What to expect

Deciding to seek help is often a significant step, and finding the therapist that best suits your needs is part of this delicate process. From the moment you make your first enquiry I usually offer a 15 minutes phone conversation, free of charge, to discuss your needs and answer any questions you might have. At the end of the phone call or after that, we can decide together whether you would like to book an initial consultation. The initial consultation will give us the opportunity to get to know each other and think together about your needs and concerns and what you expect to gain from the therapy. At the end of the consultation, there is no obligation to commit to therapy if one or both of us feel that my support does not feel appropriate at this stage in your life.

15 MINUTE DISCOVERY CALL

The initial consultation is an opportunity for us to meet and talk about your concerns, whether as an individual or a couple. It will also allow us to think together about whether you will find therapy useful, in view of your emotional and psychological needs, as well as more practical considerations.

For Individual Therapy: I recommend one initial consultation, with the possibility of a follow-up consultation if indicated.

For Couples Counselling: I offer to meet with couples for up to three initial consultations to allow more time and space for each of you, individually and together, to discuss your concerns.

INITIAL CONSULTATION

Once we agree to proceed with therapy, we would meet once a week at a time convenient for us both. Counselling sessions for both individuals and couples last 50 minutes. You will be encouraged to start the session by talking or sharing anything that is on your mind. There is no right or wrong way of doing it. Your thoughts and feelings are what matters, and we will be able to explore together whatever is troubling you in a way that gradually enables you to gain a deeper understanding of yourself.

The sessions

My fees reflect my specialist training and experience in working with individuals and couples. Please contact me to discuss them further. If appropriate, I can offer a 15 minute phone consultation free of charge for us to discuss your situation and answer any questions.

FEES AND PAYMENT

Consistency and commitment are important aspects of working together and fundamental to the therapeutic process. The therapy is a regular session that is reserved just for you. Therefore, once a booking is in place, missed or cancelled sessions, for any reasons, will incur a fee as my time remains reserved and available just for you. However, if there is a mutually convenient time to reschedule a session I will endeavour to do so. Please be aware that rescheduling a session may not always be possible, in which case sessions will be charged in full. If I cancel a session, you will of course not be charged. 

CANCELLATIONS

I am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP), and I adhere to their professional code and ethical guidelines. Our sessions are confidential between you and me, and I will not disclose any of your personal information to third parties, unless I am seriously concerned about you harming yourself or someone else, in which case I will endeavour to discuss such concerns with you beforehand.

Please read my Privacy Policy.

Confidentiality

FAQs

  • You do not need to prepare or bring anything to the therapy. There is no homework and no pressure for you to do anything outside of the sessions. However, you may find it useful to think about your situation and how you want therapy to help, whether you are coming on your own or with a partner. For example, these are some of the kinds of questions that we will explore together in your initial consultation:

    Are you being the partner you aspire to be?

    What will it take to close the gap between how you are and how you want to be?

    What is so distressing to your partner about you/your interaction?

    When things go wrong, do you take an active role in repairing distress?

    What are the concerns that have prompted you to consider therapy?

    Do you recognise patterns that keep repeating and causing problems?

  • Sometimes it may not be possible for both partners to attend therapy together. If that is the case, we can consider whether it may be helpful for one partner to attend without the other. We can also discuss your situation and think together about what would be helpful going forward.

  • It is impossible to say at the start of our work together.  The duration of couple therapy varies depending on the specific issues and the progress made. Throughout the therapy we will be able to consider and review progress and discuss when it feels appropriate to end the therapy.

  • I won’t tell you what to do; my role is to facilitate you in working through your issues and resolving conflict.

  • All sessions are weekly and last 50 minutes.

  • For individuals and couples having therapy, it is essential to find a therapist with whom you feel comfortable with.

    The quality of the relationship between you and your therapist is vital and, based on current research, this may be the best predictor of success in therapy.

    That's also why I recommend that we meet to discuss your concerns and to get a feel for whether we are a good match and whether you will find therapy useful.

  • Couple therapy can help couples address issues and work toward resolution, but it doesn't guarantee that a couple will ultimately choose to stay together. Sometimes, couples may realise through therapy that separation is the best option for both parties.