Frequently Asked Questions

Counselling usually happens once a week, on the same day and at the same time each week. We will agree a day and time at the beginning of our work together, and I will then will then keep that time for you. 

Sessions are usually 50 minutes long.

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Some people find that this pattern doesn't work for them. If that is holding you back we can talk about whether it is possible to work in a different way.

If we haven't had an introductory call, then I will make sure that I introduce myself and we have the opportunity to become more comfortable talking together. You can ask any questions you want, e.g. about my qualifications, the way that I work, what therapy will be like.

 

I will go through some assessment questions with you to get an idea of what has brought you to counselling and what your expectations of counselling are. It is ok if you don't know what you want to achieve; we can discuss this together!

 

There will be an opportunity to look through our counselling agreement and to discuss how we will work together. 

Your sessions are your time, and it is important that you are happy with the way that we are using the time.

 

Normally I will ask you whether you have something that you want to discuss in the session. This could be something that has come up for you during the week, or something that is a priority for you to talk about. We might have also agreed to focus on a specific topic. 

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We might talk about: your relationships, past and present; your emotions and thought processes; situations you are finding difficult; your behaviour. ​​

Whatever you say in a counselling session is confidential and stays between you and your counsellor. However, there are a couple of qualifications to make to this.

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Every counsellor who is practising ethically and responsibly has a supervisor who they discuss their client work with. This is to assist the counsellor and to make sure that they are always working to the best interests of their clients. 

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There are also some situations when I am obliged to disclose what is said in our sessions because of a legal or moral responsibility. If you tell me about acts of terrorism, drug trafficking and money laundering then I am obliged to report this to the authorities. If a court orders me to release my notes then I have to do so. If you say something to me that means that I am worried about your safety or the safety of those around you, then I might need to discuss this with someone else, such as your GP, but I would always speak to you about this first. 

The results that you see from being in counselling will differ from person to person, and therapy is not  a quick fix! You might expect to see the following changes or results from your counselling sessions:

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• You feel supported and that you have a safe space to discuss the things that are challenging you.

• You feel better! You might feel that you have more capacity and can cope with challenges better. You might experience more joy and hope.

• You feel more! You might know the therapist cliche "How does that make you feel?" and it is true that counsellors generally encourage you to be in touch with how you are feeling!

• You are making changes (however small!).

• Things are becoming clearer. You might find that you become more aware of why you feel, think and behave the way you do, which is the most important part of 

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I offer open-ended counselling, which means that I don't set a limit on how many sessions we will have. If you have an idea of how many sessions you would like or expect, please let me know as this is important for us to bear in mind when working out what we might be able to accomplish together.

 

The length of time spent in therapy usually depends on how complex your challenges are, what your goals are, and how we agree to work together. 

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You will often hear people referring to 'counselling', 'therapy' and 'psychotherapy'. There isn't a formal difference between them, but the different terms are sometimes associated with slightly different approaches.

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Counselling often (but not always!) engages with 'problems of life' such as relationship difficulties, bereavement, questions around identity, stress, low self-esteem. Sometimes (but not always!)  when people speak about 'counselling' they mean a short-term or limited number of sessions with a focus on the here-and-now rather than exploring the past. 

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Psychotherapy is usually understood to be longer-term, in-depth work that helps us to understand who, how, and why we are! 

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Therapy is sometimes used to describe a particular branch of intervention such as CBT or DBT, delivered by someone who is trained in that particular delivery. However, it is also used interchangeably with "counselling"! 

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I use a mixture of these terms to describe what I do, and I was trained as a Psychotherapeutic Counsellor. If you are interested in finding out more about how I work and my training, please visit my About Me page.