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About Me

"I believe we can end relational trauma through building safe relationships including the ones we have with ourselves."

Hi,

                   I'm Jonathan Estwick. From the years 2013 until 2021 I practised as a licensed UK counsellor. Leaving counselling behind, at the beginning of 2021, I made the change to become an educator & coach for trauma survivors.

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What made me do this? As with most counselling journeys, let me start back at the beginning.

 

In 2008 I got an Economics degree and not long after my professional career in the financial sector began. While I was gaining experience in this field I began feeling dissatisfied by the continual pursuit of money. I noticed more than ever, my passion for helping people in the best way I could & as my growing curiosity about the relationship between our thoughts & behaviour was fuelled, I noticed that I was reaching a crossroads in my life. The feelings of stuckness and unhappiness were present emotions but even as difficult as they were they led me on a path of self-discovery. Throughout this journey, I began counselling in 2013. ​

From the beginning of counselling others, I also began to receive my own personal sessions which was a process that allowed me to learn a lot more about myself. One of the most pivotal discoveries that came out of my own sessions was that I not only had a passion for helping others but that I’m also a trauma survivor. 

 

This discovery was painful but as I began working through the effects of emotional abuse, physical abuse, grief & abandonment from my own childhood I began to uncover so much about myself along with the relationships I have with others as an adult.

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Some may call this journey healing through this discovery but it did much more for me.

 

I discovered my purpose. I learned more about the mental, emotional & physiological effects of trauma both in childhood & adulthood. I was fuelled with a mission to teach more about & help those understand the effect of trauma and its ongoing issues. But most of all through this process, I began to redefine myself & my professional practice.

 

When it came to sessions I expanded the times working with clients & also explored flexible ways of working. I moved away from being a counsellor to solely working with trauma survivors. 

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I am now married & live in New Jersey, USA. I am no longer a counsellor but remain as passionate as ever to support the interpersonal effects of trauma. My services are online so that I can reach a large number of people in the place they consider safe whether it’s their home, a room, or any other location that supports them. My work & my support is delivered from my personal & professional experience as a survivor, counsellor & now educator & coach for trauma survivors. 

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My Approach Through Services

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As a person, I’m reflective & caring. My foundation remains rooted in Person Centred Support. 

 

What does this mean? I put you & your individual needs first because there’s not a one-size-fits-all model. I always aim to listen & build honest relationships.

 

Discovering my own authenticity has allowed me to believe that offering a relationship where trust can be built, reliability, & non-judgement can exist is essential to the well-being of a person. 

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My approach focuses on developing safety in the following areas:

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  • Authenticity - Honest (yet respectful) reflection.

  • Boundaries - A support where boundaries are maintained & empowered.

  • Compassion - Receive genuine warmth & acceptance because all feelings are valid.

  • Diversity - Our diversity matters & our individuality is paramount to our healing.

  • Empathy - Understanding exactly what it's like to be in your shoes.

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Additional support includes understanding the brain & body after trauma. Moving through the effects of trauma requires a key understanding of the experiences you feel today & the root cause of them. The keys to building the best relationship you'll ever have, the one you have with yourself, begins with compassion, patience & honest reflection.

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My Professional Experience

 

Since 2013 I have accumulated over 650 hours of clinical experience. I’ve worked with children from age 8 to 18 as a school counsellor & as a community counsellor for adults. The areas in which I’ve worked in includes:

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  • Bereavement    

  • Depression

  • Anxiety

  • Identity Issues 

  • Self Harm & Suicide Ideation

  • Abuse - Physical, Emotional & Sexual

  • Childhood Trauma or C-PTSD

  • Low Self-Esteem

  • Bullying

  • Long term Illness

  • Domestic Abuse

  • Relationship Issues

  • Parental Attachment

  • Isolation

Additional Training

 

Learn what other areas of training I also have in addition to my professional clinical experience. Please see the below list:

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  • Rewire the Anxious Brain: Applied Neuroscience for Treating Anxiety, Panic and Worry

  • Attachment Theory & Self Awareness 

  • Mental health and the body: Treating Trauma

  • Trauma and the body: Dissociation and Somatisation 

  • Working with Trauma 

  • Working with Relational Trauma: Dealing with Disorganised Attachment

  • Adult Safeguarding & Child Protection 

  • Understanding Suicide and Suicide Prevention 

  • Working Therapeutically with Sleep and Dreaming 

  • Positive Psychology Diploma 

  • Working Creatively and Therapeutically with Children who have been Sexually Abused

  • Effective Facilitation of Therapeutic Groups 

  • Working with Young People who Self Harm 

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