"You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step"
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Step Ahead Counselling and Therapy Services
Are you constantly feeling stressed, anxious, overwhelmed, or are struggling with your relationships? Are you experiencing change or a transition in your life, or feel stuck and are longing to make positive changes, but are finding it challenging to work through this alone?
Life is a journey full of ups and downs. We all experience problems, challenges, or times throughout our lives when we feel stuck, stressed, or anxious about the journey which lies ahead, or we might feel burdened by the weight we are carrying from the journey left behind. The challenges or problems we find ourselves facing can sometimes lead us to stumble - but it doesn’t mean you have to stand back up all alone. If you feel anxious, stressed, are struggling with relationships in your life, or you simply need a space to talk and feel heard, I truly care to lend a helping hand. Using an integrative approach (different therapeutic counselling approaches), I combine
my professional experience with genuine empathy, kindness, and warmth.
Through counselling or “talking therapy”, I support individuals to work through the problems or challenges they may be experiencing in their lives. Gently exploring their feelings, behaviours, and emotions helps individuals to gain insight and clarity, so they can begin to work towards finding meaning and understanding of their past experiences or challenges.
Counselling can help clients to unfold and explore alternative solutions or ways in which they can move forward, towards a happier, more meaningful and fulfilling life, with greater confidence and courage.
My name is Johanna, I am a therapeutic counsellor who provides individual counselling and therapy in Saffron Walden, and to individuals from the surrounding towns and villages (Bishops Stortford, Stansted, Duxford, Great Chesterford, Great Dunow etc), and online and telephone counselling to individuals throughout the UK. I offer a safe and confidential space, in which you can feel heard, understood and accepted - with empathy, compassion and warmth.
In addition to providing general counselling for key issues, I have professional experience and a keen interest in working with relationship difficulties, teenagers, and young persons (16+) and change/navigating life’s transitions. I work with individual adults, teenagers/young people (16+), and provide brief, long-term, and solution-focused therapy, depending on
the individual’s specific needs.
I have experience of supporting clients with the following challenges:
Anxiety and Stress
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD/ADD)
Domestic Abuse
Low Self-Esteem or Self-Confidence
Low Mood or Depression
Relationship Difficulties - Family, Friends, Peer, Work, or Intimate Relational Issues
Loneliness
Feeling Overwhelmed
Men's Issues
Navigating Life’s Transitions - Change
Work-Related Issues, Redundancy, and Change of Career
Supporting Teenagers/Young Adults (16+) with the transition/challenges from childhood to adulthood
Feeling Stuck in Life
The relationships we have - with families, friends, colleagues, partners, and even with ourselves - may bring challenges or cause us stress. I work with clients to help them become more aware of their patterns of relating, their attachment style, how to identify their own needs, and communicate them more effectively. Sometimes it can be about learning how to communicate more openly, voicing our needs, and listening empathetically. Individual relationship counselling can also help improve our relationship with ourselves too.
During our teenage years and throughout early adulthood, we can sometimes feel overwhelmed - it can feel like problems/challenges are erupting all around us. From school, exams, friendships, social media, relationships, careers, or identity. It is natural for young people to feel overwhelmed or anxious - but it’s a stage I can support you with, by helping you to recognise and understand your behaviours, feelings, and emotions, whatever they may be. During our sessions, we will explore and find creative ways in which to help you manage stress, low mood or anxiety, and work towards helping you build your resilience and self-esteem - so you can begin to feel more confident and excited about the future ahead of you.
Change is an inevitable part of our lives. Sometimes it can be unwanted and leave us feeling distressed, anxious, overwhelmed, or lonely. From leaving home, marriage, divorce, to having children, experiencing redundancy, or retirement, to reaching middle age or senior years - each season of our lives can bring new worries or new fears. With professional, supportive, and caring therapy, I can help you to work through difficult changes you may be experiencing and support you to explore your own solutions and steps ahead, so you can begin to feel more in control of your life.
Online and Telephone Counselling and Therapy
The most important aspect of counselling is for you to feel heard, understood, and accepted. I am passionate about helping clients to find their voice, regardless of the method in which they choose to undertake counselling.
Clients may choose online or telephone counselling because it fits in with their lifestyle, working hours, childcare, or simply because it might feel more convenient or comfortable for them to express themselves in this way.
I am a certified online and telephone therapeutic counsellor who provides online counselling and therapy, and telephone counselling to individuals throughout the UK.
CONTACT ME
Sometimes reaching out can take great courage; however, you have already taken the first step!
It is important for you to find the right counsellor to support you. I would love the opportunity to work with you, but I understand it can feel daunting to take the first step. I offer a 20-minute informal discussion (free of charge, non-committed), to see if I can help you, and for you to see if you feel if I might be the right counsellor for you. I hope you will find me to be warm, open, friendly, and compassionate.
Please feel free to contact me to book an informal discussion, by either completing the contact form below, or by telephone, text, or email at johanna@stepaheadcounselling.co.uk
If I am unable to take your call, please leave a message with your name, contact number and the best time for me to return your call (on my confidential voicemail).
I aim to respond to all messages the same day, where possible.
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"
Lao Tzu