You might be asking yourself “what is counselling?”

Counselling is a talking therapy between a client and a trained professional.

The therapist provides a safe, confidential, non-judgemental environment for the client to discuss their individual reasons for coming to counselling, and explore their thoughts, feelings and behaviours to make better sense of them in order to move forward. 

Unlike talking to friends or family, a counsellor will not talk over you, interrupt with details of their similar experiences, judge or tell you what to do. Instead, they will listen. They will use their skills to help you through your problems, help you see things differently and move through each session at a pace that is comfortable. Your first session with a counsellor may be the first time you have truly felt like your voice has been heard.

Whatever the reason, attending counselling is an investment in yourself and your future well-being.

Everyone is different and your reason for seeking support via therapy will be different for you.

Only you can decide whether you want to try counselling, However, if you are struggling to cope and are finding day-to-day life difficult, you may benefit from professional help.

Having a space to talk to someone confidentially, who is not a friend or family member can make a huge difference. Counselling provides a regular time for you to explore your feelings and talk about any problems you’re experiencing and how this is having an impact on your life. A counsellor can help you develop better ways of coping, allowing you to move forward and get the most out of life.

Every client is different so the number of sessions will vary for each person. The sessions will take place on a weekly basis unless otherwise agreed due to your personal circumstances.

I offer a FREE telephone consultation so that we can discuss your individual needs for counselling and your personal circumstances. 

Session fees are charged at between £40-£60 per hour, however concessions are offered to those who are unemployed, on low incomes, students, OAP’s. 

Block bookings of 6 sessions are £280 which means that you will benefit from a discount of £20. 

Yes, I offer online sessions via teams and telephone counselling if you’d rather not have face to face, in person appointments.

If you choose to book online sessions, I will send a link to your email which will take you directly to the online video call to start our session. 

Don’t worry, you’re not alone, many people aren’t clear in the beginning and they just feel like something doesn’t feel right for them. 

Counselling can support you to discover where the issues lie and this is a natural part of the process. In fact many clients come to therapy feeling they have a good handle on their issue, only to realise it wasn’t that all along.

The first session can feel overwhelming, you might be wondering where to start, don’t worry your not alone and there is no rush to get everything out within the first session. 

In the first session I will let you know a little about the way that I work and spend a few minutes going through a confidentiality agreement with you. 

I will ask you to complete a personal details form which will be kept secure under password protection to protect your data. 

Then we will discuss what’s going on for you and what’s brought you to counselling and work through the session together at a pace that’s right for you. 

Yes, Counselling is confidential and what we discuss in the therapy room will be between myself and you.

There are some legal requirements to confidentiality that all clients need to be aware of, for example if you disclose something that relates to Drug Trafficking, Money Laundering, Acts of Terrorism, Serious Harm to Yourself or Others or any Child Protection issues then by law, I would have a legal obligation to report these to the relevant authorities. 

The above limitations are rare, and you might be thinking “I don’t have any involvement in money laundering etc..” however, its important that clients are aware that they exist so that we can form an honest and open therapeutic relationship from the start. 

My role is to keep you safe so the above limitations to confidentiality are there to protect you and I. 

It is not always advisable to have more than one session per week as its important for you to have time in between sessions to allow you to process the difficult things that you may have been discussing, and give yourself time to reflect on the sessions too. 

No, you can get in touch with me directly using the contact details provided on the contact me page. 

I welcome referrals from GPs and other professionals to support you with your mental health needs if you are unable to refer yourself for any reason. I would then arrange a telephone consultation with you to discuss your needs and expectations for counselling. 

Yes! Counselling is available to everyone. You don’t need a diagnosis to be eligible for counselling. As long as your based in the UK you can book an appointment with me.

Mental wellbeing is something thats with you all the time, so its important to get help before you get to a crisis point so that you can minimise the impact of your mental health and wellbeing. 

I will welcome you, regardless of your culture, religion, gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, or employment group. 

Counselling and Therapy are the same thing. The wording is often used interchangeably. 

There are different types of therapy you have access to and as an integrative counsellor I offer  combined approach of CBT, TA and PCT which means that I have different skills and tools from 3 different approaches to draw upon when working with my clients. If you want to find out more about the different approaches please follow this link or contact me directly for more information.