Hello! I’m Jay and my pronouns are he/they. If you've been looking for a counsellor to support you in making sense of being you, I might be your person. If you are neurodivergent (autistic, ADHD, dyslexia +), trans, non-binary or have a non-normative gender experience (or have questions about your own relationship to these things) I can offer you a safe and open space to explore, or for it just to be a part of who you are.
I am a BACP-registered, autistic and trans counsellor and I specialise in offering counselling and therapy to neurodivergent and trans people in a trauma-informed way. I work online, over the telephone and face-to-face in South Manchester.
I bring my lived experience to the table in my practice; we might have some similar experiences, but of course we are all on our own journey. What makes this work meaningful for me is that I have a deep desire to see our community grow and heal together.
WELCOME
WHAT I OFFER
INDIVIDUAL COUNSELLING
Counselling is a confidential space to talk, one-to-one, for about an hour. We might talk about a life event, a difficult history, family or identity challenges, or a habit that's holding you back. Whatever brings you to counselling, with the space, commitment and compassion to accept who we truly are, life can begin to look and feel more hopeful, meaningful and understandable. There's no right or wrong way to come to counselling, but giving yourself some space to talk and be heard with someone who isn't connected to the rest of your life can be a relief. If that feels like something you need, then counselling might be right for you.
WALK + TALK COUNSELLING
For some people, the idea of being sat opposite a counsellor, making continued eye contact and trying to think of what to say sounds really stressful, which is why I offer the option of face to face counselling in a slightly different way: whilst running or walking together. We’ll meet at a convenient spot, follow a pre-agreed route and chat in the way that comes natural when you’re moving and exploring in company. My job is to use my counselling skills and experience to encourage therapeutic connection and self reflection during our time together, working towards the goals that we’ve identified or just offering a non-judgemental and confidential space.
RELATIONSHIP COUNSELLING
Sometimes it's impossible to separate the way we are feeling from the relationships in our lives, and if you're struggling in a relationship, you may wish to undertake therapy together. I am in the process of training as an IMAGO relationship therapist with one of it's leading practitioners, Ian Tomlinson. It's an approach which can help you to communicate safely and clearly and seperate your own feelings from your partners whilst learning to make space for each other. If you want to find out a bit more about the theory and the therapy, have a look here.
MY APPROACH
My core training in counselling is in the person-centred approach, which basically means that my philosophy is that when we feel heard and valued by someone we have a genuine and honest connection with, we can grow and heal. This is the ground upon which my therapeutic practice is built. That being said, I've done plenty of other training since qualifying, so I would refer to myself as working in an integrative way - I have a variety of different approaches and philosophies to hand. This helps me to work with you as an individual and in a way that's going to be effective and helpful for you.
Every human being has the potential for growth and healing, no matter what. The strategies for living that we have come up with were at some point our best bet, even if they are now self-limiting. But with the space, commitment and compassion to accept who we truly are, life can begin to look and feel more hopeful, meaningful and understandable.
FUNDAMENTALLY PERSON-CENTRED
AFFIRMATIVE THERAPY
The Affirmative approach to therapy takes the stance that you can't fix what ain't broke. I do not see autistic, ADHD, trans, queer or non-binary people as being in any way broken, and I see these things as expressions of human beauty and diversity. That being said, a lot of the time we can be made to feel less-than, too-much, 'complicated' or even euphemistically 'special' by the world around us. Gender-Affirmative or Neurodivergent-Affirmative therapy works from the presumption that it is no healthier to be cis than to be trans, it is no healthier to be neurotypical than to be neurodivergent, and you don't need fixing. When we work in that way, it can really shed light on how much self-hatred and shame we carry, and we can begin to let it go. Slowly, you will build a new confidence based on these experiences of taking it for granted that you are the expert on being you.
James Neville
(he/they)
WHO AM I?
PRICES
60 minutes individual counselling or walk + talk counselling £60
90 minutes relationship counselling £100
Hey! My name is Jay and I am a counsellor from Stoke-on-Trent working online and in Manchester. I've had lots of counselling myself over the years so I know how daunting it can be to work with a new person on such a personal level. I also understand how rewarding and healing this process can be.
I've got many years of experience working in a supportive capacity with young people and adults. After completing my education to A Level I attended University of Manchester to study Sociology (BSocSc), graduating with a first class honours degree. I trained in counselling at Macclesfield College and am a registered member of the BACP (British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy). I have since undertaken many additional hours of CPD to diversify and strengthen my therapeutic approach, incorporating elements of creative therapy, IFS (internal family systems), solution focussed therapy and a trauma informed approach.
I'm also trans (I was assigned female at birth), and was diagnosed with autism when I was 27. I feel that my lived experience as a trans, autistic person informs my ability to empathise with human suffering, transformation and a universal need for hope and self actualisation. In short, it's become a beautiful gift.
