Jennifer Chigwende, BACP

Jennifer Chigwende is a counsellor who helps people facing stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, parenting concerns, low self-esteem and depression. She works with straightforward language and a calm approach to make starting therapy less daunting. Her style aims to help people feel listened to and understood from the first session.

Jennifer values each person's own story and strengths. She uses practical tools to tackle day-to-day problems. Sessions focus on what is happening now and on small steps that can build confidence and momentum.

Her background includes five years of professional experience in the United Kingdom and registration with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP. That experience has included supporting people with panic, post-traumatic stress, workplace stress and social anxiety. She also has experience with adoption and foster care issues and chronic illness or pain concerns.

Jennifer draws on several therapy approaches to suit different needs. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills for emotional regulation and distress tolerance. Narrative and trauma-focused methods help people make sense of difficult events and reduce their ongoing impact.

Sessions aim to be practical and paced to each person. Jennifer encourages people to set small, achievable goals and to notice progress between sessions. She understands that taking the first step can feel hard, and she offers steady support as people work through change.

How her approaches work online

Jennifer commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which looks at the link between thoughts, feelings and actions. CBT focuses on spotting unhelpful thinking patterns and trying different behaviours to reduce anxiety and low mood. She also draws on Trauma-Focused Therapy to help people understand and process distressing events so those memories have less impact on daily life.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Jennifer will talk with each person about their goals and preferences, and then suggest methods that suit their situation. This is a team effort where the therapist and client review what helps and adjust the plan as needed.

Online sessions are available by video call, phone, live chat or text-based messaging to fit different needs. Video calls are useful for face-to-face conversation, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, and messaging works for short check-ins or ongoing written reflection. These formats make therapy more flexible, letting people fit sessions around work, family or health commitments.