Changemaker of the Month: Jill Clifford
At Flourish, we love celebrating individuals whose passion for supporting others creates lasting change in their communities. This month, we’re delighted to spotlight Jill Clifford, founder of The Community Counsellor—a compassionate social entrepreneur whose journey is a powerful example of perseverance, collaboration, and purpose.
Jill’s Journey with Flourish
Jill first connected with Flourish after meeting Nickala through the Oldham Enterprise Network. Recognising Jill’s passion as an emerging social entrepreneur, Nickala invited her to a networking event, marking the beginning of a relationship that would play a significant role in Jill’s personal and professional journey.
After being made redundant from her teaching role, Jill saw an opportunity to pursue the path she had always felt drawn towards. Having already completed her Level 2 Counselling qualification and a teaching qualification, she continued her counselling studies while also teaching counselling to others.
As her confidence grew, so did her ambition. Jill completed her Level 4 Counselling Diploma, with Flourish supporting her along the way—including helping her secure a counselling placement, creating a win win which enabled Jill to gain valuable practical experience with clients. whilst a range of women from the Flourish Network accessed counselling support.
Jill also became involved in Flourish’s Time 2 Grow programme, where the combination of workshops, peer support and one-to-one encouragement gave her the confidence to establish her own social enterprise, The Community Counsellor.
“My passion has always been helping people access counselling quickly and, wherever possible, free of charge. Everyone deserves the opportunity to be heard and supported.”
Growing Through Community
Throughout her journey, Jill has embraced every opportunity to learn, contribute and give back. She has been a valued panellist at Flourish Mentorathons, sharing her experiences with others who are starting or growing their own ventures, while continuing to invest in her own development.
She credits much of her progress to the encouragement she has received through Flourish.
“Flourish has been instrumental in helping me get to where I am today. The peer support, workshops and events have given me guidance, motivation and belief when I needed it most. I probably would have given up a long time ago without that support.”
Some of the advice that has stayed with Jill reflects Flourish’s supportive approach to growth:
“You can’t rush a slow-baked biscuit!” and “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
Those reminders have encouraged her to trust the process and recognise that meaningful impact takes time.
Creating Inclusive Spaces
More recently, Jill’s own lived experience led her to discover that she is neurodivergent. This personal insight inspired a new direction for her work and strengthened her commitment to creating spaces where people feel understood and accepted.
With support from the Flourish network, the Manchester Social Economy Alliance programme plus funding through Flourish Soup events, Jill has established monthly peer support forums for neurodivergent social entrepreneurs. These welcoming sessions provide opportunities to connect, share experiences and reduce isolation for people who often feel misunderstood.
“The peer support has been so helpful for me personally. I now feel I’m working in a way that’s much more aligned with who I am.”
Jill hopes to continue these forums beyond the summer and is exploring ways to sustain this important work.
Alongside this, she continues to develop her counselling practice, with a particular interest in supporting fellow social entrepreneurs within the Flourish community.
Jill also helped to set up and manage the Flourish Together CIC Facebook Group Click here.
Looking Ahead
Jill’s journey reflects the power of community, resilience and believing in your purpose. Through counselling, peer support and social enterprise, she is helping more people access compassionate mental health support while creating spaces where everyone feels they belong.
Her story reminds us that changemaking isn’t always loud—it often happens one conversation, one connection and one act of kindness at a time.
Tips from Jill for Aspiring Social Entrepreneurs
Jill’s advice for anyone starting out is refreshingly honest:
- Give it a go. Trying something is often the first step towards building confidence.
- Move at your own pace. Don’t compare your journey with anyone else’s.
- Remember that you’re a work in progress—growth doesn’t have a finish line.
- Work with your own strengths, skills and the way your brain works.
- Build your network. The right people will encourage, challenge and support you along the way.
As Jill says, every journey is unique, and success looks different for everyone.
We’re proud to celebrate Jill and the difference she continues to make across our communities. We look forward to seeing her counselling practice, peer support forums and social enterprise continue to flourish, helping more people feel heard, supported and empowered.
Find out more
Jill’s next Neurodivergent Social Entrepreneurs Peer Support Forum takes place in July. Keep an eye on Flourish communications for the Eventbrite booking link and further details.
If you would like to find out more about Jill’s counselling services, you can contact her at thecommunitycounsellor@consultant.com.
