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Frequently Asked Questions

Am I the right therapist for you?
The quality of how we work together is central. In order to get the most out of counselling/therapy you will need to feel comfortable talking to me and that you can trust me. Before you decide if I am the right therapist for you I suggest we meet for an initial session to find out if we could work together productively.

Are you registered?
I am registered with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC). I am also registered as an art therapist with the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC).

What should I look for in a counsellor or psychotherapist?
• You will want to feel comfortable talking to your counsellor/ therapist.
• You will want someone with a lot of experience in working with your particular difficulties.
• You will want a therapist who can help you to find your own voice to express whatever issue or concern has brought you to therapy. • You will need a therapist with the right and appropriate level of qualifications.
• In addition, your session will need to be at a convenient time and ideally somewhere that is east for you to reach.

How long is a session and how long will I come to see you?
Sessions last for 50 minutes. At the first session, we usually discuss how many sessions you might want. We sometimes agree on a fixed number of sessions or leave the therapy open ended for review at a later date.

What is the cost of therapy?
My fee is on a sliding scale from for therapy is £50-70 per session, depending on what you can afford to pay. The issue of professional fee will be discussed at the first appointment. Occasionally I can take someone who cannot afford a standard fee, a reduced fee is negotiable in some circumstances.

How confidential is the counselling or therapy?
All sessions are kept strictly confidential since I will not disclose anything you tell me, apart from the following ethical and legal points: ? As a professional psychotherapist, I will sometimes discuss my work with a qualified supervisor who will also be confidential. ? If I consider there is a serious risk of harm to you or to another I am legally required to share this information. Wherever possible, I would always discuss this with you first.

What is the difference between counselling and psychotherapy?

Counselling is primarily about the relationship that is forged between you and the counsellor. It is about feeling you are believed in and supported within a secure relationship where it is then possible to look at the most difficult of issues. Counselling is often a short-term intervention of between 10 to 30 sessions. It tends to focus on one or two specific concerns that currently make life stressful. Counselling can help by increasing your sense of independence and raising awareness of difficult issues. It aims to help you feel more able to make better decisions.

Psychotherapy looks in more depth than counselling to see if there are unconscious issues from the past that are influencing your present life. It also provides a professional relationship in which difficult or painful experiences and emotions often buried deep within can be explored. Hearing your voice aloud frequently enables self discovery that life with all its busyness so often prevents.. Psychotherapy attempts to raise your awareness of often unconscious emotions, thoughts and fantasies that may influence past and present relationships and points out how they might be resolved. Psychotherapy aims for beneficial change to deep-seated emotional issues and development. By raising insight, it attempts to increase your ability to make meaningful choices and decisions in life and seeks to promote your self -determination and autonomy. Emotional problems often reproduce themselves and are reflected in the relationship with the therapist. The therapy process thereby attempts to help you to identify these patterns. By becoming conscious of them you are more able to understand and develop.