Your Questions Answered
What kind of issues do you work with?
We work with people who want to cope better with difficulties such as:
- Abuse,
- Addictions,
- Anxiety,
- Bereavement and Loss,
- Childhood Experiences,
- Depression and Low Mood,
- Eating Disorders,
- Emotional Difficulties,
- Low Self-Esteem,
- Life Transitions,
- Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention of Depression,
- Panic Attacks,
- Personality Disorders (Emotionally Unstable/Borderline Type),
- Relationship and Family Difficulties,
- Self-Harm,
- Sexuality,
- Stress,
- Substance Abuse,
- Spirituality and Religion,
- Trauma.
These are just some of the areas in which we work, or have worked with, but is not an exhaustive list. Please contact your therapist of choice if you would like any further clarification.
What happens at the first appointment?
The first appointment will be an assessment session and will be an opportunity for you to outline the nature of your issue(s), ask questions and to see if you feel comfortable working with me. This part of the process is very important, because in order for the therapeutic relationship to work, there needs to be mutual trust and openness. If you feel that you want to work with me, then we can plan further appointments.
How many sessions will I need?
This varies considerably. We provide both short-term and open-ended therapy. Many clients have found it helpful to commit to 6 sessions at the start. This will be discussed at the initial assessment and reviewed regularly.
How long does each session last?
Each session lasts for 50 minutes. Couple counselling sessions might be longer.
Can I bring my partner or friend?
We believe that the best counselling environment is one in which there is total privacy. Sometimes a therapy session may cause the client to recall buried events or emotions and this would be best expressed privately and in confidence, so for this reason we see the client alone.
Are you insured?
Yes, we have professional liability insurance. We also have a recent CRB check available to view on request.
Are you a member of a professional body?
Yes, we are registered members of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and are governed by their ethical framework, which can be viewed here. BACP is the first organisation to have its register of counsellors and psychotherapists assessed and accredited under a new scheme set up by the Department of Health. We have regular supervision and continue to enhance our skills by means of continued professional development.
How can I arrange counselling for a family member or a friend?
You can't. A person cannot be 'sent' for counselling. They must wish to use the service and make the approach themselves.
What is your cancellation policy?
If a client wishes to cancel or re-schedule an appointment, they must give an advance notice. Our policy allows for 6 holiday absences a year and we request at least two weeks’ notice ahead of any scheduled holidays. If a client wishes to cancel any other sessions a week’s notice is requested and an alternative day and time will be sought to re-arrange wherever possible.
What types of counselling and therapy do you provide?
Whatever your current difficulty, our training and experience gives us a choice of possible approaches from the structured and logical to the more fluid, creative and intuitive. Your personally tailored counselling or psychotherapy with us may include integrative aspects of the following approaches:
Person-Centred Counselling aims to create a comfortable, non-judgmental environment by demonstrating genuineness, empathy and unconditional positive regard toward clients. This aids clients in finding their own solutions to their problems. Of crucial importance to this approach to counselling is the therapeutic relationship as a co-creation, involving both client and therapist.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is a more structured, logical therapy which explores the way our thoughts, beliefs and perceptions of our experience affect our mood and behaviour. It works to identify, challenge and change negative thought patterns and alter unhelpful behaviours.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a specialist treatment for people who experience overwhelming emotions and for those living with Borderline Personality Disorder. DBT offers a research-supported treatment, which combines cognitive behavioural theory (CBT) and methods with mindfulness principles and practices, designed to address problems in regulating emotions, behaviours and thinking.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for Couples is based on scientific study of adult love and bonding processes in couples and is designed to address distress in the intimate relationships of adults. Couples seeking counselling to improve their relationships may find this method a beneficial approach, as it can help people better understand both their own emotional responses and those of significant people in their lives. EFT is interested in how problems are produced, not just why. According to EFT, couples have relationship problems when they are feeling emotionally disconnected at important moments. EFT reframes what on the outside looks likes negative communication into a client’s effort to get their need for attachment met. The goal is to help the couple identify, accept and share their individual needs and emotions with each other, and learn to spot when they are starting to feel disconnected in their relationship. Therapist's role is to help facilitate the creation of secure, lasting bonds between intimate partners and family members and reinforce any preexisting positive bonds. The goal is to learn how to interact with romantic partners in more loving, responsive, and emotionally connected ways, which can result in an increased sense of security, closeness, and connection in intimate relationships.
Psychodynamic and Analytic Therapy is a type of therapy where the client and therapist may explore the client's past and think about how events from the past may be shaping current behaviour. Analytic therapy can focus on repeating patterns that were set up in childhood as a way of coping with emotional difficulties and deprivations. The therapist and the patient work together to recognise their maladaptive patterns and then to revise and change the patterns. Analytic therapy is particularly helpful for helping patients recognise relationship patterns that continue throughout life and are difficult to change without help.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) was developed by Zindel Segal, Mark Williams and John Teasdale, based on Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction programme. The MBCT programme was designed specifically to help people who suffer repeated bouts of depression. The MBCT programme takes the form of 8 weekly classes. A set of guided meditations accompany the programme, so that participants can practise at home once a day throughout the course.
Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy - “Focusing” is about entering into a special kind of awareness, different from our every day awareness. It is open, turned inward, centered on the present and on your body’s inner sensations. When doing Focusing, you silently ask, “How am I now?” and work with bodily felt sense.
