Jill Atkinson

BACP · United Kingdom

Compassionate counselling with cognitive behavioural focus

Experience

3 years

Practising in

United Kingdom

Languages

English

Session type

Online only

About Jill

Jill Atkinson is a counsellor who blends cognitive behavioural ideas with a focus on compassion and somatic awareness. She draws on experience from NHS and mental health settings and from facilitating groups on self-compassion and anxiety. Jill speaks English and works with people online from the United Kingdom and internationally.

Jill trained in counselling after a degree in Psychology and time teaching English in South Korea. That time abroad shaped her interest in how culture and society influence values and life meaning.

Background and approach

She later completed a SCOTACS Diploma in Counselling and Group Work - a Cognitive Behavioural Approach, which qualified her to practise as a counsellor. She has three years of therapeutic experience working across NHS and mental health organisations. Jill also runs group work on topics such as low self-esteem, self-compassion and managing anxiety, and she works part time as a group therapist.

Jill has continued professional development in Compassion-Focused Therapy, Transactional Analysis, mood and food connections, somatic techniques and outdoor therapy. She weaves these ideas into one-to-one work and group sessions to suit each person’s needs. In sessions she aims to help people notice unhelpful patterns, build self-compassion and reconnect with their body and values.

Jill focuses on practical steps people can try between sessions to manage stress, anxiety, relationship strains and life changes. She describes counselling as a chance to learn to trust oneself more, to make clearer choices and to live with greater purpose and contentment.

Work with her often includes talking things through, building new coping habits and practising kinder ways of relating to oneself.

What Jill works with

Primary focus

Also works with

Sessions & fees

How Jill’s approaches work in online therapy

Jill draws on cognitive behavioural ideas that look at the links between thoughts, feelings and actions. This approach helps people spot unhelpful thinking patterns and try small experiments to change how they respond to stress, anxiety or low mood.

She also integrates compassion-focused practices which encourage kinder self-talk and reduce harsh self-criticism. These techniques support people working through guilt, shame, perfectionism and issues around self-worth.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. Jill will discuss goals, preferences and what feels most useful, and then together they will test methods and adapt them over time. The process is collaborative and shaped by what the person needs most in sessions.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues, phone sessions can be used when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed, and messaging or chat is useful for ongoing support between calls. These options make therapy more flexible for different schedules and rhythms of life.

Session length	Typically 50 minutes
Client ages	Adults, 18 and over
Fees	Subscription via BetterHelp, cancel anytime
Insurance	Not billed directly

Questions people ask

What concerns does Jill commonly help with?

She helps people manage stress, anxiety, low self-esteem and depression. She also supports people facing relationship difficulties and life changes.

What kind of therapeutic style does she use?

Jill uses a cognitive behavioural approach alongside compassion-focused and somatic ideas. Sessions are practical and aimed at noticing patterns and trying new coping skills.

What is her professional background?

Jill has three years of therapeutic experience and has worked in NHS and mental health organisations. She also facilitates group work on self-compassion, low self-esteem and anxiety management.

Where is Jill based and what credential does she hold?

She practises from the United Kingdom and holds BACP credentialing. This is the only credential information provided.

Which languages are sessions offered in?

Sessions are offered in English and she accepts clients from outside the UK.

What session formats are available?

She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.

How are sessions billed and what do they cost?

Sessions use a subscription model that varies with location and therapist factors. Subscriptions can be cancelled at any time.

How do I begin working with Jill?

Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.