Sue Chiswell Jones

About Me

I have been working as a counsellor and psychotherapist for many years, setting up my practice in 1988. I have worked in a variety of settings: in a busy doctors’ surgery, in private practice, counselling the staff of Sussex Police and East Sussex County Council as well as running training courses in Counselling. I have also worked as a supervisor of individuals and groups since 1990 for a variety of organisations. My approach is Integrative which means I am able to draw on a range of approaches to provide each unique individual with the right support and assistance. I use traditional talking therapy and, if appropriate, creative art therapy, imagery and dream work. The priority is to create a secure, therapeutic relationship to enable open exploration and trust. I offer short term/time limited counselling and open-ended psychotherapy. Short term counselling is for people who wish to focus on a specific problem for a brief period of time. People often benefit from counselling after a significant life event such as relationship breakdown, bereavement, major transition, employment issues, etc. If difficulties are more complex and long standing, psychotherapy may be a preferred option. Psychotherapy generally takes place over a longer period of time and is usually open-ended. It will probably cover many aspects of your life such as your personal history, your present and past relationships and emotional life.

My work is largely based on the understanding that our earliest relationships deeply influence our ways of thinking, feeling and behaviour and until we develop more self-awareness we are unconscious of this process. Survival strategies that we learned when young may limit our adult lives or even prove destructive to them . When, as adults, we become aware of these negative patterns , we can then consciously choose a more positive approach to how we live and relate.