Frequently asked questions about therapy
I’ve answered some questions I think you might have at this stage. If you have any other questions, I’m very happy to answer them. Simply contact me.
Counselling is a talking therapy that involves a trained therapist listening to you and helping you find ways to deal with emotional issues. (NHS definition)
Therapy provides a safe and confidential space for you to talk to a trained professional about your issues and concerns. Your therapist will help you explore your
thoughts, feelings and behaviours so you can develop a better understanding of yourself and of others. (BACP definition)
Most people at one time or another. Some people choose not to, but learning about yourself, how you relate to others, and healthy ways of navigating life’s ups and downs is always going to be an advantage to you, and your loved ones.
As a therapist, my role is not to be a friend. Friends and family have a very special role in our lives, but this can sometimes make it difficult to express how you feel. I will help you to explore in depth who you are and who you want to be.
I offer you a safe, confidential, non-judgemental environment to explore, feel, express, and grow. We can certainly work with the symptoms you are struggling with and find new ways of coping, but counselling and psychotherapy can also be extremely rich and rewarding growth experiences that often lead people to deeper places of understanding and acceptance.
Once a person can more fully experience and accept their way of being in the world, the easier everything else is to deal with.
I can’t say it will always be easy for you, but I can say I will always calmly hold the space for you and guide you. You will have time and space to grow.
It’s really important to find the right match. Look at their qualifications, experience, their approach, their continuous professional development, their areas of interest and specialisms, and trust your gut instinct. You need to feel comfortable with them.
Make sure they have times that will suit your schedule, so counselling can become part of your life, while you need it.
Think about the level of experience you need a therapist to have. This is an investment in yourself.
As the law stands at the moment, anyone can call themselves a therapist, or a counsellor, even without any training. It is really important that you check the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy register for qualified therapists and counsellors.
The Register provides a valuable way to choose a practitioner who is competent and who behaves in an ethical manner. Those who do not are struck off. BACP members are qualified and have achieved both theoretical and practical experience.
You can find me on the BACP register here.
These are all generic terms that cover therapists providing a wide variety of psychological help. I am a Counselling Psychotherapist.
Yes, counselling is completely confidential.
Your first session will be an initial assessment session for us to meet each other (either in person or via Zoom online). I’ll ask you a few questions about yourself and what has brought you to counselling. I’ll tell you a bit about how I can help you.
This session is 30 minutes, free of charge, with no obligation to continue. If we both feel we’ll be a good match for your therapy then we arrange future appointments.
Usually it would be once a week. The sessions are 50 minutes. Daytime and evening appointments are available.
I offer appointments to suit you, with daytime and evening appointments available.
I can work with you either on an open-ended basis or for an agreed time period. It will always be up to you.
People come to counselling for different time periods, weeks, months, or years. You might need a short time period to help with some techniques for a specific issue, or you might need longer to unpick the root causes of the issues you are facing. It’s always up to you how long you come to counselling for.
You might revisit counselling more than once in your life. It’s always available when you need some help.
Your first 30-minute introductory session is free, so we can make sure we’ll be a good match for your therapy. Future payments are pay as you go before each session.
- Concessions available for under 18s
- Individuals – £60 per counselling session
- Couples and families – £80 per counselling session
- CBT and solution focussed therapy packages – fees available on request
- Business and Corporate packages – fees available on request
I will ask questions and we will take it from there, at your own pace. You’ll never have to talk about anything until you are ready. People often find they think they don’t have anything to say, but then are surprised by things that come up in our sessions. You don’t need to know how to fix things or what to say. I’ll be your guide. You can just turn up, as you are.
You simply contact me. You can give as much or as little information as you want to. You can just say I’d like to book an appointment. I’ll guide you through the rest.
Ask any other questions or arrange a first session.
Contact me