Counselling With Me...

First of all we will have a free thirty minute consultation where we discuss what it is that you would like to get from therapy, and you can ask me any questions you might have. I will tell you a bit about how I would work with you and then ask you if you would like to have a think about it or put something in the diary. I recommend that you see a few therapists before going ahead because the relationship is so important - you need to feel comfortable and that I am a good fit.

 

Counselling with me is very much a journey of exploration. It involves looking for the root of a problem as once we get to this, and we understand where it comes from, it helps us know how to deal with it, and more importantly how to prevent it coming back in the future. This doesn't always mean that we have to go over everything that happened in the past, you might be fed up with doing that. We need to understand how and why this affecting you now and address anything that you may not have processed in relation to it. 

 

Counselling can be tough, and painful, but I take care to manage this as gently as possible. It should always feel productive but it is a journey and sometimes it takes a little time to figure things out. I like counselling to be realistic and sometimes we can even bring in a bit of humour. In a warm, positive and professional way, I will work in line with your values, beliefs and view of the world. I will help you to understand these more and where they come from. I work in a practical and realistic way where you should always feel in control of what we talk about. That said, counselling should be uncomfortable - and sometimes I may suggest that we look at something that you might be avoiding, but it is always your choice whether we do or not. Sometimes I will challenge you gently but I will always help you to manage your thoughts and feelings safely and ethically.

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Therapy can feel like an unburdening, freedom from the past and hope for the future. Mostly it will involve you talking to me. I will often ask questions, and am looking for clues as to what may be going on for you. It is a team effort. You are the expert on you. I am intuitive and will bring my observations, past experience, and know what questions to ask. I can also bring in strategies to help manage things like anxiety, depression, OCD, ADHD or relationships. I can help you to explore how to put in boundaries or be more assertive. I also do quite a bit of psycho-education, which is a posh way of saying that I will help you to understand more about your brain and body work.

 

 At the end of each session I will say 'Would you like to book again, and if so when?' This can be in a day, month or year, whenever you feel is right for you. You can come as often or as little as you like, subject to availability. Many people start off weekly or fortnightly and then either take a break from therapy, or check in once every so often as they need it. 

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If this sounds like it might be what you are looking for, or if you have any questions please don't hesitate to get in touch. Thank you for reading.