Counselling provides a safe and confidential space for you to talk to a trained professional about your issues and concerns. Your Counsellor will help you explore your thoughts, feelings and behaviours so you can develop a better understanding of yourself and of others.

Any one who wishes to work on their problems 

Counselling takes place in planned, regular sessions which last for around 50 minutes. How often you see your counsellor and how many appointments you have will depend on your individual circumstances, and will be agreed between you and your counsellor.

The very first contact between us ,will be a 30 minute session either via telephone or zoom. I call this an assessment session, this is to find out if we would like to work together and to complete a few questions ,about what I like to call housekeeping ie contact details, GP details. This first contact is important for making sure that you feel comfortable with me and my way of working. You don’t have to continue with me if you can’t relate to me or don’t feel safe.

The first counselling session will cover:-

• Introductions
  I will spend a few minutes explaining how I work. You can ask me about my qualifications and experience, your counselling  or anything you’re not sure about. I want to make sure you feel at ease by sorting out basic things like getting comfortable, adjusting camera placement if using zoom ,what to call each other.  I will ask you to ‘tell your story’. It’s important that you feel you’ve had the opportunity to tell me about what’s troubling you.
• Contracting

  You should agree a contract for all counselling,whether it’s face to face counselling or online. It should cover:

  Practical details

  • how many sessions we will have and how often we will meet
  • if there are any fees and how these should be paid
  • what happens if you miss a session or if either of you are away on holiday

  Confidentiality

  • how I will protect your privacy and when I might need to disclose information about you
  • how I keep records of sessions
  • how I keep your personal data safe

  How you will work together

  • what issues we will work on together
  • what approach or methods I might use
  • what contact we might have between sessions
  • There will be a printed document for us both to sign, (this may be carried out over email before the session and clarified in session when working via zoom.)

You’ll get the best results from your therapy if you’re open and honest with your counsellor and say how you’re really feeling.

Our relationship is very important. If we are to work effectively together, you should feel safe and able to take risks by disclosing and discussing sensitive issues. That includes being able to give me honest feedback on how you feel about your therapy and how we are working together.

There are many different types of counselling and therapy, it’s not a case of one size fits all so if you feel it’s not working we can discuss if another type might be more beneficial and you can look for another counsellor or I can make a referral for you.

Confidentiality is key to building trust between a counsellor and a client. I will listen to you in confidence and will not tell anyone else what you say. I won’t discuss you with your GP, employer, family, friends or anyone else without your consent.

However, there are certain circumstances when I may have to pass on information about you. These include:

• if I believe you or other people are in danger
• if I’m required to do so by law
• when referring you to another healthcare professional for help
• when discussing our work with my therapeutic supervisor (this is standard practice)

Any such disclosures will usually be made with your knowledge and consent, but your I may not always be able to ask you first. We will discuss this and agree on the limits of confidentiality for our work together.