Jennifer "Jen" Somerville , BACP

Jennifer "Jen" Somerville is a counsellor who trained and qualified in 2018 and brings an integrative, person-centred approach to her work. She places the person at the centre of the therapeutic process, believing that each individual is the expert in their own life and that a supportive space can help clarify challenges and find a way forward. Where appropriate, she blends additional evidence-informed techniques into her practice to meet the unique needs of each client.

Jen supports a wide range of concerns, with particular experience in addictions, family difficulties, grief, parenting, and coping with life changes. Her wider areas of focus include caregiver stress, chronic pain and long-term illness, control issues, separation and divorce, forgiveness, guilt and shame, loneliness, questions of life purpose, narcissism, pregnancy and childbirth, self-love and women's issues, and workplace problems. She has also worked with homelessness, adoption, student and school attendance challenges, bereavement including child loss, palliative care, religious trauma, and identity-related issues.

She works with both adults and young people and holds an additional qualification for working with younger clients, having supported students of varied ages. Jen offers both short- and longer-term counselling and can meet clients face to face, online, or by telephone. She is a member of the BACP - the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy - which denotes adherence to recognised professional standards in the UK.

Person-centred and Integrative Approaches for Online Care

Jennifer "Jen" Somerville works from a person-centred foundation, which means she creates a respectful, non-judgemental space that prioritises the client's perspective and pace. This approach helps people explore feelings, make sense of difficult experiences, and build self-awareness, which can be especially useful for issues like grief, identity concerns, and relationship challenges.

She also practises in an integrative way, drawing on evidence-informed techniques when they fit a client's needs. Integrative work allows the therapist to tailor methods to problems such as addiction, family conflict, parenting stresses, and coping with life changes, combining different therapeutic tools to suit each situation.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process - Jennifer will work with clients to identify what feels most helpful based on their goals and preferences, adjusting methods over time as progress unfolds. Licensed professionals and therapists aim to match technique to need rather than using a one-size-fits-all model.

Online therapy through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging offers flexibility for clients balancing work, caregiving, health concerns, or geographic limitations. These formats make it easier to access consistent support, maintain continuity between sessions, and choose the mode of communication that best fits a client's comfort and lifestyle.