About Us

About Counselling Carers

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.

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 carer, or have been carer for many years, Counselling Carers is here to help.

Directors

Jenny Pillar, Founder and Clinical Director

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.

Rich Gower, Managing Director

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 Fearnehough, Non-Executive Director

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.