Counselling JCT
Online Counselling & Therapy – Serving Cumbria, Manchester, Lancashire the North West and uk
Online counselling for women affected by childhood experiences, trauma, relationships and loss
Perhaps you recognise some of these experiences
You might be the person others turn to, the one who manages, copes and keeps things going. Yet privately, you may feel overwhelmed, disconnected or unsure why certain things affect you so deeply.
Perhaps you find yourself putting others first, struggling to say no, feeling responsible for everyone's happiness or repeating patterns in relationships that you don't understand.
Maybe you grew up feeling you had to be good, capable or undemanding. Perhaps you experienced things in childhood that you've never really had space to explore. Or a bereavement, relationship breakdown or significant life change has left you questioning who you are and what comes next.
You may not know exactly why you feel as you do. You might simply know that something doesn't feel right, or that you're tired of responding to life in ways that no longer feel like you.
You don't have to know what's behind it all to begin.
I'm Jackie Connaughton, a BACP registered counsellor with over 25 years' experience. I offer online, trauma-informed relational counselling for women throughout the UK.
Together, we can explore what has shaped you, understand the connections between your earlier experiences and your life today, and make sense of the things you carry.
What has shaped me? Rather than what is wrong with me?
The Story Beneath™
Understanding what has shaped you, so you can see yourself differently
We know the story we can see.
What happened. What we did. What we survived. What we became.
But there is often more to understand beneath the surface: the experiences that shaped us, the beliefs we learned, the roles we took on, and the ways we learned to cope, protect ourselves and belong.
These influences can follow us into adulthood, affecting our relationships, our responses to life and the way we see ourselves.
Every woman makes sense in the context of her life.
The Story Beneath™ is the philosophy behind my counselling work. It explores the connections between what has happened to us, how we experience life now, and what may become possible when those connections begin to make sense.
This isn't about blaming the past or reducing everything to what has happened before. It is about understanding ourselves more fully, with greater clarity and less self-criticism.
Counselling
When earlier experiences, trauma, relationships or loss continue to affect your life
Counselling offers a space to explore what is happening in your life now. Understand how earlier experiences may have shaped you, and begin to make sense of feelings, reactions and patterns that have been difficult to understand on your own.
You might come to counselling because:
- Childhood experiences continue to affect you. Perhaps you grew up feeling unheard, emotionally unsupported, criticised or responsible for others, and find these experiences still influence how you feel about yourself today.
- You have experienced trauma or difficult relationships. Experiences in childhood or later life may continue to affect your sense of safety, emotional responses and relationships.
- Relationships leave you questioning yourself. You might find yourself putting others first, struggling to express your needs, fearing rejection or repeating familiar patterns.
- You recognise family patterns. Perhaps you are beginning to understand how family roles, expectations and relationships have influenced the person you have become.
- Anxiety or emotional overwhelm has become harder to manage. You may find yourself constantly alert, emotionally reactive, withdrawn or struggling to settle.
- Grief or bereavement has changed your identity, relationships or sense of the future.
- A major life change has left you questioning what comes next. Separation, menopause, children leaving home or other significant changes can bring uncertainty about identity, relationships and the future.
- You feel a sense of loss around the life you expected. This might include the childhood you needed but didn't have, the belonging you hoped for or the person you thought you would become.
You don't need to arrive with a clear explanation. You may know something isn't right without knowing why. We can explore what is happening in your life, what came before, and how the two may connect.
Some family experiences and patterns can also influence subsequent generations. The expectations, roles, beliefs and ways of relating that develop within families can continue to shape how we experience ourselves and our relationships. Exploring these connections can help us understand more about what we carry and where some of it may have come from.
How loss and earlier experiences shape us
Loss is one of the experiences that can shape us throughout life. It isn't only about bereavement. It can include the childhood we needed but didn't have, the relationship we hoped would be different, the belonging we struggled to find, and the future we thought we would have.
Some losses are recognised and openly grieved. Others are harder to name. We adapt, carry on and find ways to cope, often without recognising how much an experience has shaped us.
Earlier experiences and losses can influence how we experience later relationships, transitions and bereavements. Sometimes a new loss brings older feelings to the surface, helping explain why a particular experience affects us so deeply.
When grief changes more than you expected
Around nine to twelve months after a bereavement, something often shifts. The practical tasks are done. Other people assume you're moving forward. The first anniversary is approaching, and the reality of the loss can feel different.
The questions deepen.
- Who am I now?
- What did this person mean to me?
- How do I live in a world that has changed shape?
Grief can reach into identity, relationships and our sense of the future. You don't have to be in the earliest stages of bereavement to seek counselling. For many women, this later period brings space to explore what the loss means and how to live with what has changed.
How I work
My approach is integrative and relational, grounded in person-centred principles and informed by attachment, trauma, grief and an understanding of how our experiences affect both mind and body.
I'm interested in understanding the whole person, not simply the difficulty that has brought you to counselling.
Our earlier experiences, particularly those within our first relationships, can influence how we see ourselves, what we expect from others and the ways we respond to situations. These influences can sometimes continue long after the original experiences have passed.
I draw on nervous system awareness, Polyvagal Theory and somatic approaches to understand how experiences can influence the way we think, feel, relate and respond.
I won't tell you what your experiences mean or push you to revisit difficult memories before you're ready. We work with what matters to you, at a pace that feels manageable.
Counselling cannot change what has happened. It can help you recognise familiar patterns, understand your reactions and develop more choice in how you respond. It can also help you relate to yourself with understanding rather than criticism.
There is no formula for this work. Your story is your own, and our work is shaped around you, without pressure to go further than you are ready for.
Unthread™
For the things women carry that were never fully named.
Some of what shapes us is difficult to put into words. Beliefs we inherited. Roles we took on. Expectations we absorbed. Parts of ourselves we lost touch with while meeting the needs of others.
Unthread™ offers a different way to explore aspects of our lives through conversation, creativity, symbolic exercises and reflection.
It creates space to consider what you carry, where it may have come from, what belongs to you and what you want to take forward.
Unthread™ is separate from counselling. It is not therapy, and there is no expectation to disclose personal experiences or work towards a therapeutic outcome.
It is an invitation to explore your story in a different way.
Meet Jackie
I'm Jackie Connaughton, an Accredited Registrant (MNCPS Acc.) based in Cumbria, working online with women throughout the UK.
Throughout my work, I've become increasingly interested in how our childhood experiences, early relationships, attachment and significant life events shape the way we experience ourselves and the world around us.
I've seen how experiences that were difficult to understand at the time can continue to influence our relationships, emotional responses, sense of identity and the patterns we develop throughout life.
My interest in loss has also deepened my understanding of how earlier experiences can influence the way we experience later changes and bereavements.
I hold a Diploma in Counselling and a Certificate in Counselling with Distinction from the University of Salford.
I have also completed the BTC™ Generational Trauma Therapy Certificate Course with Dr Mariel Buqué.
My continuing professional development includes attachment, trauma-informed practice, grief and bereavement, somatic approaches and nervous system regulation.
My work is guided by a belief that understanding our experiences in the context of our lives can change how we see ourselves and what becomes possible.
When things begin to make sense, something can change.
Begin With a Conversation
You don't need to have everything figured out.
You may know what has brought you here. Or you may simply know that something needs attention.
A free 20-minute introductory conversation gives us an opportunity to talk about what is happening, what you hope to explore and whether working together feels right.
There is no obligation to continue. You don't need to prepare a detailed account of your life or know exactly what to say.
Online counselling for women throughout the UK. £75 per 60-minute session.
"Every life deserves to make sense to the person living it."
Jackie Connaughton
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do you offer counselling?
I offer online counselling for women throughout the UK.
Although I am based in Cumbria, online counselling allows me to work with women wherever they are.
How does online counselling work?
Sessions take place online using a secure video platform.
Many women are surprised by how connected and comfortable online counselling can feel.
Being able to access counselling from your own home can create a sense of privacy and ease, while still allowing us to build a meaningful therapeutic relationship.
Online counselling can also make it easier to access ongoing support without the need to travel.
How often will we meet?
Sessions are usually weekly or fortnightly, depending on what feels most supportive for you.
There is no fixed number of sessions that suits everyone. Some women seek counselling during a particular period of difficulty, such as bereavement, separation or a major life change. Others want to explore experiences and patterns that have developed over many years.
We can review our work together as we go, ensuring that counselling remains relevant to what you need.
How much does counselling cost?
Individual counselling costs £75 for a 60-minute session.
Before beginning, I offer a free 20-minute introductory conversation. This gives us an opportunity to talk about what has brought you here, answer any questions and consider whether working together feels right.
There is no obligation to continue.
What issues can counselling help with?
Women come to counselling for many different reasons. My work particularly focuses on experiences that continue to influence how women feel, relate to others and experience their lives.
These may include:
- Childhood experiences and difficult family relationships
- Trauma and complex trauma
- Attachment and relationship difficulties
- Anxiety, emotional overwhelm and difficulties with emotional regulation
- Grief, bereavement and other forms of loss
- Family patterns and experiences that may have influenced subsequent generations
- Life transitions, changing identity and questions about the future
- Low self-worth and difficulties understanding yourself
You don't need a diagnosis or a single explanation for what you are experiencing. Sometimes recognising that something doesn't feel right is enough of a reason to seek support.
Can earlier experiences and family patterns affect adult life?
Yes. Our earlier experiences, particularly those within our first relationships and family environment, can influence how we see ourselves, what we expect from others and how we respond to situations.
We can develop ways of coping, beliefs about ourselves and patterns in relationships that continue into adulthood, sometimes without recognising where they began.
Some family experiences, expectations and ways of relating can also be passed between generations. Exploring these influences can help us understand more about what we carry, how it affects us today and what we might want to approach differently.
This doesn't mean that our past determines our future. Understanding these connections can create greater awareness and choice.
Is it too late for counselling if my loss was a while ago?
No. There is no deadline for exploring a bereavement.
Sometimes the months around the first anniversary bring a different awareness of what has changed and what the loss means for your life now.
You may have managed the practical demands and continued to meet your responsibilities, yet still find yourself struggling with your identity, relationships or sense of the future.
Counselling can offer space to explore these experiences whenever you feel ready. You don't have to be in the earliest stages of grief to seek support.
Is counselling the same as Unthread™?
No. They are separate offerings, although both are connected through The Story Beneath™ philosophy.
Counselling is a therapeutic relationship where we explore your experiences, emotional difficulties and the ways your life may have been shaped by earlier events and relationships.
Unthread™ is a creative and reflective experience for women who want to explore their stories, beliefs, experiences and identity through conversation, creativity and reflection.
Unthread™ is not therapy and does not replace counselling.
If you are unsure which feels more appropriate for you, you are welcome to ask during your introductory conversation.
Begin with a conversation
You don't have to have everything figured out before you get in touch.
Sometimes the first step is simply talking to someone who understands that there may be more to your story than what can be seen on the surface.
Book your free 20 min conversation →
Contact Jackie
Email: jackie@counsellingjct.co.uk
Phone: 07432 373270
You can also leave a message using the contact form below.
All enquiries are answered within 24 hours and handled in confidence.
Find Me Online
Counselling JCT | Online Counselling for Women Across the UK
Helping women understand what has shaped them, make sense of where they are now, and consider what comes next.
Important Information
The Unthread programme is designed to offer space for personal reflection, insight, and growth. It is not a form of therapy or counselling and is not a substitute for professional support.
If you feel you need therapeutic care, we encourage you to reach out to a qualified counsellor or therapist.
While every effort is made to create a safe and supportive environment, participating in Unthread is at your own discretion, and you engage in the activities with awareness of your own wellbeing.