Julie FosterJulie Foster

Qualified and BACP Accredited Counsellor, Supervisor and Coach

I have had a very busy and very fulfilling career as a helper in one guise or another for my entire adult life. ‘Listening’ to others has been central to that work, but really ‘hearing’ what they were saying is something I have only learnt to do properly since training to become a therapist. Many people ask me why I wanted to become a Counsellor and the answer is simple; I found where I am supposed to be!

Over the years there have a been a few pivotal moments that changed the course of my life; my own counselling journey produced one such moment where through the skilled help of a patient therapist I realised that all the tools I needed I already had within me. I have since then dedicated myself to learning how to help others navigate their own way to wherever it is they are trying to go, and to collecting new and creative ways to access the deepest recesses and release the inner knowing.

Training

To train as a counsellor we have to undertake many hours of our own personal therapy which many people don’t realise. I think this is so important as to take somebody to a vulnerable place, you have to be prepared to go there yourself and know what it’s like to sit on the metaphorical therapy couch, as well as to be able to simply sit in the mud with another person who is suffering greatly until they are ready to make their way out of it.

Specialist Areas include:

Creative Therapy, Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), Inner-child work, Narcissistic Personality Disorder/Abuse, Emotional Freedom Therapy (EFT). I work with individuals over 16 years and couples. I am currently in training for EMDR and IFS therapies.

I am an Integrative counsellor and I work from a Humanistic Existential approach which means we focus on your individual experiences and choices to find the best outcomes for you. As you are the expert of your own life, my job will be to help you safely explore your own thoughts and feelings and for you to work out your own solutions to your problems.

The way we do this will depend on you and the model, interventions, and tools we use will be a collaboration between us based on how you like to work and what I think from my experience, will help you the most! I like to work creatively but this is not for everyone and I respect that. Working creatively can shake loose some deep-rooted thoughts that otherwise can remain undetected yet operational and showing up in negative ways or behaviours in your life.

I am an Integrative Therapist and Supervisor and can support most modalities. I offer flexible hours and concessions for those on placement, or who are experiencing financial hardship.

Supervision is such a vital element of our work so getting the right fit is crucial. During supervision, we will engage in clinical support that is aimed at supporting the supervisee in working towards best practice, and encouraging growth and development within that. I do not believe there is a “best” way of supervising and thus I hold a pluralistic view, recognising that different supervisee’s need different things at different times. I like the analogy of a piano, where different keys (representing the full range of human emotions) are played at different times, with different tempo, sometimes wandering away from the comfortable ‘middle zone’ to the scarier extremes. I believe we are designed to experience the full keyboard and as Dr Brené Brown so eloquently said: ‘only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness do we discover the infinite power of our light.’

Shared decision-making is central to this, and in determining which method of supervision is most appropriate. My aim is that we can have open and honest discussions and that you will bring your successes as well as your mistakes (we all make them from time to time!), and to get curious about those sticky areas that sometime hold us back.

I am happy to have an informal chat initially to see how we would work together.

Certified NLP Coach (Birmingham Neuro Linguistic Programming Academy)
Certificate in Couples and Relational Therapy
Counsellor – Advanced Diploma in Integrative Therapy – BACP Registered
Supervisor – Advanced Diploma in Supervision (National Counselling Society NCS accredited course)
BACP Accreditation
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner

Registered General Nurse (RGN) Dip HE Nursing – NMC Registrant

Registered Midwife (RM) 1st Class Honors BSc Midwifery – NMC Registrant

Legal Professional Exam (CPE) Distinction

Barrister (BVC – not practicing) VC Grade – Very Competent, Member of Middle Temple

I am a registered and accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and I fully adhere to the Ethical Framework for the respective Professions. I am fully insured. You can find out more about the BACP and NMC and their ethical guidelines for counsellors here:
BACP – Find out more
NMC – find out more

Midwife of the Year Award (BWH)
Global Legal Distinction Prize for Best Student
BPP School of Law London – Chief Executive Award for Outstanding Achievement
Birth and Parenting Skills: New Directions in Antenatal Education, by Mary L. Nolan PhD MA BA(Hons) RGN (Author), Julie Foster BSc RGN RM DipHE (Author)

Face to face in Selly Park, Birmingham, or home visits across the West Midlands and Worcestershire. Online – accepting national clients.

I have worked in the NHS for over 33 years and has held a variety of roles including Gynaecology nurse, Ward Sister, Labour Ward Co-ordinator, and Governance Matron, through to Antenatal Educator, Governance and Risk Lead and Patient Safety Coordinator. NHS staff will recall the Mid Staffordshire Hospital scandal; I was drafted in by the Strategic Health Authority to lead the internal investigation and became a whistle-blower (before it was a protected status) to the Health Care Commission and therefore have first-hand knowledge of what that means. Since 2009, I have worked predominantly in Governance and Risk, assessing NHS Trusts against NHS Litigation Authority and Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts standards. Most recently over the last 8 years, I have worked for the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the NHS Regulator as an Inspection Manager, leading inspection teams and inspections/enforcement of Hospitals and other Healthcare Providers. In January 2023, I took early retirement from the NHS to focus on my counselling and consultancy work.

This extensive NHS experience has included working with, and being a whistle-blower across many different organisations. Whilst the location may differ, the fall out and immense impact of being in this position does not differ that much – it has the potential to affect every aspect of your life. I am now in the privileged position of being able to combine my professional knowledge and experience with my counselling skills and my passion to support those standing up for integrity, and thereby ultimately protecting the vulnerable.

I have extensive experience of investigations and complaint management within the NHS and I know only too well what a minefield this can be. If you are in the midst of a situation and require some clarity and/or some guidance, or if you would like a professional review of your records, or your complaint or investigation outcome, I may be able to help.

If you require support either counselling or coaching with regard to whistleblowing, complaints or investigations, I would be happy to speak with you to see how I may be able to help. I also have a network of professionals I can refer to in the event you require more specialist support.