I worked as a professional musician for 18 years before making the transition to counselling and psychotherapy in 2001. During this period, I worked as a teacher for people with learning disabilities and with individuals living with enduring mental health issues. I have over fifteen years’ experience in the field of mental health and have worked in both the private and public sectors. I describe my therapeutic approach as integrative, meaning I use more than one theoretical modality to meet the individual needs of my clients. I am a fully qualified, accredited and registered counsellor and clinical psychotherapist.

I have over 20 years of experience enabling adults and young people to make sense of chaos and helping them to mend broken hearts and minds. I am a registered MBACP counsellor, psychotherapist and supervisor with a MA and Post-Graduate Diploma in Person-Centred Counselling and Psychotherapy. As a long-standing practitioner and Supervisor I enable less experienced colleagues to understand what is going on in their therapeutic work with clients. Counselling and Psychotherapy work has included: Private Practice; the EAP based within Occupational Health at George Eliot Hospital; Leicester College; and PPC (UK) Ltd. Volunteering included Open Door, NW Leicestershire MIND and as the Editor of the BACP RACE Journal. I taught on counselling programmes at North Warwickshire and Hinckley College and with the Open University on Death and Dying and Introduction to Counselling modules until 2016.

Finding the right therapist for you is so important, but it can also be tricky. With this in mind it may help you to know a little about my journey. After graduating with a degree in psychology in 2005 I went on to work in various roles supporting people within the NHS. Of the many things I learned, discovering that I have the capacity to sit with others during times of great distress and discomfort was the most life changing for me. Facing my own share of life's challenges and the life changing therapy I underwent to help me through is what has spurred me on to further my education and train to be a counsellor. I now have a first class degree in counselling solutions, I am a registered member of the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists and I am privileged to have worked with a wide range of clients , to be with them on their journeys of self discovery, healing and improving their well being.

I have worked in Valencia, Barcelona, London and now am based in Northern Ireland. I have been studying and working with psychotherapy since finishing my degree in psychology in 2003. In that time I have worked with clients from all over the world and have found myself moving closer towards Solution-Focused Therapy as my therapy orientation. I work both with short and long term clients and make sure that both client and myself are clear on what the best hopes of therapy are. I often use hypnotherapy as a tool and find its benefits far-reaching. It is my total belief that we each have the ability to change and heal and if we can tap into our own resources and power we can take those steps towards change.

Making the decision to attend therapy can often feel overwhelming and confusing. For most people therapy can, however, be an extremely positive and empowering experience that increases greater self-awareness and understanding. I am a fully accredited and qualified Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist (CBT) with over 8 years of experience and specialise in working with adults. Being fully accredited implies that I have achieved the highest standard in my practice and that I adhere to stringent codes of professional practice and ethical standards. CBT is an evidenced-based therapy and is recommended by NICE (The National Institute of Clinical Excellence). CBT has been proven to be extremely effective in the treatment of most problems we encounter. Being evidence-based means that I am able to incorporate a wide variety of established and researched psychological techniques in my practise and therapy with you. The effectiveness of these have not only been evidenced by extensive research but also by my own clinical experience of seeing what really helps people. I have undertaken advanced training in a number of different Cognitive Behavioural Therapy approaches including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT); Compassion-Focussed Therapy (CFT), Couples Behavioural Therapy and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and Schema Focused Therapy. My approach is open, informal, collaborative, empathic, warm and relaxed so as to enable a safe, comfortable and non-judgemental space to explore thoughts, feelings and unhelpful behaviours. I aim to provide a quality of therapy that I would be comfortable for my loved ones to attend. I value having honest relationships with my clients whilst always maintaining good rapport and trust, respect, integrity, and dignity. I am fully committed to providing an individualised, high quality therapeutic experience based on best practice and aim to prioritise the client and their needs.I value the quality of the therapeutic relationship with clients and firmly believe this to be an important contributor to the overall success of therapy and to the development of a positive and motivating therapeutic experience. I consider you, the client, to be the expert who knows your own problems better than anyone. It is you who gives me insight into understanding the painful issues and difficulties you are experiencing. In your therapy and through increased self-awareness, I will guide, assist and support you to learn to take responsibility for improving the quality of your life by changing unhelpful patterns of behaviours and negative thoughts. I am fully committed to working with you to find realistic and long-term solutions to your problem as well as to develop and apply new skills and techniques. I have a passionate interest in treating all anxiety disorders (social, generalised, health, specific phobias, OCD and panic), stress, habit disorders, eating disorders, body dysmorphia, depression, low self esteem issues (lack of confidence and self-worth), anger issues, assertiveness and sleep difficulties. I also work with couples and treat relationship and sexual problems.

In my experience, most of us aren't able to walk along happily all the time; there are issues ranging from career problems, anxiety about our future to severe depression after a trauma. These issues, and any issues, can occasionally go away by themselves, but more often, they need exploring in the context of your life to come to a greater understanding. That's where I come in; giving you a space that you can use to get a better understanding of how you are in the world, why you may be like that, how it serves you and what possible routes forward you have. I believe our relationship, and ability to be honest with each other is key. I have experience in a variety of settings including the NHS, Maytree (a sanctuary for people in suicidal crisis) and other charities.

I have over seventeen years’ experience as a counsellor, including working in private practice, as a staff counsellor with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and other Government departments, with several UK Employee Assistance Providers, in a GP surgery, with the Young Person’s Advisory Service (YPAS) in Liverpool and as an online counsellor. I also supervise other counsellors and have designed and run several therapy-related workshops. I offer a warm, therapeutic relationship and a confidential, supportive, respectful and non-judgemental environment in which you can feel safe enough to express your feelings, explore your problems, develop self-awareness and work towards a more satisfying, fulfilling and authentic life. Each counselling session lasts approximately 50 minutes; the number and frequency of sessions is entirely up to you.

Prior to retraining as a counsellor and psychotherapist, I was an Information Technology professional for 25 years where I learnt about the pressures and stresses of corporate life and the demands of meeting deadlines and targets. I am now a qualified and accredited psychotherapist with over 5000 hours of experience both in private practice and in the NHS where I work with people with a broad range of often complex presentations.

I am a Clinical Psychologist and a registered member of both BPS (British Psychological Society - Chartered Psychologist) and HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council). I have over 10 years of experience working as a Clinical Psychologist. My professional experience is diverse, ranging from inpatient to community settings. I have experience with depression and mood-related disorders (Bipolar), anxiety disorders (e.g., Social Anxiety, Panic Disorder), and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders. I have also experience with trauma and stress-related disorders, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders, as well as with long-standing and treatment resistant mental health difficulties, including Personality Disorders (Borderline Personality Disorder, amongst other Personality Disorders). Finally, I have worked in the past with people presenting with eating difficulties, including Anorexia Nervosa. I am available to work short or long term with clients, taking into consideration the different levels of complexity of different difficulties and presentations. I provide Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy interventions, including the “third wave” CBT approaches (such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), as well as schema-therapy based interventions (used generally with treatment-resistant and long-standing difficulties). Every intervention I offer is tailor-made to the individual client’s needs. If you have any queries at all about what I offer, please feel free to send me a message. I am happy to help.

Hello, my name is Jen Popkin. I have several years’ experience as a counsellor and therapist. I am registered with the BACP and regularly engage professional development activities. I utilise a variety of approaches in my practice in order to support you through your difficulties. I am skilled in cognitive behavioural therapy, eye movement desensitisation reprocessing, solution focused therapy and much more. I provide therapy for relationship difficulties, stress in the workplace, phobias, trauma, alcohol abuse and reduced confidence. I have particular expertise in post-traumatic stress, life/occupational coaching and mediation. Majority of my work is solution focussed utilising cognitive behavioural therapy and elements form other approaches. I provide both short term and long term therapy and the frequency of sessions is tailored to each individual client.