About Us

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Counselling Carers came into being in recognition of the hidden burdens carried by many thousands of carers in our society. We specialise in counselling for people who look after the most vulnerable members of our society, including those caring for disabled or elderly relatives, children with Special Educational Needs, adults with learning disabilities, and Looked After Children. We also support professionals working in the caring professions. 

Everyone’s caring journey is different, and at Counselling Carers we support people of all ages and from all walks of life, giving confidential space to talk to a qualified professional about their caring experiences and the struggles they are facing.  Our counsellors, psychologists and psychotherapists are all members of their relevant professional body (such as the BACP) and we abide by the BACP's ethical framework.

Caring for another person can be extremely rewarding, and most carers are motivated by love and compassion. However, without adequate support carers can burn out and struggle to cope with their caring responsibilities. At any one time 1 in 4 people in the UK are suffering with a mental health problem. This is especially true for carers, who are often balancing their own needs with those of the person or people they care for. Carers often feel overwhelmed, stressed, depressed or anxious, but caring responsibilities can cause them to put their own mental health needs to one side. At Counselling Carers we understand the difficulties many carers have in putting their own needs first, and we are experienced in supporting carers’ emotional wellbeing so that they can approach their caring responsibilities with renewed resilience.

Whether you are young or old, have recently become a carer, or have been a carer for many years, Counselling Carers is here to help.

Jenny trained as a counsellor and psychotherapist after recognising a need in her community. Before founding Counselling Carers, Jenny worked across several sectors including the NHS, a Men's Counselling Service and a Youth and Young Adult Counselling Service. She also spent five years living in Latin America, working cross-culturally, and supporting overseas NGO workers across the globe. 

Jenny has a personal caring role, and so has first-hand experience of the lack of emotional and mental health support for carers, and the burden they carry alone when there is no support in place. This crossover between her personal and professional life inspired the desire to do more to support the most vulnerable in our society by caring for their carers and led her to found Counselling Carers.

Alongside her Clinical Director role, Jenny also delivers some of our Family Focused Therapy and Carer Counselling sessions.

Rich is passionate about expanding carers' access to counselling, having himself experienced the help that counselling provides.  

Rich has previously pioneered several new initiatives in the charity and business spaces and he is the co-author of The Hopeful Activist: Discovering The Vital Change You Were Made To Bring, a book that pulls together all of the wisdom gathered over five years of interviewing activists on his Hopeful Activists podcast. He lives near Sheffield with his wife Sophie and their two boys. 

Ingrid grew up as a child carer and continues to care for members of her family with disabilities.

Having seen the limited support available for those with caring responsibilities she is pleased to be a Non-Executive Director of Counselling Carers and support the organisation in its goals.

Ingrid works as an architect in her 'day job' and has a special interest in adapting homes for people with disabilities.

Diane is an integrative counsellor and has experience of working with a wide range of issues in her private practice. She is trained in Rewind trauma therapy and has worked in the charity sector with adults experiencing sight loss, other challenging diagnoses, and those who are in a caring role. Diane’s interests are the integration of faith and spirituality in counselling, and outdoor therapy in the ancient woodland and fens of Lincolnshire. 

Kim has more than a decades worth of experience as a counsellor and joined Counselling Carers soon after the organisation started.  She has personal experience of being a carer and understands how isolating it can feel for those in a caring role.  She has experience working with adults dealing with anxiety, trauma, bereavement, and the living grief that comes when a loved one has been diagnosed with a terminal condition or dementia.  Kim has a BSC in Psychology and a Post Graduate Diploma in Integrative counselling.   She lives in the South West with her husband and two dogs.  

Kirstie is a child and educational psychologist, specialising in the areas of disability, mental health and neurodiversity. Kirstie is trained in a number of therapeutic approaches and works closely with parents and carers so that they feel better equipped to understand and support their child.  Often, this involves helping them to find practical ways of making things more manageable in the home. Kirstie also provides a safe space for parents and carers, enabling them to explore their own needs too.  Kirstie is author of the book: ‘The Mental Health Wellbeing of Children and Young People with Learning Difficulties; A Guide for Educators’, published by Jessica Kingsley.   

Klaudia is a psychologist and registered counsellor. Throughout her extensive counselling career she has worked and volunteered with various charities and the NHS, supporting clients from many different backgrounds.  Klaudia is a strong believer in (and practitioner of) the person-centered approach: ‘I understand that you may feel as if your problems are overwhelming but I firmly believe that counselling can provide you with the tools to empower you and enable you to overcome obstacles that you may be encountering in your life’. Klaudia moved to the UK around 15 years ago and having spent considerable time in Birmingham, has now moved to the ‘Black country’ where she prides herself on having transformed her latest garden from spoil heap to slice of mini paradise.  She offers counselling in English and Polish.

 Linda is a qualified Integrative Counsellor.  Her background includes working in both mainstream and special needs schools in a variety of caring roles with young children and teenagers.  She also spent several years working as a Youth Counsellor for a young carers’ charity, supporting children aged 8-17.  

In addition to her expertise with young people, she has experience in community and hospice settings, as well as supporting adults through CRUSE Bereavement Care and Samaritans.  In her private practice, she works with both children and adults.  

Margaret is an experienced psychotherapeutic counsellor, who has worked in private practice and for voluntary counselling agencies since 2007. She has counselled people with a range of problems, and her main focus is therapy to support people through grief, bereavement and loss. The role of the carer inevitably involves loss and grief in many different ways, so Margaret’s additional training in this area gives her valuable insight and understanding in her work with carers. She has first-hand current experience of supporting and caring for an elderly parent. Margaret’s counselling approach is integrative, having evolved over time from her initial person-centred training at Network in Bristol. Margaret is an Accredited Registrant Counsellor with the National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society (NCPS), and a Registered Counsellor Member of the Association of Christians in Counselling (ACC). She is also an Accredited Supervisor with the NCPS. 

Marianne is an integrative psychotherapist with a passion for supporting those who dedicate themselves to caring for others.  As a carer herself, she has a personal understanding of the unique challenges and rewards of the carer role. She has 20 years' experience working with the NHS, Social Services, Bernardo’s and with the education sector, and works with young carers and adult carers, as well as providing family-focused and couples therapy.  As an integrative psychotherapist she offers a variety of approaches tailored to the unique and individual needs of each carer, however her main aim is to provide a safe and supportive space for carers to explore their experiences, develop coping strategies, and prioritize their own well-being. She is dedicated to helping carers navigate the emotional complexities of their journey and develop resilience.

Sarah trained as counsellor as a change in career, having a passion for supporting people and always having been drawn to be a good, understanding listener. Sarah is passionate about supporting carers: alongside her work for Counselling Carers, Sarah has experience of working with carers through her own private practice and as part of Carers Support West Sussex.  She also has lived experience of being a carer.  Her counselling provides a chance to have some time to focus on yourself, taking away some of the isolation that can come with a caring role.   

Tamsin trained as a counsellor after a long career in the NHS working with neurodiverse and disabled children, young people and their families. She recognised an unmet need for counselling support for carers and healthcare professionals, as well as people with chronic health conditions and disabilities. She has experience in working with trauma caused by a broad range of life experiences and in working with those who are grieving through her work as Cruse Bereavement Support Volunteer. She is an integrative counsellor, which means that she is trained in a variety of therapy approaches which can be adapted to the individual.  She work with adults of all ages living with a wide range of life’s challenges.