Appointments, How do I re-arrange or cancel an Appointment?
If you need to cancel please contact me as soon as possible in order that the time may be offered to someone else. Cancellations giving less that 48 hours notice may incur a charge.
Appointments, What times are available?
I offer sessions in the day time and evenings. The sessions are 50 minutes long and are usually once each week. Please call me to arrange an appointment.
Please be on time as it is not possible to continue past an agreed time of ending.
As a Client, how will I know what to do?
You are not expected to know what to do. I will ask you to consider the issues that are causing you concern and together we can explore your thoughts and feelings . If this is difficult for you we can use other ideas that you may feel more comfortable with.
Counselling and Psychotherapy, what is the difference between them?
The Guidelines of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) describe Counselling and Psychotherapy as follows:
“The term Counselling is sometimes used to refer to all types of talking therapy, but it is also a type of therapy itself.
Counselling involves talking to a trained counsellor in confidence about how you feel about yourself and your situation. The counsellor will listen and help you understand your problem. They will also work with you to find ways to deal with the problem better. Counselling is usually a form of short-term therapy.
Psychotherapy like counselling is also sometimes used as a general term for psychological therapies. There is no clear definition of the difference between psychotherapy and counselling. However, the UK Council for Psychotherapy considers psychotherapy to be more in-depth than counselling and able to address a wider range of issues.
During psychotherapy, a therapist will help you consider how your personality and life experiences influence your current thoughts, feelings, relationships and behaviour. This understanding will enable you to deal with difficult situations more successfully”.
Fees?
Individuals £55 / session (50 minutes)
Couples £75 / session (50 minutes)
How does counselling work?
It is the process of having a regular time to concentrate on yourself with another human being who is non-judgemental, and finding ways to uncover the source of your discomfort together, that helps. My role is to understand you and help you understand yourself. As you work through this process you will bring into your awareness possible resolutions.
How do we get started?
See my how to start counselling page.
How long will counselling take?
Sometime small steps can be achieved in a relatively short time say 6-10 counselling sessions. Deeper issues usually take longer.
We will agree the number of counselling sessions to begin with and review our arrangements from time to time. The number of sessions is individual to each client. We will agree a focus for our work together and this may change as the work progresses but only with your agreement. You will know when you are ready to end the sessions, and we can discuss this at any time during our time together. When you are ready to end, it is usually more helpful to you to make a planned ending in order that the issues we have been addressing are resolved to a satisfactory level. This ensures that you leave with a good sense of achievement.
We would review your wishes regularly and agree to working in a way you felt both psychologically and financially manageable.
What is Supervision?
In accordance with BACP ‘good practice’ guidelines, all therapists, no matter how senior or experienced, must obtain advice from another qualified therapist on a regular basis. This is known as ‘formal supervision’. During periods of formal supervision, I will only give your first name in order to preserve your anonymity.
Supervision is a necessary ethical requirement for all therapists. In supervision other therapists explore the work they are doing with their clients to ensure the client is getting the best help possible. The supervisors’ role is to offer another viewpoint and to consider the issues each client brings, also the supervisor seeks to ensure the therapist is fit to practice.
What will the outcome be?
When resolutions have been reached, clients usually experience a good sense of empowerment, raised self-esteem and a general sense of well-being. Life feels manageable again.
Where do you work from?
I work from the peaceful village of Dinton, near Salisbury in Wiltshire. For security reasons, my full address will be given to you after you make your first appointment. There is plenty of free parking on the quiet streets nearby.
Will counselling therapy be difficult?
Therapy is not an easy option. Clients often come into therapy when they are going through a difficult part of their life. Initially therapy can bring a sense of relief that someone else is able to understand you. Sometimes in order to feel better we need to work through a particular part of our lives that has been painful, so this can bring our emotions to the surface. If we embark on this sort of work we will plan together how we can allow you to feel safe and manage your day to day life.