The counselling process
Types of counselling
Who is counselling for?
Issues counselling can address
Start of Therapy session
Opening times
What is Counselling
Counselling is talking therapy which allows you express your thoughts and feelings to me in a safe and confidential space within a professional ethical framework. You may or may not have been in counselling before or perhaps, had an unpleasant experience previously.
I cannot promise to make things better but I can work with you to understand what it is you are thinking and feeling as you talk me through the issues you have. All sessions are structured with a verbal and written therapy contract. Once agreement is reached, sessions take place on same day and time each week for 50 minutes.
As a qualified Counsellor, I can provide you with a safe and confidential therapeutic environment if you need someone to talk to. I am here to listen to you and accept you without any judgement with warmth because you are a unique individual. Together we shall work to try and get a sense of your needs whilst I apply a range of counselling skills and therapeutic approaches such as Humanistic Approach, Psychodynamic, CBT, Transactional Analysis and Creative Therapy to give us more understanding of your presenting problem tailored to best suit your needs.
Types of Counselling:
Telephone:
It involves structured therapeutic counselling where we speak over the phone.
Video Online :
This is as structured therapeutic counselling video face to face session that is carried out using a secure video network provider to work safely with you. I currently use Zoom because of its security. For this type of counselling, you will need to have access to either a computer/laptop or a mobile smart device that has an inbuilt camera.
Face to Face:
This is usually carried out in my therapy practice room. Due to Covid-19, clients are required to wear a face covering during sessions and use hand sanitiser which is offered once you arrive at the property before your session starts. Any face covering of your choice is fine however, for comfort a clear face shield visor is recommended. A temperature scan would be taken to ensure it is safe to allow you have your sessions as precaution to ensure you do not have any flu-like and Covid-19 symptoms. If however, you think you might have symptoms of Covid-19 or the flu, you are advised to stay at home and self-isolate for 14 days. For more information about safety measures for face to face during sessions, see Covid-19 Update
Who is counselling for?
Counselling can be accessed by anyone experiencing difficulties emotionally and psychologically. You are most welcome to contact me by email or give me a call. I work with:
What's on offer?
Once you feel comfortable to proceed having me as your counsellor, we can negotiate payments and methods of counselling you would prefer either video online counselling or telephone counselling. I can offer you therapy sessions that are short term or long term as we aim to work towards your goals which we would review and agree together. However if you feel you would like to end sooner before your agreed sessions, we can review this also. For therapy to be effective, I would like to ask that clients commit to an initial 6 sessions after which we can review the contract to see if they still want to proceed. Book Now for a free assessment
Opening Times
Click on Fees menu to find out about rates and payments.
Referral Method and Initial Assessment:
This is a self-referral service. Once I have received your referral either by telephone or email, I shall contact you for an initial telephone assessment which is free and lasting up to 15 minutes. This is just to give me an idea what your needs are and if you are suitable to my skills set using an integrative model. However, if your presenting problem is not within my proficiency, I am happy to suggest referral to a specialist service i.e. GP or Mental Health professional.
Issues counselling can adderss
Start of Therapy session:
Counselling/therapy within my private practice involves you talking to me about whatever has made you want to access counselling. I would look at this in a detailed assessment session as we agree a working contract. As I follow you in your counselling journey, I would ask personal questions designed to help me understand what therapeutic approach I can use with you and gain a clearer pictures of your problem. It would also involve me obtaining your personal data and sensitive information. Please click on the Privacy Notice menu bar for details on how your data is being used during therapy.
Our discussion would focus on how you are feeling and what you would like to talk about. Sessions would feel sometimes challenging because it might bring up painful and sometime uncomfortable feelings for you. It might make you feel sad, frustrated, angry and you will experience a variety of feelings but know that I would be with you throughout your counselling journey. We can talk about anything you want to address which could include:
As previously stated, I do not provide an advice service however, I believe we can work together as we look at what issues you would like to address and explore as I listen in a non-judgement way. Using open-ended questions, I will try to understand your views and gain more clarity so I can tailor my modality to meet your needs which would help you formulate your own solutions to your problems so you can achieve your goals.
COVID-19 UPDATE
Face to Face Counselling will resume from September 2020. Clients would be expected to follow safety measures put in place. Clients would be expected to follow safety measures put in place. Please do not show up for your session if you suspect you might have flu-like symptoms of Covid-19. The therapy room would be thoroughly sanitised and ventilated before and after each therapy session. Please ensure that you are wearing a face covering upon arrival.
