Jessica Dodd - Counselling & Coaching

30/11/2025

I’ve created a new page to bring my work together in one place. 🌿

For a while I thought I needed to keep everything separate,
but the truth is that my counselling practice and my holistic offerings all sit within the same intention:
to offer a calm, supportive space where people can explore their inner world at their own pace.

On this new page you’ll find updates over the next few weeks about my counselling service,
as well as information about Reiki and other gentle, holistic practices I offer separately for those who are drawn to them.

I keep these approaches clearly distinct so that each person can choose what feels right for them.

If you’d like to stay connected or learn more, you’re welcome to follow the page here

https://www.facebook.com/share/1FS1gYGAX2/?mibextid=wwXIfr

(please see photo attached)

07/01/2025

I love following Julia Samuel and Deb Dana! Their insights and wisdom have been invaluable to me over the years.

What are your morning glimmers today? ✨

Know your Glimmers & Triggers ✨🌟 🚨

Going into the New Year I wanted to remind you of a conversation I had last year on Therapy Works with Maria, about the glimmers and the triggers in your life. The idea of glimmers comes from the wonderful Deb Dana who I was lucky enough to meet last year.

Glimmers are cues of safety for us and the opposite of triggers, which are cues of danger. Glimmers are sparks of joy that bring us moments of positivity, safety or connection. Micro-moments that we can intentionally look for through the day to keep us calm.

A glimmer could be a sunset, stroking a dog, your favourite place in the world, moving your body or dancing, or they can even be that friend who makes you feel alive and so at ease.

🚨 Triggers 🚨

Triggers are evoked through our senses: sight, sound, touch and smell. Our level of response is in direct correlation to the emotional impact of that sight, sound, touch and smell.

It might be a friend who puts you down, or drains the energy from you, or a job that has been getting you down and bringing you little happiness in life.

My advice to you this year, is to try and identify what your triggers might be, or who you they might be? As it can be as equally as important as finding your glimmers in life!

And I am not suggesting you make any rash decisions about that person or aspect of your life, but it is good to recognise what might be bringing you down, so you can have a long hard think about whether it is worth keeping that trigger in your life?

Remember, life is a cup to be filled, not one to be drained x

13/12/2024

You can’t be everyone’s hero.
You can’t take away everyone’s pain, solve all their problems, and make them feel happy with themselves and their lives.
All you can do is love them, and that’s all you have to do.
Just love them in their messiness, their confusion, their grief.
See them, hear them, and accept them without judgment.
Then let them know it’s okay to be right where they are, and if and when they need you,
you’ll be there..

Lori Deschene 🫧

Artist Credit : Nino Chakvetadze

18/11/2024

The Staying Safe website is a potentially life-saving resource.

https://stayingsafe.net/what_is_a_safety_plan

StayingSafe.net offers compassion, kindness and easy ways to help keep people safer from thoughts of harm and su***de, seek support and discover hope of recovery through powerful videos from people with personal experience.

The website provides vital ‘Safety Plan’ guidance tools jointly funded by NHS England, with easy to print / online templates and guidance video tutorials purposefully designed to help people through the process of writing their own Safety Plan to build hope, identify actions and strategies to resist suicidal thoughts and develop positive ways to cope with stress and emotional distress.

During times of deep distress, Safety Plans become a vital and valuable reminder of:

* What people can do for themselves to get through difficult times
* Practical ways they can make their situation safer
* Who to contact for support
* Where to go or who to contact in an emergency

I hope that anyone currently in extreme distress can share our hope that recovery is possible with the right support and that one day keeping a Safety Plan will be common place and regarded an extension of wellbeing and self-care

🤍

PS: if anyone has experienced feeling let down by services or people, please don’t let this stop you from seeking help from someone else. YOU MATTER 🤍

17/11/2024

I understand that as the weekend wraps up, it can be a challenging time for many. The anticipation of Monday can bring about anxiety, and scrolling through everyone’s highlight reels might make you feel like you’re not measuring up.

It’s completely normal for thoughts to become heavy and overwhelming, leading to a mix of emotions that can feel difficult to manage.

As you wind down this Sunday evening, I want to remind you that if you’re not feeling your best, it’s okay. This moment doesn’t define your whole journey.

Please be gentle with yourself tonight and remember to practice kindness, both to yourself and others. 🤍✨

10/11/2024

Unbelievable information regarding Belief Coding and the trials that are to follow. Absolutely mind blown 😱

14/10/2024

I’ve gotta say I like to listen to podcasts whilst I’m doing the washing up or folding my washing 🙄 (Anyone who knows me will know how much I dislike putting clothes away 🤭). These are a few podcasts I’ve listened to that I find really useful around self compassion and Anxiety.

‘Deep cuts’ is a great podcast for men. It talks about the science behind self compassion and also the differences between men and women when experiencing shame.

I love the Acronym KIST (Kind Inner Self Talk) that Martha talks about during ‘The Good Glow’ podcast. So many really useful takeaways and it’s highly recommended from many of my clients.

The Mel Robbins podcast around Anxiety is packed with SO much information about anxiety. I love that she asks all the questions we want the answers too.

Let me know what you think 💭

16/09/2024

Accepting new clients for online or telephone counselling. Contact me using email, phone or DM to book a free 15 minute no obligation discovery call.

23/08/2024

Have you ever been told to ‘sit with your feelings’ but you wonder, how do I do that?

Here’s some tips on sitting with your feelings.

Feelings are temporary emotional states, which shift and change continuously. But the ripple effects can be huge! Especially if we deny, ignore or invalidate them.
Hint: they usually show up in unhelpful ways anyway.

Being able to tolerate all different types of feelings is a skill. And just like any skill…. We have to practice.

So by listening to them and sitting with them means that we are telling ourselves that…

🔅My feelings matter
🔅My experience matters
🔅This feeling is important
🔅I can get through this
🔅My feelings are trying to tell me something and I want to listen
🔅I am worthy of being seen and validated

By
🔸noticing,
🔸acknowledging,
🔸understanding,
🔸empathising and
🔸accepting them…

our tolerance will increase. Our trust and safety in our body will increase. And our self worth will increase.

Our feelings are looking for us to pay attention to them, even if there is no fix or solution. They just need a little bit of space.

So give it a go and see where it takes you! 😊💪🏼

22/08/2024

Imagine a space where you can grow to trust someone, feel acknowledged, supported, guided, and truly believed in. What would you share there?

A place where your feelings are validated, and your choices and behaviors are met with openness, without judgment, and met with empathic curiosity.

A space where you’re encouraged to express your truth without fear of shame.

A space where you can ask questions, seek clarity, and be encouraged to sink into what’s really going on for you.

Emotions such as shame, embarrassment, worry of judgment, anxiety, humiliation, guilt, and resentment are all welcome here.
In this space, these feelings are held gently, validated, and provided with the opportunity to evolve into self-acceptance, trust, and safety.

If you had the chance to be in such an environment, what would you discuss? What aspects of yourself do you keep hidden? What healing do you deny yourself?

This kind of space is absolutely achievable. You don’t have to bury your past or present experiences; healing is possible with the right support.
If you’re contemplating starting your journey into therapy, feel free to DM me.

01/08/2024

This poem really spoke to me recently about what I seek to provide.
Counselling isn’t all about polished techniques and expert knowledge. Counselling is a place you can feel emotionally held; a place where you can feel acceptance, warmth, compassion and safety.
When we feel safe and understood and cared for, we can feel more able to look at darkness, the difficulties, the challenges; we can recognise our own internal strength and build on our self compassion.

🤍

Contact me
Jess.youmatter@outlook.com

29/07/2024

We can work through things without ignoring what’s happened.

We don’t have to deny or distort our realities.

There is nothing ‘wrong with you’ if you acknowledge the existence of something life altering.

By creating a safe space to talk, you’re not amplifying, rather, you’re taking a compassionate step towards healing and understanding

🤍