Associate Therapists- All of our therapists are registered with an ethical body, have enhanced DBS checks, are highly skilled and trauma informed.
Gemma
Gemma has a foundation degree in Integrative Counselling. This means she is able to use different models of practice to suit each individual whilst maintaining a person-centred core approach to therapy. Gemma has 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 and children who struggle with behaviour.
Gemma's love and passion for working with children continues and after working with children who had experienced trauma in the roles described, she developed a strong wish to be able to understand and do more to help them further. This is what led Gemma back to university to study counselling.
Gemma has been a counsellor at Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Domestic Violence (HARV) team. Gemma’s personal experience of domestic abuse, which was an incredibly difficult time in her life, has informed her deeply about this struggle and inspired her to work alongside women and children who have had similar experiences. She has a particular knowledge and expertise in this area.
Gemma now works as a school counsellor supporting children using play therapy and also with teens 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
Helen Jane is a BACP registered psychotherapist experienced in working with both adults and children. After enjoying a 20-year career in teaching and education, Helen Jane retrained to gain a postgraduate diploma in Integrative Psychotherapy. Helen Jane’s 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.
Helen Jane works as a school counsellor supporting children using play therapy. 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.
Helen Jane works with adults through her private practice and the voluntary sector. Through therapy and counselling, Helen Jane provides a warm and caring environment where thoughts, feelings and concerns can be shared in an honest and non-judgmental way.
Helen Jane understands the importance of being listened to and she works openly with each client. She designs therapy to include appropriate interventions which provide ways for feelings of anxiety, low mood, anger and stress, and relationship issues to be explored. Her 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
Chanelle is a BACP registered Counsellor and Psychotherapist. Chanelle has a Foundation and Bachelors degree in integrative counselling. Chanelle works with an empathic person-centred approach to therapy and can also offer different interventions to find what works best for her client.
Previously, Chanelle has been a volunteer at a charity for the past two years offering counselling and before that owned a beauty salon for ten years. Chanelle is 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. Chanelle is particularly good at listening and creating a therapeutic relationship and gets great fulfilment in life through offering help and support to others.
Claire
Claire is a person centred therapist who works with children, teens and adults
Claire has 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.
Claire 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.
Claire has 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, Claire’s 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 Claire 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 Dempsey
Lynda Dempsey is a registered member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy with a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling. She has been qualified for 12 years and has 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. Her therapeutic approach is person centred and she offers clients the core conditions of empathy; unconditional positive regard; and congruence.
Once qualified Lynda began to focus on working with children and undertook play therapy training with a national charity. She has worked in many primary and secondary schools in East Lancashire and has spent the last 4 years working in a Pupil Referral Unit. Lynda 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. She has a special interest in attachment, trauma and special educational needs.
Lynda’s 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. She has been described as supportive, caring and compassionate. Lynda is based in Rossendale and works in private practice with primary school aged children.
Jayne
Jayne is a qualified counsellor who has a degree in counselling and psychotherapy and is a member of BACP. Jayne works with a person-centred ethos and can offer different models of practice to meet individual needs. Jayne is 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. Jayne offers a safe and confidential space where individuals can explore their lived experiences and find their own way towards improved health and healing.
Nicola
Nicola has 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.
Nicola has 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.
Nicola 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. Nicola 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.
Nicola has 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
Wendy is a person centred therapist working with adults and children. She has experience with a variety of ages and presenting issues, including but not limited to bereavement, depression, abuse, anxiety and other traumas.
Wendy enjoys the continual learning that comes with being a counsellor and is always adding to her knowledge base. She is willing to work flexibly with clients and encourages 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.