Josephine Hughes
Counsellor and Mentor
Hi, I’m Josephine. After I qualified as a counsellor I wanted to find paid work but discovered there were very few opportunities. It was frustrating to be fully qualified but only able to counsel people as a volunteer. Private practice seemed the way forward but I had no idea where to start. It all felt a bit overwhelming. I was worried about making mistakes. I’d look at other people in private practice and think they were far more experienced than me and I’d never get clients.
I needed someone to encourage and and guide me through the process, and once I got started I didn’t look back. I ran a successful private practice for over ten years and I’d like to share the help I received with you.
About Me
When I wanted to build my private practice, I had to learn a whole new set of skills. I had to learn to shoulder the scary responsibility of running my own business. I had to learn to look after myself and stop worrying about whether I was good enough so that I could build and sustain my practice for my clients.
Counsellors are not taught how to find clients. That means that people are missing out on the help they desperately need. I’m passionate about helping counsellors and clients to find each other.
Experience
Having my children
Having my children changed my life in unexpected ways. I’d expected to enjoy motherhood but I soon found that I needed something to occupy my mind.
I discovered the best way to survive small children was through the support and company of other parents.
You know what they say: “It takes a village to raise a child.” Support and community are crucial in the early years of raising children.
I began to volunteer with my local NCT group and within a few years, I trained to be an antenatal teacher. I did everything from booking in clients to creating and teaching the content of courses. Working with people who were experiencing the transition to parenthood led me to train in counselling.
Once I’d qualified as a counsellor I was keen to work and with help I established my successful private practice which I ran for over ten years.
Those years showed me it is possible to make a difference to your life. It is possible when things aren’t working to make a change. It taught me it is possible to step out into the unknown of self-employment and survive, especially when you have good support. Even in business: “It takes a village!”
My personal journey has been to discover that I am enough. I don’t need anyone or anything to prove it to me.
Working with a business coach
Working with a coach opened my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities. It led to the formation of my company called The Good Enough Mum. It helped me to discover my voice and my contribution to the world. It has given me the confidence and the skills to reach out to people.
Working with a mentor means achieving more than is possible by ourselves. It helps so much to have the support of someone you can turn to, someone who’s been there, done it and knows the pitfalls, and someone who will hold you accountable.
In 2015 my family circumstances changed in a completely unexpected way.
This was both a shock and a great gift. It emphasised the truth that we cannot choose our circumstances but we can choose our attitude. Finding out that the future was not as I expected was both a cause for grief and an opportunity to develop new coping skills. It gave me greater confidence because I discovered my inner strength. I learned to focus on what was really important to me in life and it changed my mindset from being concerned with problems to one of seeing the opportunities in life’s challenges.
Connect with me on Social Media
You can find me on Facebook and Instagram where I share posts about feeling good enough and running a private practice.
In addition, I run the Good Enough Counsellors Facebook group dedicated to encouraging counsellors in their practice. It is unique in the counselling community as it is carefully moderated to enable people to share their fears in a safe space. There is an emphasis on self-care that many members find very supportive.
On YouTube and Vimeo I share video training about private practice marketing and the ways to tackle feelings of not being good enough.
On LinkedIn I connect with other professionals and share insights about being the Mum of transgender daughters.
Subscribe
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