About me and how I work
I’m Jennie, a qualified and experienced Person-Centred counsellor and a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
Like everyone, I have experienced times in my own life involving change, uncertainty, loss and challenges that I haven't always had the answers to. These experiences have helped shape my understanding that sometimes what we need most isn't someone to fix things for us, but somewhere we can be heard, understood and given the space to make sense of what we're experiencing.
Away from counselling, I’m a wife, mum, step-mum and dog mum. I value time with my family and friends and the ordinary things that help bring balance to life.
I believe it's important that you have some sense of the person behind the counsellor. I bring my professional training and experience to our work, but I also bring warmth, empathy, curiosity and an understanding that being human can sometimes be complicated.
My path into counselling
My interest in supporting others began before I became a counsellor. I volunteered with Childline, supporting children and young people who needed someone to listen, sometimes during incredibly difficult moments in their lives.
That experience strengthened my belief in the importance of really listening to another person, without judgement, assumptions or immediately trying to solve their problems and ultimately led me towards professional counselling training.
I went on to qualify as a Therapeutic Counsellor and established my private practice, Jennifer Serene Counselling, in 2018.
Since then, I have had the privilege of working with adults experiencing many different challenges, including anxiety, depression and low mood, bereavement and loss, relationship difficulties, low self-esteem, work-related stress, redundancy, health concerns, trauma and significant periods of change.
What continues to matter most to me is creating a relationship in which you feel genuinely heard and able to explore what is happening for you at your own pace.
My experience and values
Person-Centred therapy remains at the heart of my practice. I believe that you are the expert on your own experience and that my role is not to tell you how to live your life, but to help create the conditions in which you can understand yourself more fully and discover what feels right for you.
My practice is also trauma-informed. I recognise that behaviours or ways of coping that may now be causing difficulties often developed for understandable reasons and may once have helped us feel safer or more able to cope.
Sometimes we can know intellectually what we would like to change and still find change incredibly difficult. Fear, uncertainty and familiar patterns can keep us stuck. I am increasingly interested in understanding these processes and in helping clients move towards change at a pace that feels manageable rather than forced.
Where appropriate, I may also share information or psychoeducation, for example, around anxiety, stress and our threat response, when understanding what is happening in the mind and body may help make an experience feel less confusing.
Whatever brings you to counselling, I will meet you as an individual rather than a diagnosis or a problem to be solved.
Where I am based
I offer face-to-face sessions in Whitefield / Radcliffe in a comfortable, private setting with parking available. If you can’t come in person, online sessions are a flexible way to access support from anywhere in the UK.
Qualifications
Diploma Level 5 in Therapeutic Counselling
Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Skills
Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Concepts
I am a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP) and work within the BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions.
Continuing professional development is an important part of my practice. My additional training and learning has included trauma-informed practice and Complex PTSD, anxiety and the nervous system, domestic abuse, bereavement and loss, self-harm and suicide intervention, relationships, neurodiversity and autism, vicarious trauma and burnout, and therapeutic approaches to supporting change.
I undertake ongoing training and reflective practice to continue developing my knowledge and ensure that the way I work evolves alongside my experience and the needs of the people I support.
Professional therapist credentials and insurance
I am fully insured and a registered member of the (BACP) British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy which means I have achieved a nationally recognised standard of qualifications and experience. You can verify this through the BACP Register. My registration number is 151434 and BACP Membership 00706261.
As a registered member of the BACP I adhere to their Ethical Framework for counselling professions. This means I’m committed to working in a safe, ethical, and professional way, maintaining confidentiality, regular supervision, and ongoing professional development to ensure the best possible support for my clients.
Enhanced DBS checked for Child and Adult Workforce and registered with the DBS Update Service.
If you’d like to find out whether counselling with me feels right for you, please get in touch to arrange a free 20-minute introductory consultation.