Below are answers to the most frequently asked questions; if you cannot find what you are looking for, drop me an email or text and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Counselling is about creating a place where you can say anything you need to, in any way you need to, without worrying what the other person will think of you. Talking to a trained professional about how you feel and finding answers that work for you. Counselling can be very effective in helping you make the changes you want in life.
It is almost impossible to say! I offer short, medium, and long term counselling. We negotiate how many sessions you think you need at the start and throughout the work. Sometimes you only need a few sessions to work through a specific issue; some things take longer. I won't waste your time or money by offering counselling if I don't feel I can help or you could benefit more from a different service.
My waiting list is currently much shorter than most free services and I aim to reply to your initial contact within a day or two.
How quickly we can start work usually depends on both of our availability but I normally see clients for an initial session within two weeks of first contact.
Counselling can help with a wide range of problems. I have experience working with people on the following:
Abuse; Anger; Anxiety; Bereavement; Career changes; Depression; Gender identity and sexuality; Health related anxiety; Loss; Mental Health Problems; Redundancy and retirement; Relationships, Self esteem; Self harm; Sexual abuse; Spirituality; Stress; Trauma; Work and study related problems
Sometimes it is hard to put how we feel into a category. Sometimes we just feel lost, unsure, sad, fearful, angry or upset for no apparent reason. Talking over how you feel can help.
Get in touch to have a chat and see if talking to me might help.
There are many different types of counselling, and counsellors within these approaches are individuals too.
I work from a Humanistic Existential approach which means we focus on your individual experiences and choices to find the best outcomes for you.
Only you will know if you feel comfortable with a counsellor, regardless of the type of therapy offered.
You can find out more about different types by clicking the button below and feel free to get in touch to see if you feel comfortable talking to me.
It varies from person to person. I aim to provide a safe place where you can talk about anything you need to.
I work in a way that involves actively listening to you, trying to understand you, your world, and the changes you would like to make. We can work creatively to help explore areas that are difficult to put into words or we can just talk, whatever suits you best.
My role is to offer a relationship where you feel safe to explore these changes and start putting them into practice.
I take responsibility for maintaining safe boundaries in our work but you are in control of what we discuss at all times.
Counselling is supportive but can be challenging. I hope to create a space and relationship where you can freely challenge yourself and make the changes you want.
Everything you tell me is held in the strictest confidence.
The only time I would share what we talk about is if there is a risk of harm to you or someone else that we cannot manage in the room and anonymously as part of my clinical supervision.
There are some legal exceptions to confidentiality, such as child protection and the protection of vulnerable adults where I have a duty of care to report any risk of abuse. Wherever possible, I would discuss this with you before talking to anyone else.
My priority while I am working with you, is you and I want you to feel safe to talk about anything, in any way, without worrying about who I could tell.
Sessions are normally weekly, however this depends on your needs and availability. It is often useful to start with weekly sessions then reduce these as you need the counselling less. People will often 'dip in and out' of counselling, having an amount of sessions then a break, before returning to work on a new issue or to maintain the changes they have made. We can meet more than once a week if you feel you need to.
I appreciate that sometimes things happen that are unavoidable and you will need to cancel a session. I make every effort to be flexible and rearrange where possible. You need to let me know by text as soon as possible as sessions that are not cancelled with at least 12-hours notice or cannot be rearranged for the same week, will be charged at the full rate.
Counselling is based on a therapeutic relationship. While it is not a friendship, you need to feel safe, free from judgement and supported to get the best from your sessions. Not everyone gets on and that's ok. If you do not feel that you would be able to open up to me, I can suggest other counsellors or directories where you can find someone who you click with.
I am very open to feedback and invite you to let me know if anything we do isn't helping you straight away. I will periodically ask you to provide feedback on our relationship and how you feel counselling is working for you.
The websites listed below have general information on counselling and psychotherapy:
https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/what-is-counselling
https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-therapy/we-can-help/
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/drugs-and-treatments/talking-therapy-and-counselling
At the moment I only have availability for online or telephone counselling. Working online or on the phone requires specific training and I am a professional member of the Association for Counselling and Therapy Online (ACTO) which is an association for therapists and counsellors working online therapeutically.
We can work over the phone or online, or a combination of both, whichever works best for you.
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