From birth, the self develops along a continuous pathway of interactional relationships. We grow and change via a two-way, unending process of relating, which operates at both a conscious and unconscious level.
My Approach
I work with the belief that you have the tools within yourself to change and transform, and that through the empathic listening and support of a trusted counsellor or therapist, you can find the words to express difficult feelings and experiences – both past and present - without fear of judgement.
Through collaborative working, you will come to a better understanding of your current feelings, relationships, and behaviours, and how they may be shaped by your past experiences. I have experience of working with older adolescents (16+ yrs) and adults struggling with anxiety and depression; with those who have suffered loss and are bereaved; and with individuals who have suffered trauma and relationship difficulties.
Frequently Asked Questions
In a busy and stressful world, counselling can give you the much-needed space to process and understand your thoughts and feelings. It is not a session in advice-giving from an “expert”. I believe that you have the tools within yourself to change and transform and that therapy with a trusted counsellor can help individuals find their way through difficult times.
Put simply, I offer short-term counselling or longer-term therapy, depending on your needs and means. With a limited number of sessions, the work that I do with clients is more focused on the therapeutic goal(s) that have initiated their search for help. When working in therapy longer term, it is possible to go deeper into past experiences, exploring the unconscious and its influence on behaviour and decision-making, and the ways this has impacted your life. We will discuss what kind of help you are looking for during your initial session, and identify some aims or goals that you wish to work on in therapy. We may review progress at intervals to ensure your needs are being met, and to reconsider or adjust your therapeutic goals accordingly.
Each session lasts 50 minutes and we will meet on the same day, at the same time each week. This is your time to talk about whatever you feel is most beneficial from week to week.
I recommend committing to an initial block of six sessions, following which we will review progress. You may feel that this has been enough for you to deal with the original issue or crisis, or you may feel that longer term sessions would be of benefit to you. How long you spend in counselling or therapy depends on you: the challenges you are facing, your resources and commitment to the work. Clients can continue in therapy for several weeks, months or years.
Fees are payable by bank transfer on the day of the appointment or within 48 hours.
If an appointment is cancelled with at least 48 hours’ notice then there is no charge. I reserve the right to charge the full fee for cancellations if less than 48 hours’ notice is given.
The content of sessions is kept entirely confidential unless I feel that the client or someone else is at risk of significant harm and the client is refusing to take action to mitigate the risk. In these rare situations, I am ethically bound to break confidence to an appropriate third party. To ensure that I maintain a safe and professional standard of work with clients, I have fortnightly supervision sessions. I keep appropriate professional notes, however personal details are anonymised and stored securely in line with GDPR guidelines. I am a registered member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy – BACP – and I abide by their code of practice.