Course Tutors
COURSE DIRECTOR & PLACEMENT CO-ORDINATOR
Nicole Joyce MBACP - Senior Accredited
Nicky qualified as a Person-Centred Counsellor in 1992 and went on to obtain her personal BACP accreditation in 1996. She also holds a Certificate in Person-Centred Art Therapy Skills. As Course Director for the three-year programme, Nicky assumes overall responsibility for the professional delivery of the course and as its` Placement Co-ordinator, she oversees all placement and supervision arrangements including the students' placement portfolios. She is not, however, involved in student selection or assessment processes.
LEVEL 2 & LEVEL 3 - Course Leader
Colin Jones MBACP Dip. Integrative Counselling.
Colin gained his Counselling Diploma at LIFE-FORCE in 2006 where he practices as a counselling team member as well as in private practice. He joined the teaching staff in 2008 and works from an integrative framework; drawing on Humanistic, Psychodynamic, Cognitive Behavioural and Creative Therapeutic approaches. He has wide-ranging group experience including facilitative work with the Depression Alliance and Macmillan Cancer Support. Colin sees Continued Professional Development as an extremely important aspect of his development, knowledge, understanding and experience as a counsellor. Colin acknowledges the personal growth he gained through his own counselling training but feels it is his life experience, self development and absorbed knowledge of his group and personal therapy that profoundly informs his counselling and teaching work.
LEVEL 2 & LEVEL 3 – Co-Tutor
Sara Swinn MBACP Dip. Integrative Counselling, Cert. Creative Therapies, Cert. Couples Counselling.
Sara qualified as an Intergartive Counsellor at LIFE-FORCE in 2009, where she practices as a counselling team member as well as private practice. She joined the teaching staff recently and works using an integrative approach, incorporating a psychodynamic, gestalt, person-centred and cognitive behavioural approaches. She finds inner child work particularly beneficial in her work with clients. Sara has also trained as a Spiritual Healer and sees spirituality as an important aspect of her work. Sara believes that an open, honest and caring approach facilitates the client's and students therapeutic process. Sara feels that personal development is vitally important to students and tutors alike and has spent years working on her own personal development, and continues to do so through her continued professional development.
LEVEL 4 – Course Leader
Anne Gisby MBACP-Accredited, Bsc Hons Counselling & Education, Diploma Post Traumatic Stress Counselling (CBT), Cert. in Groupwork, Cert. in Solution Focus Approach, Professional Development in Psychosynthesis.
Anne has worked as a counsellor since 1996 in the voluntary sector, health, palliative care as well as private settings. Anne’s approach is Humanistic and integrates specific CBT skills in trauma, cancer, obesity, stress and anxiety. Her teaching career has spanned over 20 years, run in parallel with therapeutic work, encompassing both Adults and Further Education. Anne believes that her experiences in life, therapeutic work and her continuing professional development inform her practice, and that it is a privilege to engage in the process of exploring inner resourcefulness.
LEVEL 4 - Co-Tutor
Karen Gardner MBACP-Accredited, Dip. Counselling, Professional Dip. in Client-Centred Psychotherapy, Dip. in Working with Survivors of Childhood Abuse, Cert. in Groupwork and Couples Counselling.
Karen has worked as a counsellor since 1991 in a variety of counselling settings. Presently, she works as the Counselling Team Manager at Inspire, a counselling service in Ipswich. Karen has written and delivered various experiential workshops to those in training. She loves watching and encouraging individuals grow and develop, both personally and professionally. Karen seeks to hold a deep respect for all those she works with and has an absolute trust in the counselling process.
LEVEL 4 - Personal Development Group Facilitator
Denise Fitzsimmons MBACP-Accredited, Dip. Counselling.
Denise qualified as a Person-centred Counsellor in 2006, gained individual counsellor accreditation in 2009 and joined the teaching team in 2010. She has undertaken Group Work Training using Gestalt and Psychodramatic techniques, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Solution Focused Therapy as part of her continuing professional development.
Denise facilitates psycho-educational groups for Pathways to Work, enabling clients to develop self-esteem and confidence in order to return to work. In addition, Denise has extensive counselling experience of short-term NHS work as well as providing counselling in her private practice.
Denise believes that ones own self-awareness is the key to providing a safe, empathic and non-judgemental environment to facilitate personal growth in others.
LEVEL 4 - Personal Development Group Facilitator
Jeanette Johnston MBACP-Accredited, Dip. Psychodynamic Counselling, Systemic Practitioner (Families and Couples).
Jeanette has worked as a Psychodynamic Counsellor in private practice since 2004 and as a Systemic Family Counsellor for a local charity since 2007. She has also worked short-term within IAPT for the NHS. Her extensive experience in teaching in Further and Adult education included F.E. teacher training, Introduction to Counselling Courses and facilitating Personal Development and Dream Groups. She has a BA and MA in Literature, which she feels continue to inform and broaden her client awareness. Her approach is Humanistic, combining aspects of Psychodynamic and Systemic best practice to suit each individual, couple, family or group she is working with. A respect for the individual and a deep trust in their innate goodness lie at the heart of her practice, together with an ongoing commitment to and joy in her own ongoing development.
Course Consultant
Clare Powell MBACP, Dip. Counselling, Cert. Drug and Alcohol Counselling Skills.
Clare undertook her counselling training whilst nursing in West Germany as a dependent of HM Forces. She has been working in private practice, including at LIFE-FORCE, since her return to England in 1998. She joined the teaching team in 2005 and has been the course leader since 2006. She has extensive counselling experience and much of this has been gained in working with those suffering from addictive processes and trauma-affected individuals. Clare adopts an integrative approach in her work, endeavouring, always, to respect the unique needs of others through one-to-one and group work and has recently commenced a post-graduate Diploma in High Intensity Therapy,(Cognitive Behavioural Therapy).
Course Moderator
Pam Fletcher MBACP, Dip. Person-Centred Counselling Psychotherapy from Nottingham Trent University, Cert. Person-Centred Art Therapy Skills.
Pam qualified as a counsellor in 1997 and has accrued considerable counselling experience working with adolescents and adults in a school setting. She graduated from London University in English Hons and also has over 30 years experience as a secondary school English teacher. She has been the course moderator since 2004 and is always pleased to meet each cohort of students and hear their feedback regarding the delivery of the course programme.