From when you contact me to when we say goodbye
Choosing to start counselling can be daunting so if you contact me I will give you a warm welcome and do everything I can to put you at your ease and help you feel safe.
We can arrange a free, no obligation, 15 minute phone call when you can tell me about what brings you, any concerns you have and ask me any questions.
We can then arrange our first online session together. It is a chance to get to know each other. You can ask about the counselling process and how I work. I will ask you what brings you to counselling. Towards the end we will talk about how the session has been for you. It is a real chance to decide if counselling is right for you and if I am the right therapist for you.
If so, we will agree an initial number of sessions at the same time each week. We will regularly review how we are doing to make sure that you are getting what you want. If not, we will find a different way of working that suits you better.
We will agree what you would like to work on and get from counselling so that we are working in the same direction. Sometimes it is hard to know what you want to get from counselling and that is fine too. We will start working and your priorities will emerge as we go.
I work both short and long term depending on what is right for you. I can’t tell you how many sessions you will need before we start. That will become clearer as we work and we will regularly review where we are in the therapy. You are free to leave counselling at any point you choose.
When we are getting towards the end of counselling we will agree how and when to end. We will plan a good ending where you have a chance to reflect on everything you take from our time together and how you can build on that as you move on from counselling.
How I work
Counselling isn’t something that I do to you; it is a team effort.
I will not tell you what to do; we will work together to explore what is important for you. It is your agenda and we will go at the right pace for you. We will explore the things you want to change, understand or resolve and also build on your own strengths, resources and skills.
I will work hard to earn your trust and make you feel safe.
You will never be judged.
It is hard work for you too; it takes time, emotional energy and commitment. It is not a quick fix.
Our work is confidential and you can read more about that here.
I am an integrative counsellor which just means I trained in a variety of approaches which I can integrate together. You don’t have to fit in with my approach I can flex how I work to suit you.
I also work relationally. That means that I believe our difficulties mostly arise from our relationships with others or with our self. So, we will often explore what goes on in those relationships and in our sessions too.
I bring a person-centred respect for you as a unique person interwoven with ideas from other traditions such as mindfulness, compassion-focus and body awareness. If you want to – but only if you want to – we can also use creative approaches such as drawing instead of words. Don’t worry it’s not about being a great artist (you will definitely be better than me!) just having a play and expressing yourself in a different way.
I also work with warmth and humour. We meet as real people so, of course, there can be warmth and some laughing as well as sometimes a few tears.
I offer short term and open-ended counselling for adults online using Zoom. You can read more about working online here.