues such as anxiety; depression; grief and loss; relationship issues; self harm; trauma; gender and sexuality issues; autism and ADHD.
My therapeutic approach is person centred and she offers clients the core conditions of empathy; unconditional positive regard; and congruence.
Once qualified I began to focus on working with children and undertook play therapy training with a national charity. I have worked in many primary and secondary schools in East Lancashire and has spent the last 4 years working in a Pupil Referral Unit.
I incorporates the PACE principles of being playful, accepting, curious and empathic into her work and is an advocate of always being curious as to what is underneath a child’s behaviour. I have a special interest in attachment, trauma and special educational needs.
My priority is for clients to feel safe in the therapeutic relationship, focusing on understanding their unique self; helping them gain a better understanding of themselves; make sense of their experiences; and work towards a better future.
I have been described as supportive, caring and compassionate.
Jayne
Hi I'm Jayne..
I am a qualified counsellor who has a degree in counselling and psychotherapy and is a member of BACP. I works with a person-centred ethos and can offer different models of practice to meet individual needs.
I am privileged to have worked within children, young people, and family services for over twenty years and this opportunity has led her to become a qualified counsellor. I offer a safe and confidential space where individuals can explore their lived experiences and find their own way towards improved health and healing.
I am currently undertaking my masters in trauma informed practice which fits with Essere's ethos.
Nicola
Hello I'm Nic...
I worked in the social care and mental health field both statutory and voluntary for over 20 years and have been a fully qualified and registered Family & Systemic Psychotherapist since 2008.
I have worked for the NHS in CAMHS services at Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Foundation Trust and Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust working with children, young people, parents and families. She also practice independently with individuals, couples, families, students, professionals and organisations and work as a teacher and supervisor.
I can help individuals, couples and family systems in any combination. A relational approach to therapy can be helpful to people experiencing any difficulties in their lives and across the lifespan including:
- relationship difficulties
- communication issues
- low mood, anxiety and other difficult to manage emotions
- food and eating issues
- difficulties with behaviour
- dealing with difficult experiences, trauma and loss
We all live our lives as part of a system of different relationships. Sometimes the patterns and dynamics of relationships in family life can become stuck or unhelpful and finding new ways to overcome these differences together can lead to meaningful change.
Family & Systemic Therapy positions people as experts of their lives and working collaboratively is a key concept. I believes that the support and influence of parents and care givers is so important in children and young peoples’ lives, that joint therapeutic work is vital to understand the whole family picture. Exploring the beliefs, strengths and structure of family life and how these themes impact the family life cycle can be hugely helpful.
I have been trained to deliver a variety of Systemic approaches, methods and techniques, so as well as talking we may use games, art/creative activities and play in the sessions, depending on your needs and preferences.
Wendy
Hi I'm Wendy...
I am is a person centred therapist working with adults and children. I have experience with a variety of ages and presenting issues, including but not limited to bereavement, depression, abuse, anxiety and other traumas.
I enjoy the continual learning that comes with being a counsellor and is always adding to my knowledge base. I am willing to work flexibly with clients and I encourage them to use the space to work through their issues, truly believing that along with the skills of a counsellor that this is a positive and helpful way for people to move forward.
As well as having childhood trauma herself through several bereavements, she also has 3 teenage children so understands the struggles that teenagers have navigating the current times and how illness and other life events can impact them.
Catherine A
Hi I'm Catherine...
I am a relational integrative psychotherapist working with children, young people and adults. My priority when working with individuals is the formation of a trusting, empathetic therapeutic relationship.
Before working as a therapist, I worked as a teacher for 22 years with over 10 of these years in senior leadership positions. I particularly enjoyed working with children and young people that found school challenging and valued working with them, their families and other agencies to support their needs and help them overcome barriers to relationships and learning. During my time in education I also enjoyed training, supervising and coaching other adults working in schools from trainees to experienced staff.
My counselling experience includes work in schools with children and young people, work as a trauma-informed therapist as part of an NHS commissioned service and private practice working with clients of all ages. I am passionate about developmental trauma and the impact it has on individuals. I enjoys using psychoeducation and tools and techniques for emotional regulation to support clients to be more in touch with their bodily felt senses and develop their own strategies for regulation.
Cristina
Hello I'm Cristina...
I am an integrative counsellor and psychotherapist (Post-graduate Diploma from Salford University). My work is rooted in person-centred theory and practice and, depending on the client’s needs, I bring in embodied practices (breathwork, mindfulness, movement), creative techniques (art/play media), as well as frameworks, techniques, and skills from other approaches to enhance the therapeutic process. My practice is also informed by my studies in psychology (MA in Psychology with Mention in Educational Psychology) which support the understanding and psychoeducation of the mind-body integration. I am also Polyvagal, and trauma informed which offers embodied practices to support the processing of trauma in my clients.
I am a member of BACP working with children, young people, and adults and for over 25 years she has worked therapeutically with children and young people both in the UK and in South America. In the UK I have worked in charities in Merseyside and Lancashire.
Over these years of practice in different countries and working with clients with vast diversity of traits in terms of cultural, cognitive processing, learning ability, health conditions, languages and socio-economic backgrounds, I have witnessed the power of having a safe space where one can be deeply listened to and feel safe enough to explore one’s perceptions and experiences of self of one’s surroundings and of the distressing events.
I have witnessed that underneath the anger, pain and stuckness, there is usually light, wisdom, understanding, healing, strength, courage, and hope waiting to be found. And when offered the right conditions, clients are able to move to a new perception of growth in their reality, identifying and developing internal and external resources.
I am passionate about talking therapies as we all need at some points in our lives to stop, feel visible/seen, feel deeply listened to and feel that we have the time and a safe space to take stock of where we are at and find ways forward to continue with our personal life journeys.
Emma
Hi I’m Emma
I am a BACP registered therapist with a Foundation Degree in Integrative Counselling, I have experience working with adults, children, and adolescents. As an integrative holistic therapist, I believe that not one type of therapy fits all, therefore bringing in techniques from different modalities, whilst maintaining a Person-Centred foundation. My approach blends evidence- based techniques with a compassionate understanding of each client’s unique journey.
As a parent myself I have firsthand experience of the difficulties both children and their caregivers face, gaining valuable insights into the emotional, social, and cognitive stages of development, which I believe enriches my counselling approach. I have worked within schools across Lancashire providing therapeutic support to children and young people, engaging each child in the therapeutic process. Helping children navigate behavioural, developmental, and emotional challenges, by creating a safe environment where children feel heard and understood. Supporting them in expressing their ideas, feelings, and experiences via the use of expressive techniques such as play therapy, therapeutic games, and creative expression offering opportunities for personal growth, healing, and self-discovery. I aim to empower children to process their emotions, develop coping skills, and build resilience, ensuring a holistic approach to each child’s wellbeing.
I also work with adults to address a range of issues including anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, work issues, relationship issues, health issues, stress, emotional abuse, bereavement, trauma, self-harm, and many more. I am passionate about providing a safe, nurturing and nonjudgemental space for individuals of all ages to explore their emotions and find healing.
Whether working with a child, adolescent, or adult, my goal is to create a space where each individual feels valued, understood, and empowered, to navigate life with greater confidence and clarity.