JOANNE
ADHD & ASD INTEGRATIVE COUNSELLOR
ADDICTION THERAPIST
TRAUMA & ANXIETY
BEREAVEMENT & LOSS
ANGER-MANAGEMENT
CHRONIC FATIGUE
SEXUAL ABUSE
STUCKNESS
DIAGNOSED ADHD & ADHD SON
LOCATION ~ YO10
Joanne left school with minimal academic qualifications, and without completing her A levels. She moved through numerous jobs until joining the police in her mid-twenties. She then gained 25 years of experience in policing, where she specialised in working with people with vulnerabilities. She was an Advanced Vulnerable and Intimidated Witness Interviewer.
Having always regretted not attending university, Joanne began her academic journey to becoming a counsellor as she neared the end of her police service. It was during this counselling training that she, and her adult son, both began to recognise they had many ADHD traits. In 2022, both Joanne and her son were diagnosed with ADHD – a huge relief to both of them, as they now understand so much more about themselves and the struggles they encounter in their lives.
Joanne has worked with and had personal experience of mental health issues, bereavement, domestic violence and sexual abuse. As a police officer, she worked with some of the most vulnerable in society, often at times of high stress; dealing with offences including serious physical and sexual assaults on adults and children.
Joanne values people, and always looks to locate the individual behind whatever issues they may be encountering. She believes that in life, we should always treat others as we would wish to be treated.
Whilst working for the National Crime Agency in South Yorkshire, Joanne became unwell and was subsequently diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Menopause – something of a triple whammy on top of the (at the time, undiagnosed) ADHD.
Since retiring from the police in 2019, Joanne has been studying at York St John University, where she has recently completed her Post Graduate Diploma in Integrative Humanistic Counselling. She is now embarking on her Master’s Degree and will be researching how clients found working online with their counsellor during the COVID pandemic. She is particularly interested in understanding the impact of online working for those clients with neurodivergent conditions.
Joanne is also passionate about helping clients affected by addiction and how ADHD affects people’s feelings of guilt and shame that often manifest as a result of addictive behaviours.
Joanne is keen to support clients who might feel like outsiders and unable to advocate for themselves. She knows what it is like to feel different from others, and how isolating this can be.
She believes that we have all encountered some level of trauma in our lives, but trauma looks and feels different for everyone. She most definitely believes there is a way forward from trauma.
Joanne likens the way she works with clients to helping them navigate a trail through a forest. She believes the client does know their way through, but that at times we all need someone to walk alongside us, to hold a torch or a compass – to maybe suggest different paths that could be tried together. Ultimately, it is the client’s map – but Joanne will walk with them until the path opens up, the light shines brighter onto it, and the client feels confident to move forward holding their own map.
Qualifications
- Introduction to Counselling, Open University 2014
- Certificate in Counselling Level 3, York College 2019
- Access to Postgraduate Study in Helping and Allied Health Professions, York St John University 2019
- Certificate in Online and Telephone Counselling 2019
- Post-Graduate Diploma in Integrative Humanistic Counselling, York St John University 2022
- Anxiety – an Existential Perspective 2022
- 2 Chair Work 2022
- Support for Neurodivergent Clients with Eating Disorders 2022
- Working with Sensation 2022
- You Don’t Look Dyslexic. Experiences of Neurodivergent Practitioners 2022
- Exploring Trauma from a Person-centred Perspective 2022
- Bereavement Conference 2021
- What Does it Mean to be Free? Existential Therapy 2021
- Counselling Autistic Adults 2022
- Gender Diversity 2022
- Imposter Syndrome 2022
- Emotion Focused Therapy 2022
- Uncertainty, an Existential Perspective 2021
- Existential Therapies 2021
- Integrating the Body 2021
- Principles of Safeguarding and Protecting Children, Young People or Vulnerable Adults 2021
Full Clean DBS
JOANNE
ADHD & ASD INTEGRATIVE COUNSELLOR
ADDICTION THERAPIST
TRAUMA & ANXIETY
BEREAVEMENT & LOSS
ANGER-MANAGEMENT
CHRONIC FATIGUE
SEXUAL ABUSE
STUCKNESS
DIAGNOSED ADHD & ADHD SON
LOCATION ~ YO10
Joanne left school with minimal academic qualifications, and without completing her A levels. She moved through numerous jobs until joining the police in her mid-twenties. She then gained 25 years of experience in policing, where she specialised in working with people with vulnerabilities. She was an Advanced Vulnerable and Intimidated Witness Interviewer.
Having always regretted not attending university, Joanne began her academic journey to becoming a counsellor as she neared the end of her police service. It was during this counselling training that she, and her adult son, both began to recognise they had many ADHD traits. In 2022, both Joanne and her son were diagnosed with ADHD – a huge relief to both of them, as they now understand so much more about themselves and the struggles they encounter in their lives.
Joanne has worked with and had personal experience of mental health issues, bereavement, domestic violence and sexual abuse. As a police officer, she worked with some of the most vulnerable in society, often at times of high stress; dealing with offences including serious physical and sexual assaults on adults and children.
Joanne values people, and always looks to locate the individual behind whatever issues they may be encountering. She believes that in life, we should always treat others as we would wish to be treated.
Whilst working for the National Crime Agency in South Yorkshire, Joanne became unwell and was subsequently diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Menopause – something of a triple whammy on top of the (at the time, undiagnosed) ADHD.
Since retiring from the police in 2019, Joanne has been studying at York St John University, where she has recently completed her Post Graduate Diploma in Integrative Humanistic Counselling. She is now embarking on her Master’s Degree and will be researching how clients found working online with their counsellor during the COVID pandemic. She is particularly interested in understanding the impact of online working for those clients with neurodivergent conditions.
Joanne is also passionate about helping clients affected by addiction and how ADHD affects people’s feelings of guilt and shame that often manifest as a result of addictive behaviours.
Joanne is keen to support clients who might feel like outsiders and unable to advocate for themselves. She knows what it is like to feel different from others, and how isolating this can be.
She believes that we have all encountered some level of trauma in our lives, but trauma looks and feels different for everyone. She most definitely believes there is a way forward from trauma.
Joanne likens the way she works with clients to helping them navigate a trail through a forest. She believes the client does know their way through, but that at times we all need someone to walk alongside us, to hold a torch or a compass – to maybe suggest different paths that could be tried together. Ultimately, it is the client’s map – but Joanne will walk with them until the path opens up, the light shines brighter onto it, and the client feels confident to move forward holding their own map.
Qualifications
- Introduction to Counselling, Open University 2014
- Certificate in Counselling Level 3, York College 2019
- Access to Postgraduate Study in Helping and Allied Health Professions, York St John University 2019
- Certificate in Online and Telephone Counselling 2019
- Post-Graduate Diploma in Integrative Humanistic Counselling, York St John University 2022
- Anxiety – an Existential Perspective 2022
- 2 Chair Work 2022
- Support for Neurodivergent Clients with Eating Disorders 2022
- Working with Sensation 2022
- You Don’t Look Dyslexic. Experiences of Neurodivergent Practitioners 2022
- Exploring Trauma from a Person-centred Perspective 2022
- Bereavement Conference 2021
- What Does it Mean to be Free? Existential Therapy 2021
- Counselling Autistic Adults 2022
- Gender Diversity 2022
- Imposter Syndrome 2022
- Emotion Focused Therapy 2022
- Uncertainty, an Existential Perspective 2021
- Existential Therapies 2021
- Integrating the Body 2021
- Principles of Safeguarding and Protecting Children, Young People or Vulnerable Adults 2021
Full Clean DBS