Welcome to Jennifer Snow Counselling

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my website. My name is Jen, my pronouns are she / her and I am a person-centred and integrative counsellor based in South Essex and working online. Being person-centred means that counselling with me is based upon your fact and not upon my assumptions. My experiences may help me understand your viewpoint and see the world a little through your eyes but they don’t make me an expert on what it means to be you. I believe that you are that expert.

It’s important that counsellors and clients are a good fit for each other. Coming to counselling and meeting a stranger online can make you feel nervous, especially if this is your first time, so here is some information about me that you might find useful. I am over 60, cishet, neurodivergent, disabled and deaf. I was born in the UK with a mixed Southern European and British background. Although I am not formally diagnosed, I am myself unquestionably AuDHD and have autistic family members.

While running a community craft group for adults with mostly hidden disabilities for several years, I realised that the members and I had a lot in common. Most of us were living with chronic health conditions that made day-to-day life tricky to navigate; several were also neurodivergent; and some had experienced childhood trauma or Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). So social isolation, depression and anxiety played a big part in bringing us together.

As a result, I decided to start counselling training and it was during this time that I realised I am neurodivergent. I regularly undergo additional training in areas such as trauma, bereavement and disability studies among others; and I work closely with an experienced counselling supervisor to make sure I provide a service that is ethical and that invites trust and a sense of safety for my clients. I am therefore a member of The National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS) membership number NCS20-01607 and the Association for Counselling and Therapy Online (ACTO) membership number 1321.

Difference-affirming therapy with an AuDHD counsellor

Anyone over the age of 18 is welcome to contact me. Anti-discrimination and difference-affirming principles are key to who I am and how I work. Most of my clients are autistic, have ADHD or both and I also work with disabled clients, LGBTQIA+ folx and people from global majority communities. Often clients have an intersectional identity because they are members of more than one of these groups. I also work with family members or friends who care for loved ones within these groups.

Some of the issues that we have worked through together include:

• being neurodivergent in a neurotypical world

• bereavement and loss

• childhood trauma and adverse experiences

• communication barriers and difficulties

• late diagnosis autism and / or ADHD

• living with a family member with dementia

• low self-esteem

• sleep difficulties

• social anxiety

• work stress , processing and accessibility issues

What to Expect

Coming to counselling for the first time with a new therapist can be daunting. You might be worried about sharing things with someone you don’t know or feel overwhelmed by the numbers of therapists available. You might feel ready for therapy but find the idea of change difficult or even impossible to achieve.

The heart of my work is based in compassion and radical acceptance. Often we are our harshest critics. I will listen closely to you and tailor therapy to your specific needs. I work to a strong framework of anti-discrimination, which means that whatever your background or history, and however these differ from my own, I will not judge you or your sense of identity.

I will always do my best to offer you a safe space and time to talk and to reenergise. In this space I will work hard to really hear you while together we shine a light on the the issues, thoughts or feelings troubling you. You will be free to stim, use concentration tools or fidget toys and move around if doing so helps you feel comfortable. From time to time, I might suggest homework or activities that we can do together to help frame your thoughts or emotions. Therapy should mean we are working together as equals so you can say no without being judged.

Supervision

I practise the 7-eyed model of supervision (Hawkins and Shohet) and the Integrative Developmental Model (Stoltenberg and McNeill). This enables me to consider your wellbeing and development as a practitioner as well as that of your clients.

If you are a qualified or trainee counsellor, particularly if you are neurodivergent or work with ND clients, and you would like to receive supervision from someone with lived and professional experience within this area, please get in touch at jsnowcounselling@proton.me to arrange a free 30 minute introduction session.

Supervision is offered all day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and occasionally on Thursday afternoons. As with my counselling service, accessibility adjustments will also be made where possible and I offer a limited number of places at a concessionary rate. I will be happy to discuss these with you when we meet.

Fees & Availability

Although I am based in Southend-on-Sea in Essex, I work exclusively online using Google Meet video conferencing software. I offer all potential clients a chance to meet me online to see if we are a good fit for each other. These introductory sessions are offered free of charge, usually last for 50 minutes and are available once per new enquiry.

Counselling and supervision sessions are available on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 10 am and 3:30 pm. Counselling sessions will usually take place at the same time on the same day on a weekly basis, although fortnightly sessions are also available. However, I do my best to be flexible so will try to accommodate any changes you request although this may not always be possible.

Counselling fees are £60 per 50-minute session or £75 for 90 minutes subject to availability.

Supervision fees are £60 per 60-minute session or £90 for 90 minutes.

I also have a limited number of spaces available at reduced rates - please contact me for more details. Fees are subject to review.

Get in touch

If you would like to get in touch, I can be reached by:

Email: jsnowcounselling@proton.me

Text or voicemail only: 07858 905388

Please bear in mind that sometimes email replies can be identified as spam by your email provider. If you haven’t heard back from me within 48 hours,

please check your spam folder.

Acknowledgements and photo credits

Dandelion image credit to Stéphane Mingot

Infinite Progress Flag: By InfiniteProgress, as a derivative of works by the following authors: Danachos, MissLunaRose12, and Mrmw - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

With special thanks to:

Kevin Snow

Hazel Hon

Yasmin Shaheen-Zaffar

And in memoriam:

Maria Hackett