Counselling PracticE
Meet Our Associate Therapists
At The Hill Counselling Practice in Padiham, we believe that the relationship you have with your therapist is key to you getting the most out of your sessions.
You might click straight away, take your time or find you don't click at all - that's ok!
You'll find that all of our therapists offer a no-obligation consultation as a way of exploring what it is that brings you to therapy, whether therapy can help and to establish a sense of whether you'll ‘click’.
Why Choose Us?
Counselling & Psychotherapy is an unregulated profession meaning that there may be therapists working as counsellors after only completing a short course.
At The Hill Counselling Practice we guarantee our associate therapists are:
- Fully qualified
- Registered with a membership body
- Registered with the ICO
- Insured
We verify those details so you don’t have to!
All of our therapists work with a wide range of mental health issues; if you are living with anxiety, depression, relational difficulties, low self-esteem and more, our associates have the skill, expertise and empathy to help. You’ll find a little about their areas of interest and specialisms in their profiles below.
John Dawson
- Director | Counsellor | Psychotherapist | Clinical Supervisor
- PGDip’, MBACP (ACCRED)
John is a Co-Founder and Director of The Hill Counselling Practice and has over 20 years experience as a therapist. He has past experience working in addiction and IAPT services. In private practice John works with individuals and alongside therapist Zoe McPherson offers a bespoke couples therapy programme.
John is an Integral Eye Movement Therapy (IEMT) practitioner.
John is a gentle and patient therapist with a great level of empathy. He is enthusiastic about CPD, he loves to learn and glean knowledge from courses, books and other therapists.
Michelle Morley
- Director | Counsellor | Psychotherapist
- BA (HONS), PGDip’, MBACP
Director and Integrative Psychotherapist at the The Hill Counselling Practice, Michelle offers a warm, compassionate, and grounded therapeutic space where clients can explore what they’re going through at their own pace. Michelle's trauma informed practice supports people experiencing a range of challenges and life transitions, her specialist area of interest is bereavement, grief, and loss - topics she has explored through both academic research and lived experience. This personal insight allows her to bring depth, empathy, and authenticity into her practice.
Michelle's integrative approach is rooted in the beliefs that a) therapy is not about fixing, but rather about creating a space where clients can explore, grow, grieve and reconnect with themselves and life, and b) healing starts with self-awareness and she is particularly skilled at helping individuals identify and process how they relate, respond and behave in relationships*; supporting meaningful change from the inside out. As someone with a reflective nature, Michelle brings presence, sensitivity and depth to the therapeutic relationship that clients often need when facing difficult emotions. Michelle works intuitively and respectfully with people from all walks of life, offering a non-judgemental space where clients feel safe to unpack what matters to them.
Michelle is an Integral Eye Movement Therapy (IEMT) practitioner.
*not couples work
Zoe Dawson
- Director | Counsellor | Psychotherapist | Clinical Supervisor
- BA, MA, MBACP (ACCRED)
Zoe is a co-founder and Director of The Hill Counselling Practice with experience working in palliative care settings and women's services.
Zoe is a doctoral researcher in the field of bereavement, grief and loss.
Alongside John Dawson, Zoe works with couples offering a bespoke couples programme.
Zoe is a dynamic and client-led therapist who works with a wide range of difficulties often through a solution-focused lense.
Abby Hennessey
- Psychotherapeutic Counsellor
- BA, MSc, PgDip
Abby is an Integrative Psychotherapeutic Counsellor with a specialism in Transactional Analysis. She offers a unique nature-based approach to therapy, providing outdoor sessions in Burnley, Padiham, and Hebden Bridge, alongside indoor and online counselling. With a professional background spanning statutory social work, research, and public sector consultancy, Abby brings a wealth of experience and a grounded, compassionate presence to her practice.
Her work is rooted in a deep respect for the connection between body, mind, soul, spirit, and the wider ecological world. She has a particular interest in embodied, somatic, and creative therapeutic methods, supporting individuals to reconnect with themselves, explore what makes them feel most alive, and cultivate a sense of vitality and growth through a holistic, nature-informed process.
Amy Leeds
- Counsellor
- FdA
- MBACP
Amy places individuals at the core of their counselling sessions and integrates different approaches into her work, lending herself to a diverse range of people and issues. Amy's personal experience with Autism and ADHD has been the catalyst for her work with neurodivergent young people and adults. She leads with empathy and is committed to building a safe environment for individuals to express their emotions and explore their authentic selves. Amy describes herself as a perpetual student, passionately pursuing further education and opportunities for personal development.
Aniece Eddleston
- Counsellor | Psychotherapist
- BA (Hons),PGDip', MBACP
Aniece has experience working with young people and adults in settings such as sixth form colleges and wellbeing centres. Aniece's background is in international management roles and so she has an understanding of demands and expectations in terms of work/life balance. Aniece is a bi-lingual therapist (English and French).
Aniece is a keen photographer. This along with her love of travel and architecture informs her passion for interior design and she has a keen eye for interesting and quirky features.
Anna Bailey
- Counsellor I Clinical Supervisor
- BA (Hons), PgDip.
- MBACP (Accred)
Anna is a primarily person-centred counsellor and clinical supervisor with many years of experience working with young people and adults, coming to counselling for a range of reasons. Anna is passionate about working with people to help them understand themselves better and make decisions from a place of greater awareness.
Anna provides a calm and supportive space and has a breadth of experience working with neurodivergence, particularly autism.
James Marquis
- Psychology Coach | Consultant | Trainer
- BSc (Hons)
James has set up in private practice as a Professional Psychology Coach and NLP Practitioner and is also a trained in delivering Integral Eye Movement Therapy (IEMT).
When he isn't working, James can be found up a mountain, in a forest, playing games, or around a table having meals and chats!
Jayne Murphy
- Counsellor
- BSc (Hons)
- MBACP
Jayne is a counsellor at The Hill Counselling Practice with experience working with young people and adults. She has provided counselling in diverse settings, including secondary schools, a domestic abuse support service, and a family support organisation. In addition to her counselling work, Jayne has a background in business, having run a business for over 20 years. This experience gives her valuable insight into workplace stress, leadership challenges, and career transitions, helping her support professionals facing work-related concerns.
Jayne is a compassionate, person-centred counsellor dedicated to creating a safe and confidential space where clients can explore their emotions, build resilience, and work towards positive change.
Jodie Clark
- Counsellor
- BSc (Hons), MBACP
Jodie is a person-centred counsellor with experience working within care environments in addition to women's services. Jodie has experience of working in a solution focused way based on her role within EAP services.
Jodie has a young family who she loves taking on little adventures with their golden retriever Hank. A self-confessed bookaholic, Jodie also enjoys listening to music and podcasts.
Julie Haworth
- Psychotherapist | Counsellor
- PGCert (Education), MA (Integrative Psychotherapy)
- MBACP (reg.) NCPS (Accred)
Julie is a clinician specialising in helping individuals safely explore and resolve the consequences of psychological trauma. Her clinical experience spans a range of settings, including the NHS, charitable, and voluntary sectors, working with adults,
adolescents, and children.
Julie's main areas of interest are anxiety, depression and mood disorders; bereavement, grief and loss; narcissistic personality disorder abuse; childhood bullying; complex trauma; domestic abuse; childhood sexual abuse; historic sexual abuse; low self confidence; identity; post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Julie's practice is rooted in Integrative Psychotherapy, which focuses on supporting the integration of the personality, bringing awareness to, and healing of, abandoned, rejected, or unconscious aspects of the self.
Integrative Psychotherapy recognises the complexity of human experience. It draws on a range of therapeutic approaches, including psychodynamic therapy, person-centred, family therapy, Gestalt therapy, body-oriented psychotherapies, psychoanalytic self psychology and transactional analysis. Rather than relying on a single modality, this holistic approach integrates emotional, cognitive, and physiological, while also attending to social and transpersonal elements of healing.
Julie aims to support clients in developing a deeper understanding and acceptance of themselves, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Julie provides a safe, compassionate space where clients can explore their experiences, reconnect with their inner resources, and move towards healing and identity.
In addition to her psychotherapeutic work, Julie is a trained Reiki healer (Level II, Usui Shiki Ryoho), which informs her holistic perspective on wellbeing.
Sarah Cooper
- Counsellor | Psychotherapist
- BA (Hons), PGCE, PGDip'
Sarah is a warm and friendly person-centred counsellor, offering compassionate support for a wide range of issues including anxiety, stress, bereavement, identity, trauma, and the impact of abuse. She provides a safe, non-judgemental environment where you can explore your feelings and experiences at your own pace. Her calm and accepting approach focuses on helping you to build a deeper understanding of yourself and encouraging personal growth and healing. Working respectfully and intuitively with clients from all backgrounds, Sarah brings a grounded and steady presence, together with empathy and clear support, helping you to bring about lasting and meaningful change.
Suzanne Elster
- Counsellor
As a person-centered counsellor, Suzanne believes that we all have the potential to lead a fulfilling, happy life. For some of us though, traumatic or difficult life experiences can leave us feeling stuck, hopeless, alone and confused.
As a qualified therapist, Suzanne offers you the space, tools and support so that you can learn how to understand your needs, challenge negative patterns and develop ways of coping that work better for you. Through kindness and a judgement-free approach, she believes that you can begin to unpick and work through what's going on for you, finding new ways to move forward.
This might be your first time trying counselling and you might be nervous or not know if it is right for you. Contact Suzanne if you would like to talk through any questions you have.