What to Expect
If, after a brief telephone conversation, you wish to explore counselling sessions further, you will be invited to meet for an initial consultation. This will offer us the chance to think more fully about what has prompted you to get in touch and what you would like to get from the sessions and for me to assess your needs and consider whether what I can offer would be suitable for you. It would give you a chance to see what it might be like to work with me. We may agree to time-limited counselling of a specific number of sessions or decide to leave this open when work might be longer-term. After the initial meeting, sessions are 50 minutes and usually take place at the same day and time each week.
What is the fee?
The fee for ongoing 50 minute sessions is £55 per session. The fee for the initial consultation / assessment for counselling is also £55.
What happens during a session?
During a counselling session, you are encouraged to talk freely about whatever problems have prompted you to get in touch or whatever might be on your mind. It is the counsellor’s role to listen carefully and provide a space and relationship in which you feel safe to connect with, explore and express your thoughts and feelings. You will not be given advice, but invited to find your own answers, tell your own story and find more fulfilling and rewarding ways to live your life.
Do you offer a particular type of counselling?
The psychodynamic approach in which I trained focuses on the psychological roots of emotional suffering, with the aim of not just alleviating symptoms, but building the resources for a healthier life. It aims to help us gain awareness and understanding of those aspects of ourselves and our ways of relating with ourselves and others, which might have their origins in our earlier experience and relationships, in ways that may not be initially obvious. I draw on skills and thinking from other models such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Compassion Focused Therapy as well.