COUNSELLING and psychotherapy FOR ADULTS
A space to be yourself, at your own pace.
Together, we can gently explore the different parts of your experience and what it means to feel more at ease within yourself and your life.
Jessica Chan, BACP Registered Counsellor.
Trainee psychotherapist, MSc Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy, Metanoia Institute. Working under regular clinical supervision.
YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN
Come as you are, and start where you are.
You may have a clear concern, or simply a feeling that something is not quite right. You do not need a diagnosis, a complete story, or the right words. We can begin with what feels present for you and gently explore your experience together.
HOW I WORK
Within ourselves, and between us.
The way we relate to other people often echoes the way we relate to ourselves. In our work together we slow down and look at both.
How I listen
I am a BACP registered counsellor, and I am training in Transactional Analysis psychotherapy. It shapes how I listen: for the way you talk to yourself, the way you talk to others, and where the two meet.
If a familiar pattern shows up, in your life or between us, we can slow down and look at it together, with curiosity and without judgement, and make a little more room to choose what you do next.
An integrative approach
My counselling training was integrative, so I do not fit you to one model. I draw on different approaches, including humanistic, existential and cognitive behavioural ideas, depending on what you bring and what helps.
Trauma-informed
Trauma can affect how people feel, see themselves, relate to others and make sense of the world. Working with adults, with children and young people and their military families, and with people affected by sexual trauma has shaped how I understand this, and how I work: warmly, collaboratively, and at a pace that feels right for you. You stay in charge of what we explore and when.
All of who you are
You are more than one part of your story. Your background, identity and circumstances, and the way the world sees and treats you, are all part of what you bring. If any of that matters in our work, we can make space for it, at your pace. I aim to stay curious, respectful and aware of my own assumptions
I work with regular clinical supervision and in line with the BACP Ethical Framework.
TWO WAYS OF WORKING
You can choose the kind of work that feels right.
Counselling
Counselling is often shorter-term and focused on what is happening in your life now.
Psychotherapy
When we work at greater depth, we look at more than what is happening now. We get curious about where your patterns began, what they once protected you from, and how they show up between us. This takes time and regular sessions. The aim is not only to cope better, but to understand yourself well enough to have more choice in how you live and relate.
Psychotherapy usually involves a longer commitment, often regular weekly sessions over many months or longer, and a longer training. We would talk about what this would mean for you before starting, and review it together along the way.
I offer both. I am a BACP registered counsellor, and I also offer psychotherapy as a trainee psychotherapist, studying for an MSc in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy at the Metanoia Institute. This is a postgraduate training, and I work under regular clinical supervision.
Whether you are looking for counselling or for longer-term, more in-depth work, we can talk in the free first conversation about what you are looking for and how I might work with you.
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”
SØREN KIERKEGAARD
ABOUT ME
Hello, I'm Jessica.
I offer a warm, thoughtful space to begin exploring what brings you to counselling. Trust can develop gradually through working together, at a pace that feels right for you.
Professional registration
BACP Registered Member
Counselling training
Integrative
Post-qualifying training
Introductory Certificate in Decolonising Therapeutic Practice, BAATN (The Black, African and Asian Therapy Network)
Diploma in Working with Children and Young People, Iron Mill College
Certificate in Couple and Relationship Therapy, The Grove
Currently training
Trainee psychotherapist, MSc Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy, Metanoia Institute (working under regular supervision)
Languages
English, Cantonese, Mandarin
If you need urgent support
I am not an emergency or crisis service. If you need help urgently, please contact your GP or NHS 111, or call Samaritans free on 116 123, at any time. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999.
Confidentiality
What we talk about is private. The usual limits are where there is a serious risk of harm to you or to someone else, or where the law requires me to share information. Where possible, I will talk with you first. I discuss my work in supervision without identifying you, as part of safe and ethical practice. I will explain all of this in more detail when we begin.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Starting is a conversation, not a commitment.
1.
A free consultation
A brief conversation to explore what brings you to therapy and whether we may be a good fit.
2.
Initial sessions
A space to talk about what is happening in your life, what you hope for, and how counselling or psychotherapy might help.
3.
Ongoing work
Regular sessions at a pace that feels right, with time to reflect on progress and on what you need next.
“Live the questions now.”
RAINER MARIA RILKE, LETTERS TO A YOUNG POET
Finding the right therapist for you matters.
WHERE
Bournemouth and Parkstone, Poole, and online sessions across the UK.
LANGUAGES
English, Mandarin and Cantonese
If you would like to explore whether working together might suit you, you are welcome to arrange a free 15-minute consultation.