What to expect
You can expect a safe and confidential setting where I will listen carefully to what you have to say without judgment. I will seek to understand your thoughts, feelings and experiences, offering a new perspective to your situation. We will work together, using our relationship to bring about increased self-awareness from which healing and change can occur.
First session
Research shows that the relationship between the client and therapist is crucial so our first session gives us both an opportunity to decide whether we think we are a good fit. I may ask you some questions about what has brought you to counselling and your expectations for therapy. In rare circumstances we may agree that you would be better suited to a different therapist, or a more specialist service. In such occasions I will do my best to signpost you in the right direction.
What will we talk about?
If you haven’t experienced counselling before, it can seem a bit daunting to think about what you will talk about with your counsellor. You may have a specific issue in mind, a combination of many issues or sometimes it can be hard to pin down and define exactly what it is that brings you to seek counselling, you just know that something doesn’t feel quite right. All of these concerns can feel overwhelming so I will work with you to help you gain clarity as to what it is you want from your sessions.
How long will it take?
Once we have met and we feel we would like to work together, we commit to meet weekly for a duration of 50 minutes. The therapy is open-ended which means we work together for as long as you feel is right for you. We will go at your own pace, sometimes this means just a few sessions is enough and for others it may take months or even years. Everyone is different.
What is the difference between counselling & psychotherapy?
The terms, ‘counselling’ and ‘psychotherapy’ can be used interchangeably, however there are differences that I will attempt to clarify. With counselling, the focus tends to be on what is happening to you in the present rather than exploring deeper into your childhood or past. Generally speaking, psychotherapy tends to be more in-depth and can be effective when working with complex mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress symptoms, anxiety and depression. I am trained as both a counsellor and psychotherapist so am able to respond to your own individual requirements without the need for you to choose in advance the type of therapy you think will be right for you.
