What is counselling?

Many of us push painful experiences, especially from early in life, to the back of our minds. Yet they can keep affecting how we think, feel and relate to others. Counselling gives you a safe, confidential space to understand those experiences and their effects, and to find new ways of coping.

Counselling usually takes several sessions, and it works best when you attend regularly.

What counselling can help with

Depression
Anxiety
ADHD
Borderline personality disorder (BPD)
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Bereavement
Eating disorders
Addiction
Phobias

Counselling can also help you manage anxiety, cope with loss, build confidence, and set and work towards your goals.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

CBT is a structured, time-limited therapy that focuses on your current thoughts and behaviours, and how they affect the way you feel. It’s mostly used to treat anxiety and depression, and usually lasts between 6 and 18 weeks. CBT can help you manage symptoms. It doesn’t cure physical conditions.

EMDR

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapy that helps people recover from distressing experiences. It’s best known for treating trauma and PTSD, and it’s also used to help with abuse, panic attacks, addictions, anxiety, depression, personality disorders and eating disorders.

Ways to have counselling

Individual: one-to-one sessions, in person or online.
Online or telephone: sessions of about 50 minutes, from wherever you are.
Couples: working together on your relationship.
Group: learning and healing alongside others.
Short-term or long-term: depending on what you need.

Young people

I also support children and teenagers, including young people in schools who are coping with change, stress or difficult feelings.

Practical information

Session length: about 50 minutes, in person or online, usually at the same time each week.
Cancellations: please give at least 24 hours’ notice. Sessions cancelled with less notice, or missed, are charged at the full fee. If you’re ill and give 24 hours’ notice, you won’t be charged.
Holidays: your session time is kept for you while you’re away, and you won’t be charged if you give 24 hours’ notice. I’ll let you know about my own holidays and training as early as possible, and try to offer another time.
Ending: you can stop at any time, with no pressure to continue. I ask for two weeks’ notice so we can talk about the ending together.

Your first session

In your first session we’ll talk about what brings you to counselling and what you’d like to change. I may ask you to fill in short questionnaires to help me understand your difficulties. Together we’ll agree a counselling contract covering how we’ll work.

Confidentiality

What you share is confidential. Like all accredited counsellors, I discuss my work with a clinical supervisor, without identifying you. The only exception is if there is a serious risk that you might harm yourself or someone else. Then I may need to inform your doctor or, in very serious cases, the police. Wherever possible, I would talk to you first.

Complaints

If you’re unhappy with any part of your counselling, please tell me so we can try to put it right. You can also contact the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).