The Therapy Quarters
Our Team
At The Therapy Quarters we offer short-term counselling alongside longer-term psychotherapy depending on your needs- unlike some services we do not have a limit to the number of sessions you can have.
Karen Harrison
MBACP (Accred) & EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner
Karen is a fully qualified accredited and insured practitioner, working within the framework of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and is also an Accredited EMDR Europe Practitioner. Karen has continued her professional development throughout her career and attends regular training and supervision in line with the BACP guidelines.
Karen aims to help people live a happier and healthier life, so that they can achieve their own goals and enjoy their personal experience of life more so. She works hard to establish a relationship where her clients feel respected, trusted and understood.
Growing up within a challenging environment herself, Karen feels that she aims to offer a warm safe space where you will feel valued and respected. She understands how difficult people can find life at times, and the complex situation people can sometimes find themselves in through no fault of their own. Suffering with her own mental health historically, Karen has learnt that we can ease our negative thoughts and feelings and learn to understand what we feel and care for ourselves through various models of therapy dependent on the client choice. She offers an empathic understanding with a genuine and real attitude. Karen is passionate about helping others who have suffered with their mental health and has dedicated her whole career to easing people’s pain and suffering. Karen works hard helping clients’ understanding of themselves and their experience without judgement, whilst helping people ultimately to learn to feel free to live their own lives. Karen aims to especially respect the pace and direction at which the client chooses and views herself as a passenger sharing the clients’ journey to wherever they choose.
“I don’t believe in just grabbing the steering wheel if a client feels stuck at a junction. I see myself as sitting in the passenger seat, and part of my role is to get the client to their destination safely. I can give the client options if they feel stuck and the client then usually chooses which way we go and where we explore next. Sometimes it can feel easier if we aren’t struggling alone” KH.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Karen opened The Therapy Quarters to offer a safe space for clients and other practitioners to use with the aim of providing a secure confidential and professional centre to enable clients to attend face to face therapy if they preferred as well as offering remote therapy. Karen is now working together with multiple qualified experienced therapists based at the Therapy Quarters.
Prior to opening The Therapy Quarters, Karen has managed a private practice offering counselling, EMDR Therapy, and Clinical Supervision to clients and practitioners internationally. Karen’s work over more than 25 years has been within charitable, public and private sectors alongside working with trainee practitioners from Universities throughout Staffordshire and Cheshire.
Karen has experience working with Police and Emergency Blue Light services, Specialist Domestic Abuse services, NHS and care staff, as well as lecturing for a number of years and providing training to external agencies and organizations.
Karen’s experience has and continues to produce effective results with clients within the following areas of therapy: Trauma, PTSD, Anxiety, Depression, Phobia’s, Low Self-Confidence/Esteem, Relationships, Bereavement, Physical/Sexual Abuse, OCD, Domestic Violence, Couples Therapy, Nutrition and Weight Management, Supervision and Work-related Issues. More recently offering a weight management program where clients can choose to have a ‘hypnotic gastric band’ fitted to assist weight loss.
You can find out some more about Karen in our blog “interview with…” series by clicking here.
Karen sometimes works with her therapy dog Bruce, who is soon hoping to retire and spend his days in the fields or woods where he loves to explore and play…
Bruce is a calm, sensitive golden retriever dog who has offered lots of comfort in his 11years so far, to clients of all ages, who may have been feeling anxious or nervous. Bruce is available to join sessions only at the clients request and is not based at The Therapy Quarters to consider clients who may have allergies or may be fearful of dogs.
Jaye Donnellan
MBACP 395270
Jaye’s skills and experience in the counselling field permit her to offer a professional service at The Therapy Quarter’s. Her vast client experience to date has involved working with those who have experienced domestic and sexual abuse/trauma, LGBTQ+ individuals understanding their identity, people who have symptoms of anxiety and depression, loss, relationship issues and low self-esteem and confidence.
Jaye’s training has involved integrative and humanistic therapy models. This means Jaye offers a positive approach to psychotherapy, focusing on you as an individual and your unique experience. Jaye aims to help clients towards personal growth and healing through creating a safe space where they can explore their thoughts and emotions without fear of judgment. Jaye aims to build a relationship with her clients that feels equal and trusting with a real sense of warmth and acceptance.
Jaye is trained to integrate and combine different therapeutic tools and approaches to meet each individual clients’ needs rather than relying on one style of therapy to fit all clients. This enables her to work with clients from a wide range of social and cultural backgrounds, gaining her understanding from the client themselves.
Jaye has a warm personality, a great sense of humour and a genuine nature. She has experienced being in the clients’ position herself and believes this is a vital part of a practitioners training. Jaye offers a caring and passionate approach to her work with each client.
You can find more information about working with Jaye by clicking on the below links:0
Steve Mills MBACP (accred)
Steve is a naturally calm, empathic, whole-hearted individual that cares deeply about people from all backgrounds. He works with people from a whole spectrum of life challenges. Steve’s therapeutic offering is grounded in a Humanistic, Person-Centred approach. What this means is that Steve will work with you, at your own pace, with the thoughts and feelings that you wish to explore within a counselling session. Steve holds the belief that it is you (the client) that is the expert on your own life and that you have the innate power to heal and grow. He will strive to treat you with dignity and respect, and he will aim to listen to you without judgment.
Steve will not offer any diagnosis or advice on how to solve your issues. What is offered is a safe environment that helps you feel secure enough to bring yourself, along with the thoughts and feelings you are experiencing at that moment in time. You will be able to explore your own thoughts and feelings within the counselling relationship and arrive at your own conclusions. There may be opportunities to blend in other effective approaches that may suit your unique individual needs. Steve can discuss this with you throughout your counselling journey.
Training, qualifications & experience
Steve is a fully qualified Psychotherapeutic Counsellor. He is a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP accred.), having completed his professional training, and achieving a BACP accredited Professional Diploma in Integrative Psychotherapeutic Counselling at Staffordshire University. Steve attends ongoing professional development training to ensure his practice is safe, ethical and up to date. Steve abides by the BACP ethical framework for the counselling professions.
Steve has worked therapeutically across private, charitable and voluntary sectors with clients that have been affected by trauma, domestic violence and sexual abuse. Steve has an extensive professional work history in supporting vulnerable people therapeutically with their mental health and wellness recovery.
You can find out some more about Steve in our “an interview with…” blog series by clicking here.
Steve’s BACP Page
Steve’s Counselling Directory Page
Jo Shenton
Jo uses an Integrative Counselling approach, which basically involves the use of different counselling styles, so her work will be tailored to suit your own individual needs. Jo aims to create a safe place to fully understand your current circumstances and she can help you learn to overcome the challenges that you face in your life.
Together Jo can work with you on improving and reaching a positive conclusion, where you can uncover your own solutions to enable you to take control of your approach to a happier future.
In order to ensure Jo is providing the best of herself for her clients she undertakes regular supervision, training and personal development in line with the BACP (British Association for Counselling and
Training, qualifications & experience
- Professional Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling – level 6 – Staffordshire University
- Certificate in Counselling – Staffordshire University
Jo has several years’ experience of working with clients on an individual basis. She has extensive experience of working with those experiencing addiction, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Jo is proud to say she has helped many clients to focus on leading a more fulfilling life.
Jo also has extensive knowledge of providing outreach work in the field of addiction, substance misuse, suicide ideation and mental health recovery work.
Support Jo can offer:
Life can really test us at times, and we may be unable to find the answers within ourselves or indeed from our family and friends.
Jo’s aim is to build a trusting relationship with you, where you feel valued and accepted. For many people counselling can help them to develop a greater understanding of themselves, improve their relationships with others or deal with painful past experiences and move forward on a surer footing.
Lydia Jenkins
Lydia is an integrative counsellor with a firm grounding in person centred therapy. However, she draws upon elements of compassion focussed therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy. Lydia feels that this allows her to strike a nice balance between listening and doing in the therapy room.
Lydia is warm, calm, caring and compassionate and this means she can work with you in a trusted way. Whether you want to develop coping strategies, learn about yourself and others or if you just want someone to talk to in confidence, Lydia will be happy to help.
Training, qualifications & experience
Lydia has a level 6 professional diploma in integrative counselling and psychotherapy from Staffordshire university. She has been involved in mental health charity work for a number of years. Lydia also works within an NHS setting having done so for the past 2 years. This has given her experience with a broad range of issues and Lydia has worked with a diverse client base. Lydia is a fully registered member of the BACP (389518).
During Lydia’s time in the NHS she has also trained as a workplace mediator and as a CISM practitioner (critical incident stress management). This has given her transferable skills to work with people who wish to improve communication with others and also knowledge of how we respond to traumatic incidents.
Support Lydia can offer:
Lydia has previously worked with abortion, bereavement, depression, suicidal clients, survivors of suicide, domestic abuse and trauma.
Lydia has an interest in working with anxiety, self-esteem and confidence issues and she often sees change in her clients in just a few sessions.
Lydia’s BACP Page
www.lydiajenkinscounselling.com
Lydia’s Counselling Directory Page
Jane Porter
MBACP(Accred) Counsellor and Qualified Supervisor
Jane is an integrative counsellor, using a variety of theories, but her background and training is from a person-centred approach, and Jane is a firm believer in the therapeutic relationship between the client and counsellor.
Training, qualifications & experience
Jane has completed a Diploma in The Theory and Practice of Counselling and subsequently completed my BACP accreditation. She is a qualified supervisor and trained in Couples Counselling.
Support Jane can offer:
Having gone through lots of personal loss herself, Jane understands how difficult life and indeed loss can be to work through and come to terms with. Jane has worked through her own grief and mental health issues over the years and now aims to offer a warm and empathic understanding, to help clients work through their own losses and mental health struggles through therapy. Jane will aim to work with you at your own pace, within the therapeutic relationship and she firmly believes that it is you, the client, that is the expert on your own life and that you have the power within to bring about positive change