Jo Read

Jo Read qualified in 2016 with a Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling, accredited by the Counselling and Psychotherapy Awarding Body (CPCAB), through Sweet Track Counselling in Glastonbury, and completed her counselling placement hours with the Sweet Track Agency.

She is a qualified Social Worker as well as a counsellor and holds a current Disclosure and Barring Service enhanced certificate (DBS) for work with Young People under the age of 16 years. Jo has 8 years of experience providing therapy and over 20 years of experience working with young people and adults in youth and community work, education, mental health and social care.

Jo works from a Person Centred counselling approach, drawing on the core conditions of unconditional positive regard, empathy, congruence and confidentiality to communicate clearly and to establish and maintain the boundaries of the therapeutic relationship. She practices within the British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP) ethical framework, including its stated values, principles and moral qualities to support safety and professionalism.

Her sessions make use of open questions and listening skills such as reflection, summarising and immediacy to enable clients to speak openly and to explore their experience. Jo describes the process as reciprocal - she learns from clients about their process while clients gain an opportunity to reflect, focus on themselves and begin to repair their relationship with themselves and others.

Jo attends monthly supervision and receives her own personal counselling to support her therapeutic work and ongoing professional development. She has relevant insurance and is a registered member of the BACP.

The first session offers the chance to decide whether to work together, and, if agreed, to complete a counselling contract and an initial assessment to identify what the client would like to achieve. Questions are welcome at any time and the working agreement is reviewed during the course of counselling.

Her aims are to provide counselling of value to young people and adults in distress and to alleviate psychological suffering by working in a holistic way through talking therapy and other relevant tools as agreed during sessions.