Jennifer "Jen" Somerville

• Addictions
• Parenting
• Grief

About Jennifer

Jennifer "Jen" Somerville works on addictions, family issues, grief, parenting and coping with life changes, using an integrative model that places a person-centred approach at its core. She is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and has eight years' experience since qualifying in 2018.

Jen describes herself as person-centred at heart, which means she treats each person as the expert on their own life and supports them to work through whatever they bring. She also draws on other counselling methods when these are helpful for a particular situation. This flexible approach is used with both adults and young people, including students.

She has worked with a wide range of concerns in practice, including homelessness, addiction, family conflict, parenting and adoption questions, study and school attendance issues, bereavement and loss, palliative care and life-shortening conditions, and child loss. Work issues, identity concerns and religious trauma are also within her experience.

Jen holds a further qualification for working with young people as well as adults, and has supported many students of different ages. She offers both short-term and longer-term counselling depending on what the person wants to work on.

Sessions are available face to face, online or by telephone; confirm current session options before booking. To start, clients use the site matching route and schedule a first appointment after completing a short questionnaire.

How therapeutic approaches are used in online sessions

Jen uses a person-centred approach as the foundation of her work, which focuses on listening, reflecting and supporting people to find their own solutions. This is useful for many concerns where someone needs space to talk things through and make decisions about next steps.

She also works in an integrative way, drawing on other evidence-based techniques as needed to suit a person's situation. Those additional approaches can provide structured ways to manage emotions, cope with grief, or address behaviours linked to addiction and stress.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The counsellor will discuss goals and preferences with each client and agree together which methods to try. This helps make sessions relevant to what the person wants to achieve and keeps changes practical and realistic.

Online and telephone sessions can make it easier to fit counselling into daily life, for example by avoiding travel and allowing shorter or more flexible appointment times. The biography lists online and telephone as possible formats, but readers should check the current session options before booking to be clear about how they can meet with the counsellor.

Topics Jennifer lists

• Addictions
• Family conflicts
• Grief
• Parenting issues
• Coping with life changes
• Caregiver issues and stress
• Chronic pain, illness, and disability
• Control issues
• Divorce and separation
• Forgiveness
• Guilt and shame
• Isolation and loneliness
• Life purpose
• Narcissism
• Pregnancy and childbirth
• Self-love
• Women's issues
• Workplace issues

Questions about Jennifer

Does she work with addictions?

Yes. Addictions are listed among the areas she works on and she has practical experience supporting people with addiction-related problems.

What kind of counselling does she offer?

She works in an integrative model with a person-centred core, drawing on other approaches where helpful to the individual.

How long has she been practising?

She qualified in 2018 and has eight years' experience as a counsellor.

Is she a registered counsellor in the UK?

She is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and works in the United Kingdom.

Are sessions offered in other languages?

Sessions are offered in English.

Can I have a session online or by phone?

Her biography says she can see people face to face, online or by telephone; please confirm the current session options before booking.

How much do sessions cost?

Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.

How do I get started?

Use the Talk to a counsellor online button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule your first session.