Meet Janika

I have always been curious about people and the world we create to live in. Not simply about what people do, but why they do it.

That curiosity led me to convert my studies in both Psychology and Criminology, after studying emergency medical care and partially, nursing science; when I realised our safety, survival and wellbeing stretch far beyond just our physical, biological and physiological needs and abilities.

That curiosity also led me somewhere far more important: It taught me that every person carries a story. Some stories are shaped by trauma, some by loss, some by crime, some by childhood. Some by all of the aforementioned, and perhaps even more. Some stories are carried by and through everything we have survived and conquered. And so many of us continuously carry experiences that remain unseen by everyone else.

My role is not to define those stories. Or tell you what should or shouldn’t be part of your story because those definitions do not exist in the language of being human. Those are not my stories to tell or to re-write the narrative on. I am honoured, rather, that my role is to create a space where stories can be safely heard and understood with curiosity for your wellbeing. So that peace may be restored for you, in spite of what has perhaps come to destroy it. Without judgement. Without expectation. Your voice matters and so does your story. Even if you might not believe it right now, or yet, that is okay. It would be an honour to hold that belief safely for you until you feel ready to hold it yourself again. 

And so, perhaps just a brief excerpt from my own life story:  I am Janika Cumpsty, a registered counsellor with the Association for Supportive Counsellors and Holistic Practitioners (ASCHP). My work focuses on trauma counselling, with a special interest in childhood trauma and inner child work. Alongside this, I provide criminology and victimology consultancy, while continuing to develop new lenses through which we view and approach life at the intersection of psychology, criminology and nature, specifically in the principle of nature conservation.

I believe all our stories have one foundation in common: They are all relational in principle - in relation with ourselves, in relations with others and in relation with our environments. Through my own stories, I am honoured to have experienced that when we are just surviving in life, through but one person holding that belief when we cannot; the belief that we are worthy and deserving of peace and harmony in spite of everything we (had) to survive; through that relation - we may start to heal, restore, again what has always been rightfully ours. In relation it has been destroyed and so it can only be restored again through relation itself. Through reconnection. Because we were never meant to just survive in life, we were meant to thrive.

Over the years, I have worked in different roles, including emergency medical care, counselling, psychiatry, victim support, multidisciplinary healthcare, different communities within society and the world of crime and all its dire consequences. Every experience has reinforced the same belief for me: 

People are far more than the hardest thing that has happened to them and restoration does not begin when someone has all the answers. Restoration and reconnection, for and with ourselves firstly, begins when we feel safe enough to share our stories. To have someone hold and create a safe space when we have forgotten what that feels like, or are scared to allow ourselves the permission for safety - safety that we all deserve and are at the core of our beautiful human existence.

Whether I am working with an individual, supporting a professional team, consulting on a complex case, consulting through the lens of criminology and/or victimology, or contributing to conservation, my purpose and hope remains the same - That Amani may hold it for you too. Restoration through relational safety and understanding of who you always have been and always may thrive to be.

If our paths have crossed because you are looking for support, or even if you feel very hopeless and unsure; I truly hope you know you are very welcome here.