Counselling

Since 1989 I have been part of a team offering support to families in the Lothians who experience the death of a baby.  My background is in Nursing but in 2007 I decided to train as a counsellor.  I completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling at Edinburgh University in 2011 and have been working as a counsellor for SANDS Lothians since then.  I am a member of COSCA (Counselling and Psychotherapy in Scotland) and on the COSCA Register of Counsellors and Psychotherapists - Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority. I work by their Statement of Ethics, Code of Practice and Complaints Procedure.

Over the years I have witnessed the value of talking about a baby that has died and the strength bereaved parents find to rebuild their lives after this devastating experience.  I feel it is a great privilege to hear about their baby, share their experience and be a small part of their journey to find a way forward.  As a counsellor I can offer a further layer of support when other issues arise or resurface following the death of a baby and navigating through the grief becomes more difficult.

Counselling may be helpful fairly soon after the death of a baby or at any time thereafter and we aim to offer this support for as long as it is needed.  I usually offer an initial meeting to discuss counselling and to help parents decide whether it feels right for them.  I see parents individually or as a couple.

To find out more about counselling in Edinburgh please email jennifer@sands-lothians.org.uk

In 2012 after a career break from working in Social Work and Education I started my journey to become a counsellor. All through my training I always knew I wanted to support bereaved parents.

I qualified in 2016 and I am a registered member of the BACP (British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists) and abide by their code of ethics.

I have been a Counsellor at Held in our Hearts for 3 years and it is a privilege to support bereaved parents in their darkest times and hear about their precious babies.

I am passionate about counselling and providing a safe space for bereaved parents to talk openly about the trauma of their loss. I believe that with counselling parents can begin to navigate their grief and loss and begin the process of healing – not moving on but moving forward with the love for their precious baby.

Grief often can come in waves and we are here to support parents whether it is soon after a loss or the grief has become more complicated over time.

The charity is committed to providing bespoke, compassionate counselling and support us to attend conferences and training courses on baby loss, grief and trauma, ensuring that the voices of the bereaved parent is at the heart of everything we do.

My challenges in becoming a parent led me into a career in Counselling.

I qualified in 2016 and I am a registered member of BACP (British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists and BICA (British Infertility Counselling Association) and adhere to the ethical guidelines to ensure safe and contained counselling practice. I have worked as a counsellor in general practice, for mental health charities and in private independent practice. I currently work as part of the Counselling Service for Glasgow Centre for Reproductive Medicine (EdinburghSatellite Clinic) and Monklands Infertility Unit. 

As a counsellor, I believe the therapeutic relationship is the most important intervention in counselling.  Counselling offers exploration of new ways to live with the pain of loss while still having hope for the future.

I aim to offer a warm, compassionate and healing space for parents to talk about their much-loved baby so they can integrate their loss into their lives and explore ways of mourning and honouring their baby. It is a privilege to care and provide a safe space for families in one of the darkest human experiences.

I am very proud to be a part of Held in our Hearts and in my first week I have felt the empathy, connection and love from the team which is central to the ethos of the charity.

I came to counselling from a background in nursing, having had my curiosity sparked by a listening workshop that introduced me for the first time to the powerful effect of being really heard and understood.   Ultimately I made the leap to retrain and went on to gain my postgraduate diploma in Person-Centred Counselling from Persona/University of Aberdeen.

I am passionate about the Person-Centred approach in my work – it is hugely important for me to understand what each person’s experience of loss means to them from their own individual point of view.   I see counselling as a unique kind of relationship – one which offers a safe place for bereaved families, a place they can feel understood and accepted, where they can have the chance to express any of the feelings they might be having without judgement.   It is often also a place for families to be able to remember and talk about the cherished baby they have lost.   Ultimately, through counselling I hope to support families in finding a way forward following their devastating loss, in a way that feels uniquely meaningful for them.