Welcome to Josie Rhodes Counselling and Psychotherapy
About Me
Hi, I’m Josie, a Relate trained therapist for the last 12 years, working with couples and individuals who are experiencing difficulties in relationships with significant others, family members, friends, or work colleagues. I have also worked as a volunteer bereavement support worker with Cruse, giving me additional insight into grief and loss issues. Entering into Counselling can be daunting, but with the help of a non-judgemental, empathetic, understanding therapist you can transform your relationships, and your life.
In addition to the Relate University Advanced Diploma in Introduction to Couples Counselling, which included psychodynamic and systemic approaches, I have a Professional Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling Practice. This pluralistic diploma included methods from person-centred counselling, CBT, Transactional Analysis, Schema therapy, and LGBTQ+ issues. I also have a Certificate in Life Coaching, enabling me to assist you in creating an Action Plan to make the required changes to achieve your goals.
As an Accredited practitioner with the NCPS I enjoy continuing professional development as well as adding more useful tools to the resources in my portfolio. Recent courses include Working with Distress in clients with suicidal ideation: Working with Diversity, helping me to further understand the world view of people from different backgrounds ; Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults and Children; 8 stages to Domestic Homicide – in depth training regarding coercive and controlling relationships; Grief and Hoarding; Dealing with the death of a child: Gambling addiction. I also belong to a Counsellors Reading Group which meets monthly to discuss useful professional materials including books, videos, films and articles.
I hold an enhanced DBS certificate (Disclosure and Barring Service) and In accordance with good practice I have a clinical will which ensures that in the event of my incapacity for any reason, clients would be sensitively and confidentially advised and options discussed with regard to ongoing therapy.
My Practice
I specialise in helping couples to communicate better to resolve conflict, address longstanding issues, reconnect and have fun together again. I also help individuals to resolve relationship issues with significant others and family members and to cope with grief and loss.
Confidentiality
Counselling is a safe space where you can share your innermost thoughts and feelings without judgement, and receive unconditional validation and empathy as a valuable human being. I offer an initial 15 minute free telephone or video (Zoom) call so you can check me out and see if we have the potential to work together.
See more information about Confidentiality in Find Out More and Frequently Asked Questions
Self-Care
Your self-care is often the first concern of the therapist. How do you value and care for yourself? Do you ever prioritise your own needs over those of others, in a healthy way?
Transformation
Together we can explore your unhelpful thoughts and anxieties, to help you to choose how to respond instead of reacting when you are triggered by certain situations
Common Issues that can be Addressed in Counselling
Abuse
Anxiety
Arguing
Behavioural Issues
Bereavement
Childhood Adverse Events
Communication Breakdown
Co-parenting
Chronic Illness
Depression
Diverse Relationships
Divorce, separation and endings
Emotional wounds
Family Conflict
Grief and Loss
Infertility
Infidelity and other Betrayals
Parenting disagreements
Reactivity
Relationship crises
Self-Care
Self Esteem and Confidence
Self-Soothing that turns into Self-defeating Behaviours
Separation and Divorce
Stress and Anxiety
Suicidal Ideation
Relationships with work colleagues
My location
I work mainly from my home online and on the telephone. I also have access to therapy rooms in LS16 by arrangement. The location is convenient for the Leeds Outer Ring Road and main bus routes from Leeds City Centre.
Fees & availability
All sessions are for 50 minutes. I work flexibly on most weekdays with appointments for online and telephone available between 8.00am and 7.00pm. Fees are £45 for individuals and £55 for couples. For in person sessions on some weekday afternoons the costs are £55 for individuals and £65 for couples to account for room hire charges.
Initially it is helpful to have weekly or fortnightly sessions, but then we can move to less frequent appointments, to practise new learned behaviours. Once counselling is considered to be complete, there will be opportunities to check in for one-off appointments if desired.
Get in touch
Feel free to contact me via email to arrange a free of charge 15 minute appointment over telephone or Zoom to explore how/if we might work together.
Frequently asked questions
You and your therapist will collaborate on the goal/s for therapy. This is a safe space for you to discuss your hopes and dreams and what gets in the way of bringing them to fruition together with agreeing on the theories and tools which might be helpful for you.
At the beginning of therapy it is helpful to have weekly or fortnightly sessions, depending on our meeting availability and the affordability for you. Once therapy is under way less frequent sessions afford opportunities to practise what you have learned.
NCPS is the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society. It has been established since 1995 and in 2013 became one of the first organisations to be gain accreditation with the Professional Standards Authority. The PSA was created to ensure public access to safe, ethical and competent professionals for health and social care needs.
Counselling is usually a good way to help with a current problem; something that can be explored and often resolved within a limited number of sessions. Over a number of weeks the understanding of the problem improves and away forward becomes clearer.
Psychotherapy describes work that addresses longstanding issues that may date from adverse childhood experiences and how these affect the way you interact with significant others. Psychotherapy often requires a longer-term approach, so the number of sessions can be open-ended.
I offer both long and shorter term approaches and we will review progress towards desired goals as we go.
Pluralistic describes a form of counselling/therapy that draws on different psychological theories and methods. My training includes approaches from person-centred, psychodynamic, systemic, psychoanalytic, cognitive behavioural therapy, schema therapy, life coaching. To stay on the register of accredited counsellors I also enjoy continual professional development courses, allowing me to explore techniques from many other sources which I can bring into the sessions if we agree they might be helpful.
The psychodynamic approach focuses on the unconscious processes that we are not aware of - feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories associated with past experiences. Family, childhood, drives, social and cultural influences. This theory can explain why we are triggered into certain behaviours without understanding the reasons why. Defences stemming from behaviours that were helpful in childhood may not be appropriate in adulthood.
Systemic therapy is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on how an individual's personal relationships, behaviour patterns and life choices are interconnected with the influences of family, extended family, neighbourhood, culture and the wider community. It is useful for exploring how relationships within these circles can be improved and lead to long term benefits.
As the term implies this is counselling that focuses on the needs of the individual or couple and is tailored to their difficulties. The term originated with Carl Rogers in the 1950s and has connections with Freud’s “free association”. The counsellor will notice your reactions to unconscious processes that may be influencing your conversations and explore the meanings that they have for you.
Schema Therapy is a treatment that helps people to change unhelpful thinking that contributes to unwanted behaviours. The goal is to change unhelpful underlying schemas, or pervasive thought and behaviour patterns, that may stem from childhood and other experiences, to be more helpful and adaptive.
Transactional analysis (TA) Founded by Eric Berne in the late 1950s is based on the theory that each person has three ego-states: parent, adult and child. These are used along with other key transactional analysis concepts, tools and models to analyse how individuals communicate and to identify how individuals can improve their relationships.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy that can help you manage your problems by changing the way you think and behave.
It's most commonly used to treat anxiety and depression but can be useful for other mental and physical health problems. CBT is based on the concept that your thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and actions are interconnected, and that negative thoughts and feelings can trap you in a negative cycle.
Everything that is said within the counselling sessions is private *- this is one of the main ways counselling and therapy differ from talking to a friend or relative and which you will find great value. I do have clinical supervision where I discuss my caseload as part of my official registration with NCPS, and sometimes need to share information with my supervisor, but this will normally be anonymised unless a serious issue arises.
*Please note that there are some situations where you may be a significant risk to yourself or others, and the law requires that I notify an appropriate authority. In such a case I may not be able to keep total confidentiality. These include acts of terrorism, or criminal activity.
Breaking confidentiality is very rare. Usually I would ask your permission before sharing your information with a third party.
The number of sessions will depend on the nature of the problem and your ability to engage with the counselling process. Neuroscientists tell us that it may take 66 repetitions to acquire new habits. Initially weekly or fortnightly appointments will be helpful, but then subsequent sessions may be further apart to allow you to practise new behaviours/techniques. Total number of sessions will vary also, but clients often report improvement after 4-6 sessions.
People seek counselling for many different reasons. If you are not sure if it is suitable for your personal issues please use the free 15 minute telephone or Zoom call to check. Here is just a small sample of common issues:
Abuse
Anxiety
Arguing
Behavioural Issues
Bereavement
Childhood Adverse Events
Communication Breakdown
Co-parenting
Chronic Illness
Depression
Diverse Relationships
Divorce, separation and endings
Emotional wounds
Family Conflict
Grief and Loss
Infertility
Infidelity and other Betrayals
Parenting disagreements
Reactivity
Relationship crises
Self-Care
Self Esteem and Confidence
Self-Soothing that turns into Self-defeating Behaviours
Separation and Divorce
Stress and Anxiety
Suicidal Ideation
Relationships with work colleague
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