Frequently Asked Questions

Counselling involves talking to another person who is trained to listen and to think in a sensitive and particular way. As a counsellor, I will aim to provide you with a neutral, consistent and safe place that enables you to explore, process and understand your experiences, thoughts and behaviours. Together we can begin to identify any underlying issues that might be impacting you day to day. Your new found self-awareness can help facilitate change to take place in your life.

A free introductory call (either on the phone or online) allows us to better understand what it is that you're seeking and whether we can work together to achieve your goals. It will feel different to a counselling session as I am likely to ask questions to enable me to make sure that I am suitable to meet your needs. 

It also gives you a chance to ask me any questions. It is important that you get a feel for me as a therapist, after all it is me that you'll be sitting with weekly. There are no obligations to work together following the intro call. 

If we have decided to work together I will send out a working agreement that will outline how we intend to work together (online or in person) and the terms and conditions of my practice which I'd ask you to agree to. 

If we are working via Zoom, I will send out the invite a few days in advance of each session and they will be 50 minutes each week.  If we are meeting in person, I will send you the address, agreed time to meet and these sessions will also run for 50 minutes weekly. 

Whether online or in-person, the session is yours to use as you wish. It is likely that we will explore further your reason for coming to therapy and together start to understand the extent to your difficulties.   There is no script, there are no expectations...it is your space.  

As a counsellor I abide by the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) ethical framework. One of the important aspects of this code is confidentiality. The content of your sessions will be kept confidential unless I am legally required to disclose information or if there is a serious risk of harm to yourself or others.  If one of the above occasions arises, I would discuss the matter with you first. 

As part of the BACP code, all counsellors' work is supervised. Within this supervision, your anonymity would be protected.

The therapeutic journey is a very individual process.  I’ve worked with clients who started therapy in order to address a particular issue, or to reach a specific goal and for them,  a fairly short time frame has been sufficient.  For others, who are exploring a deeper issue, that person felt that longer time was necessary.

We will have regular reviews of our work together to check in with how we both feel things are going.  We will also always consider the ending of therapy (keep it in mind) so that you will feel more prepared and supported to end sessions when you feel ready.    

Therapy is flexible because everyone is different. As an integrative counsellor, I draw from different models of therapy to best meet individual client needs and there’s no one-size fits all when it comes to timescales.   

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy is an organisation that ensures that I have demonstrated how I am able to work safely with clients and have completed at least three years of supervised clinical practice. The BACP provides clear Ethical Codes of Practice for it's members which I follow in order to work safely with clients. You can find out more about them at  www.bacp.co.uk