How do I know if you are the right therapist for me?

It’s a really difficult question to answer! I believe that this partly comes down to the issues that you are facing and this why I offer an initial consultation to ensure that I have the skillset and experience to support you. However, I also believe that no matter the training and experience, a large percentage of what supports therapeutic change is the client-therapist relationship and how well we get on. I think it is really important to acknowledge that we are all unique and individual and that we will communicate better, or have a better dialogue with some people and not others. This is usually something that I will look to discuss in our consultation and believe it is for both sides to be completely open and honest about.

Will therapy help to solve my problems?

Life is always going to come with problems I’ m afraid, no matter what your situation is or what stage of life you are at. Many people come to therapy looking to be ‘fixed’. I really don’t like this term as it implies that a person can be perfect when in reality perfection does not exist. We all face problems and we all make mistakes and have our ups and downs. Counselling is about supporting you to grow and develop in a positive way and I believe that is a continuous journey. Once we learn what helps us to feel better, we continue to do these things and carry on learning about ourselves. You may come to therapy with a specific thing that you would like to work on (for example, a phobia), and we may look at ways of alleviating the symptoms of an issue or identifying the cause. However, we will also aim to take a greater look at what is going on for you in the here and now.

How many sessions will I need?

This is again something that is unique to the individual and something that we can discuss in our consultation. Some clients are looking for longer term, ongoing support, whereas others undertake shorter courses which can range from between 6 and 20 sessions. This is usually the average amount of time that a client will undertake counselling but the total number of sessions will depend on a variety of factors, including the willingness of the client to be open about their situation and their feelings and emotions, or a clients willingness to make positive change. Ultimately it is for you to decide the length and frequency of sessions to best fit your needs and budget.

Are sessions confidential?

As a counsellor I am a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). I adhere to the code of ethics outlined by the BACP to ensure that I am practicing ethically and safely. The content disclosed in the sessions is confidential, however, there are exclusions (for example if you disclose anything relating to anyone being harmed or abused in any way). These exclusions are set out in a counselling agreement which will be shared with you prior to commencing counselling. If I have any cause for concern which may require a disclosure to be made regarding any of the above, I will try to discuss this with you and explain any action I intend to take and why.

Some information from the sessions may be shared anonymously in the interest of ethical practice, safety and quality assurance. For example, I undertake clinical supervision monthly where I discuss my practice and some case work with my clinical supervisor. This process is strictly confidential, and if I discuss something relating to our work together, then your personal details are kept anonymous.