Jolene Ironside
Integrative Counsellor
Jolene has been practising holistic therapies for more than twenty years, and over the last decade she has trained and worked as a therapeutic counsellor. She is a BACP Registered Integrative Counsellor for Adolescents using the Arts, as well as a certified Child Accelerated Trauma Therapist, Safe and Sound Protocol Practitioner, ADHD Coach, Sensory Intelligence Practitioner, and Hatha Yoga Instructor.
She has always been drawn to working with people, even while her early career took her through sales, accounting, and computer programming. Alongside those roles, she trained in holistic massage, reiki, kinesiology, nutrition, and Indian head massage, running a small practice in London.
When she became a parent, things shifted. She trained as a Relax Kids Coach and began running sessions in schools. She recognised herself in many of those children—the anxiety, the meltdowns, the feeling of not quite fitting the mould. Supporting them lit something in her that she couldn't ignore.
The turning point came after the tragic suicide of her brother. That loss was a catalyst: she stepped away from the "safe and accepted" career path and fully committed to the work that mattered most to her. She trained extensively, including with the Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education, inspired by the work of Dr Margot Sunderland. She qualified as a Trauma Informed Schools Practitioner and as an Integrative Counsellor to Adolescents with the Arts.
Her learning hasn't stopped. She is currently studying interoception and neuroaffirming approaches to autism diagnosis, and is working toward a qualification as an Autism Coach. This ongoing journey helps her to stay responsive and rooted in the approaches that best support the people she works with.
