The BACP describes therapy as ‘a safe and confidential space for you to talk to a trained professional about your issues and concerns.’ Good therapists will help you to explore your thoughts, feelings and behaviours so that you can develop a better understanding of yourself and others. They won’t offer you their opinions, or advice, and they won’t prescribe any medication. Good counselling is all about supporting you to find your own solutions, because that is far more powerful and long lasting than trying to do what someone else advises you to do. The success of any counselling is mostly down to the strength of the therapeutic relationship between the client and the therapist, and so it is really important to find someone you feel comfortable with.

You can watch a short video about what to expect from counselling here: https://www.bacp.co.uk/news/news-from-bacp/vlogs/2022/13-july-therapy-talks-an-introduction-to-therapy/

When life feels hard, talking with supportive friends and family can be really helpful. However, there is something special and unique that happens when we set aside time to speak, in confidence, with a trained professional who we trust and have a positive relationship with. It gives us the chance to focus on what is bothering us and work with a supportive professional on moving towards resolution. From coping with traumatic experiences in the past, to dealing with depression and anxiety, or managing harmful behaviours and emotions, talking therapy can help.

AI is an amazing tool that can provide answers to lots of practical questions. What it can’t do, however, is form a warm, genuine, empathetic and professional human relationship with you. The power of therapy is found in the human connection between the client and the counsellor, something AI can never fully emulate or replace. If you’re still not convinced, give them both a try and draw your own conclusions!

We can explore this during an introductory call, but in essence, I will be guided by what you need and want from counselling. Perhaps you want to work on a specific issue and have carved out a precious six hours of time to dedicate to counselling over six weeks. Or maybe you know you need to work things through but you’ve no idea how long it will take. Whatever your circumstances, we will discuss it before you start counselling and I will ensure you don’t continue counselling for longer than we both feel it is beneficial to. We will regularly review how you feel counselling is going and can explore extending or reducing the number of sessions you originally planned to have at any time.

Yes! I offer a free 30 minute initial consultation for both of us to work out whether counselling will be helpful for you. This will take place online and there is no pressure to continue with counselling after this point if you decide not to.

During the call I will introduce myself and tell you about how I work. You are free to ask me about my qualifications and experience, what to expect from therapy or anything else you’re not sure about. I want to make sure you feel at ease by sorting out basic things like cost, building access, timing of sessions, whether you’d prefer online, telephone or in person counselling, as well as any additional requirements.

I will ask you to tell me a little about yourself and why you are seeking counselling, including a brief history of the problems you are experiencing. This helps me to understand what it is you want to work through and sense whether I am well placed to support you through it. If I feel it would be in your interests to signpost you to a different service or professional I will always do this.

If you decide you’d like to go ahead with me, we can get a date booked into the diary for your first session there and then.

It usually works best to commit to counselling once a week for however long we decide to work together. It can also work to meet fortnightly, if that fits better with your life circumstances. It would be unusual to meet more frequently than once a week, as counselling requires hard work and emotional energy and often you need the full week to process what has happened in the session. Whatever the case, the more you commit to counselling, the more you will get out of it. People who come regularly are likely to reap benefits more than those who only come now and then.

I ask for at least 48 hours’ notice for cancellation of a session. This is so that I can make the most of the time made available in my schedule and offer the appointment to another client if needed. If you have to cancel less than 48 hours before the session you will be charged. If you are not well enough to attend in person, we can move to online or phone counselling at any stage.

I can help you with a wide range of issues you may be facing in your life, including:

• Abuse

• Addictions

• Anger

• Anxiety

• Bereavement,

• Burnout

• Depression

• Relationship issues

• Perinatal and antenatal anxiety and depression

• Feeling sad

• Grief and loss

• Lloneliness

• Low self-confidence

• Low self-worth

• Perfectionism

• Pregnancy and birth

• Social anxiety

• Stress

• Vicarious trauma

• Work-related anxiety and stress.

Integrative counselling is all about respecting each unique individual. There are many different wonderful counselling theories and methods out there and I don’t believe that any one of them is better than another so as an Integrative Counsellor, I pick and mix from many of them to tailor counselling to each client’s needs. In essence, what works for one person may not work for you and so I adjust and adapt the counselling around your needs.  You can read more about Integrative Counselling on the BACP website

Being in crisis means you are having thoughts about harming yourself or others. You may even have planned how you want to do this. There is always someone who is ready to listen and who cares about your welfare. 

Contact NHS 111 at any time to access urgent mental health support: Call 111 and select option 2. You can also go to your nearest A&E department. 

I am not a crisis service, and as such I do not pick up calls outside of my working hours. If you need urgent help, please contact the NHS. If you just need someone to talk to, you can:

Call Samaritans: 116 123 (lines open 24/7, 365 days a year)

Text SHOUT to 85258 for free confidential, text-based support 24/7, 365 days a year.

If you're under 35 and struggling with suicidal feelings, or concerned about a young person who might be struggling, you can call Papyrus HOPELINEUK on 0800 068 4141 (24/7), email pat@papyrus-uk.org or text 07786 209 697.

I am a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS). This means I have made a professional commitment to abide by the Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professionals. This informs the way I work with all clients and includes sections on confidentiality, GDPR, accountability, supervision and training. 

Supervision is a requirement of professional membership of BACP and NCPS for which there are many benefits to the client as well as to professionals. Regular supervision with a trained and qualified counselling supervisor ensures I am practising ethically and safely. It also opens opportunities for me to develop my practice so that I can continue to offer the best possible service to my clients. Be assured my supervisor is also bound to the Ethical Frameworks above and everything I share will be anonymised and subject to the same confidentiality clause.

I am registered with the ICO as I handle personal data, and I am also fully insured with Professional Indemnity Insurance which covers us both.

First sessions are all about getting to know each other. You might want to know more about what will happen in sessions, or how I work and I will want to ask you about what brought you to counselling (and it’s OK if you don’t really know what you want counselling for!) I will always go at your pace and if you don’t feel ready to share in the first session, that is absolutely OK. I will support you to work through your feelings and thoughts at whatever pace feels comfortable for you.

If we are meeting online, I will have emailed you the link beforehand. I meet clients online from my confidential counselling room. I will keep my camera on at all times, but it is up to you whether you want to keep yours on or off. It can help with non-verbal communication and body language to be able to see each other but the choice is yours and I will respect and work with that. Apart from that, it’s just like in-person counselling above.

Similarly, if you have chosen to have telephone counselling, we will go through the above. Please make sure you are also somewhere safe and confidential for your session.

My city centre therapy room is sadly not fully accessible for those with mobility issues. I don’t want this to be a barrier to accessing face to face counselling however, and can book out a similar room on the ground floor of the building which is also suitable for counselling. If you think you might benefit from using the downstairs room, please let me know in our introductory call. Of course there is also always the option of online or telephone counselling.

Rest assured, I take data security very seriously. I am registered with the ICO as I handle personal data and you can find out how I do this safely in my privacy notice