Joanne Coleman

 Credentials

-  MBACP, Dip. 

-  Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Certificate 

 Hello and welcome. I’m Joanne.

I'm therapeutic counsellor offering online and telephone therapy to adults across the UK. I support people who, for many different reasons, no longer feel like themselves or want to reconnect with the person they used to be — or hope to become.

We all go through transitions in life — some planned, some unexpected — and even positive changes can shake our sense of identity. Becoming a parent or step-parent, moving house, changing jobs, or hitting a milestone birthday can all shift how we see ourselves. Other times, more difficult experiences such as bereavement, separation, chronic illness, redundancy, or long-term stress can leave us feeling anxious, lost, or struggling to cope. These moments often come with mental ‘noise’: rumination, catastrophising, self-criticism, and exhaustion.

You might feel like you're carrying parts of yourself that are hard to like — anger, shame, regret — or stuck in behaviour patterns like people-pleasing, avoidance, or constant self-doubt. Over time, this can affect not just how you feel, but how you sleep, how you relate to others, and how you show up in the world.

Therapy offers a space to make sense of your experience, without judgement. I will work with you at a pace that feels comfortable, exploring your story, your beliefs about yourself, and the challenges you’re facing — so we can start to lessen the emotional burden and move you towards the life you want to lead.

My sessions are client-led, meaning you decide what we explore and how deep we go. While I bring professional experience and tools to the process, I always start with where you are and what you need. Past clients have told me they find it helpful that I bring lived experience into my work — but I also respect that your journey is unique. I believe therapy doesn’t require shared experience, just genuine presence, compassion, and the ability to listen without judgement.

I hold a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling and run my private practice, Brighterside Counselling and Psychotherapy. Alongside this, I’ve volunteered with Thurrock & Brentwood Mind, supporting clients with a wide range of mental health concerns. My therapeutic work is enriched by over a decade of experience working in residential care, supporting people over 65 — especially those living with Dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s. I also supported their families and saw first-hand how carers often struggle to prioritise their own emotional wellbeing.

In addition to my professional background, I bring lived experience of childhood trauma, suicide loss, separation, menopause, chronic pain, and fatigue. These experiences have shaped the therapist I am today, and continue to guide my ongoing training and interests — including a recent programme on chronic pain and future studies in somatic trauma therapy.

I have a particular interest in how trauma is held in the body, how the nervous system responds to long-term stress, and how breath, awareness, and movement can support not just mental health, but physical wellbeing too.

•  Anger management
• Anxiety
• Behaviour problems
• Bereavement
• Bullying
• Burnout
• Carer support
• Childhood bereavement
• Chronic fatigue syndrome / ME
• Chronic illness
• Dementia
• Depression
• Emotional abuse
• Family issues
• Feeling sad
• High sensitivity
• Jealousy
• Loneliness
• Low self-confidence
• Low self-esteem
• Menopause
• Mental health
• Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Older people's counselling
• Perfectionism
• Redundancy
• Relationship problems
• Social anxiety
• Stress
• Suicidal thoughts
• Trauma
• Work-related stress

Format: Online Only (Video Call or Phone)

Fees

£50.00 - £65.00

• Low income
• Keyworkers
• OAPs
• Students
• Trainee counsellors
• Unemployed

My fee starts from £50 per session, and I also have a limited number of concessionary slots available to offer affordable therapy regardless of budget. As these can be in demand, I hold a waiting list for these sessions when applicable. Your personal requirements can be discussed at the time of enquiry.

I work remotely throughout the UK via online and telephone sessions, providing flexible appointments to fit around your other commitments. I offer short term therapy for an agreed number of weeks, ad hoc sessions, open ended and long-term therapy.

If you are interested in working with me please contact me to arrange a 10/15-minute complimentary call to discuss the issues you're having, answer any questions you have, ease any anxiety around starting therapy and help you to decide if I am the counsellor for you.

 📧 Email: brightersidecounselling@gmail.com
📞 Phone: 07938 638 967
🌐 Website: www.brightersidecounselling.co.uk