All ACE Tutors are experienced qualified Counsellor  practitioners with extensive clinical and teaching experience -  embracing the uniqueness of the individual and a passion to make a difference.

Level 2 to Level 6

Professional Accredited Ofqual Regulated Qualifications as an Approved Centre

Catherine Jones 

First Class BA Hons in Humanistic Counselling, MSc, PGCE (Post Grad), NCPS (Accred) MBACP

Founder /  Course Director / Counsellor Educator  / Clinical Counsellor and Supervisor


I am  the Founder and Course Director of Academy of Counselling Education Ltd - Not for Profit  and value remaining active in the teaching and development of ACE counselling programmes.


My professional background combines counselling and psychotherapy practice, clinical supervision and counsellor education. I also bring extensive experience of teaching counselling within further and higher education and of developing and delivering professional counselling programmes.


A strong therapeutic and educational philosophy is grounded in the Person-Centred Approach and creative teaching practice.  My goal is to inspire students to integrate theory, counselling skills, ethical awareness, self-development and reflective practice as they develop their own professional identity as counsellors.


I believe a counsellor's education involves more than achieving a qualification. Students need opportunities to develop the self-awareness, relational capacity, professional judgement and ethical accountability required for therapeutic practice.


Alongside my work with ACE, I continue to contribute to counsellor education and professional practice, enabling teaching to remain informed by contemporary practice and the developing needs of the counselling profession.


Approach to Counsellor Education


I take a relational and experiential approach to learning and particularly value the creation of a learning environment in which students can be heard, challenged, supported and encouraged to think critically about themselves, counselling theory and therapeutic practice.


A Person Centred Approach foundation also informs ACE wider educational philosophy, while encouraging students to explore and integrate a broader pluralistic approach and therapeutic perspectives as their knowledge and experience develops.


ACE strength lies in its people and values the collaborative, relational approach of the teaching team.

Meet Ace Team

Experienced Practitioners . Specialist Counsellor Educators


The relationship between student and the Tutor matters. Our experienced counsellor educators bring together professional counselling knowledge, clinical experience and teaching expertise.  Qualifications alone don't make an effective counsellor educator.  ACE Tutors understand that counsellor training involves supporting students through academic, skills-based, personal and professional development.  Meet our ACE team / click on the profiles to find out more...

Esther

Founder 

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Ashley

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Bev

Registered Nutrionist

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Fiona

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About Ace Tutors

Esther Hardie

Diploma in Humanistic Psychotherapy, MBACP

Tutor/Clinical Practice

Esther recently qualified as a Humanistic Gestalt Therapist and plans to continue further studies, either in CBT and/or to become an Integrative Counsellor. Esther works mostly with children and young people across Hampshire, teaches with ACE Course and also supports SEN students at a mainstream secondary school. Esther wants to specialise in ADHD, addiction and trauma, but is already realising that things can change the more she learns and the more different client groups are in the industries she works with. Esther is very outdoorsy and runs because she love junk food and has a horse and a dog.  Esther says "I'd  like to live somewhere hot when I grow up."


Fiona Davidson

 Dip in Therapeutic Counselling, MNCPS

Tutor/Clinical Practice

Fiona qualified as a counsellor in 2023 and has since worked for a South London based agency dealing with clients presenting everyday life challenges such as anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Fiona has also completed her couples training and is subsequently counselling couples. Since qualifying Fiona has embraced the endless opportunities presented in this line of work and is looking forward to teaching and being part of the learners counselling journey.


Ambi Williams

Dip, MBA, MBACP, PGCE

Course Director/Tutor/Clinical Practice/Supervisor/Trainer

I have a wide background of experience and skills along with a Post Grad Diploma and Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) in Health Services Management. My career history spans from working in the Department of Health, NHS and University settings. In recent years, my passion has been to make a difference to individuals, and this led me to completing my Higher Professional Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling as a Person-Centred therapist and working therapeutically with a wide range of clients from children, young people and adults both in school and agency settings, offering both long-term and short-term counselling. I have a desire to learn and completed my Level 6 Certificate in Therapeutic Counselling Supervision September 2022 and now offer supervision to both trainees/qualified counsellors which is a thoroughly rewarding experience.

 

Alongside this I am a trained mentor and coach and support individuals in achieving their goals and desires with one-to-one sessions. I have also completed a Certificate in Couples Counselling and hold a Certificate in therapeutic group facilitation.

 

Living and working in the Southeast of London, I am also a Director for Inside Out Therapies CIC and part of the Senior Management Team at The Rewise Project Agency where I have delivered a number of workshops. In addition to this, I hold a Professional Graduate Certificate in Education and Training and teach the Counselling course from the Foundation level to Level 4 at Diploma Level.


Beverly Watts

 Dip in Therapeutic Counselling (Pluralistic), MNCPS

Tutor/Clinical Practice

Bev works in private practice offering face to face counselling to children, young people and adults having worked in education for over 30 years. Counselling children and young people with SEND is one of her primary focuses following her many years of experience supporting those with SEN. She offers a person centred approach to counselling is fully supportive; working on respect, honesty and unconditional positive regard. 


Ashley Rawles

Tutor/Clinical Practice/Trainer

Ashley gained her Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling in August 2021 and now works in Private Practice. Whilst Ashley mainly works with adults over the age of 18 she has experience of working with children and young people through other responsibilities and roles she currently holds in Guernsey.


As a Person-Centred Integrative Counsellor Ashley puts the client at the heart of the counselling process whilst her working is informed by other modalities and theories. Ashley is passionate about sharing her knowledge and experience with those looking to take on helping roles in the Bailiwick. 


Ashley holds a Level 3 Award in Education and Training and has experience in teaching courses from Level 2 through to Level 4.


Ashley was born and brought up in Guernsey and is therefore very aware of the uniqueness of Island life.


David Poynor

 HDip, MBACP (Accred)

Tutor/Clinical Practice/Supervisor/Trainer

David has been working as a counsellor in his private practice since 2019 and achieved accreditation with the BACP in 2021. He specialises in working with adult clients from the LGBTQ+ community.
 
Since completing counsellor training, some specific areas of study have been LGBTQ+ counselling, addiction, suicide, shame, trauma, bereavement and compulsivity. David has also studied Existential and Cognitive Behavioural Counselling.
 
Before training to be a counsellor David worked in theatre. It was a love of connection and communication that led him to teaching. David enjoys being in the classroom and facilitating experiential group work.


Romilly Keen

 Adv, Dip, MBACP, MA, PGCE

Tutor/Clinical Practice/Trainer

Romilly is a qualified integrative, humanistic counsellor, combining Person-Centred, Gestalt, and CBT approaches in her private practice. With a teaching career that began in schools in 2006, Romilly initially taught science after completing a degree in Geology at Cambridge University—a subject that deepened her appreciation for both the intricate details and the broader wonders of the earth.


In 2015, Romilly shifted her focus to counselling, embarking on a deeply rewarding personal and professional journey. Her training has helped her to better understand and accept both herself and others, a process of evolving self-awareness, openness and compassion.


Romilly is passionate about counselling training and sees it as a privilege to accompany her students on their unique journeys. With a commitment to delivering high-quality education, she creates a supportive, engaging environment where students can explore, grow, and develop their skills with confidence.

Janette Penfold

Dip. Psych.C, MBACP, MNCPS (Accred), BSC

Tutor/Clinical Practice/Trainer

Janette brings over 30 years of experience working within the NHS as a nurse, developing a deep commitment to care, resilience, and supporting people through times of vulnerability. Building on this foundation, Janette transitioned into counselling, driven by a passion for forming genuine connections and creating safe spaces where individuals can explore, heal, and make meaningful changes in their lives.


Janette's counselling practice has included extensive work with trauma, supporting clients in navigating complex emotional experiences and fostering recovery. I have also worked alongside charities, offering counselling services to individuals facing diverse challenges, including those affected by loss, abuse, and social disadvantage.


In addition to Janette's clinical practice, she has experience in working with and mentoring learners and support in building confidence, developing professional skills, and deepening understanding of therapeutic practice.


Janette is committed to nurturing the next generation of counsellors by combining academic knowledge with practical insight, ensuring learners feel supported and empowered throughout their training journey.


Key Strengths:


  • 30 years of NHS nursing experience, bringing empathy and professionalism to counselling practice. BSc in clinical practice
  • Diploma in psychotherapeutic counselling with expertise in trauma, loss, and complex emotional issues
  • Experience working with charities to provide counselling for clients who have experienced abuse, loss and vulnerable individuals.
  • Skilled in teaching, mentoring, and supporting learners in education and in the workplace
  • Passionate about fostering safe, supportive environments for growth and change


Sarah Adele

MA Advanced Clinical Practice, BA Psychotherapy MBACP (Accred)

Tutor/Clinical Practice/Trainer

Sarah brings a relational approach to her teaching, informed by Psychodynamic and Existential thought. She is particularly interested in the layered nature of experience — how we are shaped as embodied, meaning-making, agentic beings by our personal histories, relational patterns, and wider social, political and cultural contexts.


Sarah invites trainees to think psychologically about symptoms, impasses, and emotional responses, and to develop the capacity to stay with uncertainty while maintaining clinical and ethical integrity; encouraging trainees to engage critically and reflexively with their own responses, recognising these as central to clinical practice.


Sarah's teaching style emphasises reflective practice, relational awareness, and the gradual development of professional identity.


Shelley Usher

PGCert Higher Education, MSc Applied Computing, BSc (Hons) Computer Science, Professional Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling Practice, Diploma in Counselling Skills and Theory, Certificate in Hypnotherapy and Counselling Skills MNCPS (Acc), MHS, FHEA

Tutor/Clinical Practice/Trainer

Shelley is a pluralistic psychotherapeutic counsellor and hypnotherapist with a broad range of experience supporting clients with complex emotional and psychological difficulties. Her clinical work includes supporting individuals experiencing suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety, OCD, the effects of childhood abuse, relationship challenges, and significant experience in grief and loss. She is committed to providing compassionate, client-centred support, helping individuals navigate and make meaning of difficult life experiences. Shelley has also contributed to the community through voluntary counselling work, offering accessible support to those in need.


Alongside her therapeutic practice, Shelley is a Fellow of Advance HE and an experienced Senior Lecturer in Higher Education. She holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning and has over 25 years’ experience teaching across Levels 3 to 7 within a diverse university community. Shelley is passionate about lifelong learning and is dedicated to creating inclusive, supportive learning environments that nurture both personal and professional development.


Maria Galani

 MBPsS, MSc, DPsych candidate. Psychotherapist, MNCPS (Acc.), MBACP (Accred)

Tutor/Clinical Practice/Trainer

Maria is an accredited counsellor MBACP, (Accred)., with BACP. Maria has been working within the mental health field for the past 13 years and has a background in Psychology. Maria moved to the UK in 2012 to complete her postgraduate training in Child & Adolescent Mental Health at King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience.

 

Following her MSc studies, Maria worked in schools and child mental health services in London for 4 years. She then started her Counselling Psychology and Psychotherapy training at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling/ Middlesex University London. Maria qualified as a counsellor in 2018 in a post-graduate diploma level. Throughout the first part of her training Maria worked as counsellor in training in the NHS IAPT services and charities in London.

 

For the past 7 years Maria worked within the workplace counselling / Employee Assistance field within the UK and globally. Maria managed a team of counsellors as a clinical lead and then worked as a Critical Incident Manager for the critical incident response service for an Employee Assistance Program and has a private practice. She has a specialist clinical and research interest in workplace bullying. Maria works towards completing the Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology at NSPC/Middlesex University. 

 

Finally, Maria has taught Psychotherapeutic Psychology, as a Visiting Psychology Lecturer, at Kingston University London at the Psychology department for the academic year between 2020-2021 and Counselling Theory at the level 4 Advanced diploma in Counselling at other Training Centres between the academic year 2021-2022.