Frequently Asked Qestions:

Is therapy for me?

There is only one way to find out. If you have had therapy before and did not find it useful there may be a number of reasons for this including: timing, type of therapy or your relationship with your therapist, none of this means that therapy is not for you. Most people are suitable for counselling and psychotherapy, and where a type of therapy is not suitable a good therapist will be able to refer you on to another service or therapist.

What if I start therapy and don't like it?

I always encourage new clients to wait until they have had at least 6 sessions before they make any decision on whether to continue therapy, however you are always free to end therapy at any stage, there is no obligation to stay in therapy for any length of time. 

What is therapy like?

In our first session I'll introduce myself and explain some of the practicalities of our work: confidentiality, breaks, payment, fees etc. Then it would be good for me to hear about you, your past, your present circumstances, what has brought you into therapy and whatever you feel is important for me to hear. The first few sessions are normally about building a picture of who you are, an introduction to your life. Following those initial sessions what you wish to talk about is entirely up to you, what feels important to speak about from week to week. As the sessions go on we will, hopefully, build a relationship and create a space for you which feels safe, supportive and nurturing so that you feel able to speak and express yourself freely. In our sessions I will sit with you and listen to what you're telling me, ask questions or reflect on what you've said, I'm there to be with you while we explore what is going on for you now and what has happened in your past.

How often will we have our sessions and how long do they last?

I see clients on a weekly basis and each session is 50 minutes.

Do our sessions have to be at the same time each week?

Generally yes. There may some occasions where it is not possible but consistency is important in therapy so on the whole we would stick to the same time each week.

I don't feel particularly anxious or depressed but there are elements of my life I'd like to address or change, would counselling or psychotherapy be able to help?

Counselling and psychotherapy can help with many things, including what is sometimes called personal development. Perhaps there are elements of your professional life which are feeling difficult or there is a relationship in your personal life which is proving hard to navigate, therapy can help look at what sits behind these problems and help to address them.

How long are people normally in therapy for?

There is no set answer to this, it varies from person to person. Some people are in therapy for a few weeks, others for years, this all depends on what your needs are and what you wish to gain from therapy.

Is therapy confidential?

Yes. There are only a few, rare, occasions where that confidentiality will be broken, and where possible this will only happen with your prior knowledge. To ensure my work is ethical I have regular supervision with an experienced and trained supervisor (these sessions are also confidential), parts of our work may be shared in these sessions, however you will be anonymised where possible.

Will I become dependant on my therapy or therapist?

The aim of therapy is not make someone dependant on it, on the therapist or on any individual. One of the aims of therapy is to grow and strengthen our internal resources which, paradoxically, can come about by allowing ourselves to be vulnerable with another person. Allowing someone in, allowing someone to help does not make you dependant on them, it is an acceptance of the reality that we can't do it all by ourselves, and can be a sign of growing internal resolve.

I'm currently in crisis, how do I get help right now?

There are a number of charities and services who can help or guide you to the help you need, however if the need is critical please call 999:

NHS Crisis Teams

Mind Crisis Services Guide

Samaritans / Telephone: 116 123