With Chloe Foster – Email Counselling Academy

Do you think counselling has to mean sitting face-to-face (or screen-to-screen) with a client?

Well, in this episode, I’m joined by Chloe Foster, founder of the Email Counselling Academy, who shares why working by email might be the flexible, powerful alternative you didn’t know you needed.

Whether you're looking for a way to work around family life, want to support clients who open up better in writing, or you're just curious about doing therapy differently — this conversation will get you thinking.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Why email counselling can be a lifeline for anxious or private clients
2. How it gives counsellors more flexibility (and fewer no-shows)
3. What actually happens in an email counselling exchange
4. Whether this style of working could suit your practice — and personality

🎧 Hit play to explore whether this quietly powerful format could be the perfect fit for you — and your clients.

Chloe Foster is the founder and principal tutor at Email Counselling Academy (ECA). They also have a private practice called Sussex Rainbow Counselling, founded in 2016, where they offer email counselling as well as video and phone counselling to clients.

With a first-class degree in Education, Chloe loves teaching and training. Over their counselling career they’ve trained hundreds of counsellors to become more confident working with LGBTQ+ clients through their work with the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS), Onlinevents, The Counselling Tutor, and several universities/colleges and counselling charities.

Today, having worked as an email counsellor since 2018, Chloe enjoys sharing the skills they’ve honed with fellow counsellors through their specialist training courses in email counselling at ECA which are mapped to BACP competences for OPT and have been awarded quality check status with the NCPS.

Find her E-book — Email Counselling — An introduction for Counsellors:

You can get 30% discount using the code JANE26 (valid until 30 April 2026)

Blogging can feel surprisingly confusing, especially when you care about getting it right.

In this episode, I’m talking about why writing can feel heavy and muddled for therapists, even when you’re thoughtful, experienced, and genuinely good at your work. If blogging has ever left you questioning yourself, abandoning drafts, or wondering why it feels harder than it ‘should’, this one will likely feel familiar.

1. Why blogging often feels confusing, not because you can’t write, but because you’re trying to hold too much at once
2. How ‘it depends’ thinking, which works beautifully in therapy, can make writing harder
3. Why trying to speak to everyone can leave you stuck mid-post
4. How confusion can quietly turn into self-doubt
5. What helps blogging feel lighter again, without forcing yourself to push through

This is a reflective episode, designed to offer relief, reassurance, and a different way of understanding what’s really going on when blogging feels hard.

1. Find out more about the Blogging Clarity Session (introductory offer available for a short time)
2. Explore more support for ethical, human marketing at janetravis.co.uk
3. Check out my FREE and paid resources HERE

If this episode resonated, you might want to follow the podcast so you don’t miss future episodes.

You already understand perfectionism. You’ve probably talked about it with clients many times.

But when it shows up in your own writing, that understanding can disappear very quickly.

In this episode, I look at perfectionism from a different angle – not as something that just makes writing harder, but as something that can stop you improving at all.

I share what happened when I first started blogging, why knowing the theory didn’t help in the moment, and the one goal that’s helped me keep going without waiting to feel ready.

If writing ever feels harder than it needs to be, this episode will make sense.

Want support while you practise, rather than pressure to get it right?

You can find out more about the Grow Your Private Practice membership

And for all my FREE and paid resources, check out my Start Here page

If you’ve ever wondered whether all that blogging is actually doing anything - especially when things feel quiet - this episode might feel like a deep breath.

Because sometimes the hardest part isn’t the writing - it’s sitting with the silence afterwards.

In this episode, we’re gently lifting the curtain on what might really be happening behind the scenes when nobody comments, nobody emails, and nobody says, “Hey that helped.”

And we’ll talk about the one mindset shift that can take you from anxious, second-guessing writer… to grounded, steady voice your future clients quietly trust.

In this episode:

1. The hidden purpose of your counselling blog (that nobody tells you about)
2. Why the quiet seasons can actually be a sign something is working
3. The subtle way trust builds long before enquiries appear
4. A gentler approach to blogging that feels less pressuring and more human
5. The truth about readers who never become clients and why that’s not a failure

Mentioned in this episode:

1. Buy me a coffee - support the show with a one-off thank-you
2. Start Here page - all free and paid resources in one place
3. Grow Your Private Practice Membership - ongoing support, hands-on help with blogging, and short, doable trainings
4. Framework First - monthly blogging support for £9/month

Do you ever wonder whether your blog actually helps anyone?

That doubt is common and it makes sense. Blogging is often talked about as “marketing”, but there’s something more important happening underneath.

In this episode, we look at how your blog can quietly support someone who’s struggling, and help them take the first step towards counselling even before they feel ready to reach out.

You’ll hear about:

1. why people wait so long to ask for help
2. how simple, honest writing builds trust
3. the everyday feelings clients carry but rarely talk about
4. how your blog becomes part of the work you already do

Your words don’t have to be perfect.

They just need to help someone feel a little less alone.

And that’s often what gives them the confidence to say, “I think I’m ready.”

Mentioned in this episode:

1. Episode 226: ‘Would I Feel Safe With You?’ How Clients Really Choose a Counsellor
2. Episode 225: ‘The Armchair Test: The One Quiet Shift That Will Transform ALL Your Marketing’
3. Framework First - monthly blogging support for £9/month
4. Grow Your Private Practice Membership - ongoing support, hands-on help with blogging, and short, doable trainings
5. Start Here page - all free and paid resources in one place

If marketing feels harder than it used to (especially on social media), you’re not imagining it.

So what is currently working?

In this episode, I’m talking about the quieter, more sustainable strategies that are actually helping counsellors stay visible and build trust in 2026.

After nearly 20 years of doing this, I’ve seen trends rise and fall. And I’ve also seen what holds steady, what keeps working even when the platforms, algorithms, or advice all change.

Whether you’re feeling a bit jaded with social media, wondering where your time’s best spent, or just want to feel clearer about your next steps, this one’s for you.

1. Why social media feels harder now (and why that’s not your fault)
2. What does still work for counsellors in 2026
3. How to use strategies like blogging, Google Business Profile, and guesting effectively
4. Why consistency matters more than doing everything
5. How to make space for visibility that feels grounded, not overwhelming

1. Buy me a coffee - support the show with a one-off thank-you
2. Start Here page - all free and paid resources in one place
3. Episode 230 - deep dive into Google Business Profile
4. Grow Your Private Practice Membership - ongoing support, hands-on help with blogging, and short, doable trainings
5. Framework First - monthly blogging support for £9/month
6. The Directory Revival - 1:1 support you to improve your directory listings so they lead to real client enquiries.
7. Episode 225: The Armchair Test: The One Quiet Shift That Will Transform All Your Marketing
8. Episode 226: “Would I Feel Safe With You?” How Clients Really Choose a Counsellor
9. Episode 216: Do Counsellors Really Need a Niche to Start Blogging?

If social media leaves you feeling drained, confused, or just not like yourself, you're not alone.

In this episode, I’m sharing a simple, free, and often-overlooked way for counsellors to get found by more of the right clients without needing a website or being all over social media.

You'll learn:

• What Google Business Profile is and why it works
• How to set it up quickly and easily
• What kind of posts to add (no pressure, no perfection required)
• How it helps even if you work online
• And how this one quiet action can help you build trust and visibility without the overwhelm

Whether you're just starting out or looking for a gentler way to grow your private practice, this is a great place to begin

🎧 Listen now and take your first step towards being found - calmly, sustainably, and in a way that works for you.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Episode 52: How to start your private practice branding on a budget with Laura Pearman
• Grow Your Private Practice Membership: Includes Quick Wins - short, practical training videos to help you take action without overwhelm (including setting up your Google Business Profile)
• Framework First £9/month: Your one small, supportive step towards easier, more consistent blogging as a counsellor without staring at a blank screen
• Explore more free and paid resources, START HERE

Do you need a perfectly planned-out content strategy to stay consistent? Or can you just show up, speak from the heart, and see what sticks?

In this episode, I'm joined by my brilliant friend and fellow therapist Sarah (aka The Binge Eating Therapist) as we get honest about how we each approach content creation — and how different those approaches are.

We’ve both been creating weekly content for year with blogs, podcasts, YouTube, and in this chat, we’re pulling back the curtain on:

• What actually helps us stay consistent (even when motivation dips)
• How we work with our personalities, not against them
• The real benefits of creating content beyond just “marketing”
• Why you don’t need a Trello board, a ring light, or perfect confidence to start
• And the surprising ways content has helped us grow as therapists and people, too

Whether you’re thinking about starting a blog, podcast, YouTube channel, or just want to share more consistently, this episode is here to remind you:

There’s no one “right” way to do this. You get to make it yours.

Sarah Dosanjh is a psychotherapist and author of the bestselling book I Can’t Stop Eating. After her own recovery from binge eating disorder she has gone on to specialise in helping others do the same. She has appeared on various media outlets such as BBC breakfast, Sky’s Roundtable and BBC Radio One, as well as amassing over 3 million views on YouTube.

Connect with Sarah:

• YouTube
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Life After Diets Podcast

Mentioned in this episode:

• Episode 225: The Armchair Test: The One Quiet Shift That Will Transform All Your Marketing
• Episode 226: “Would I Feel Safe With You?” How Clients Really Choose a Counsellor
• Framework First £9/month - Your one small step to easier blogging for counsellors
• And for more of my free and paid resources CLICK HERE