About Therapy

Is counselling for me?

I know that, for many people, making the decision to come to counselling can be an intimidating one. It can feel overwhelming wondering where to start, who to choose and what happens in sessions. You’re not alone in that and I’m here to answer your questions and make the process as clear and simple as I can for you.

Counselling starts as a conversation between you and your therapist. You may be struggling to move forward in life, need support to process difficult emotions or feel anxious or depressed and not quite sure how to tackle it.

Maybe you're feeling stuck or going through changes and want some space to figure out how to navigate it, struggling with family and relationships or trying to make sense of the past. You may just want a place to offload or explore yourself and your life to make more sense of it.

Whatever you're going through counselling may be able to help and support you.

What is counselling?

Counselling can look a little different for everyone, but at its core is a confidential conversation between you and your therapist. You may be working toward a specific goal or you may just want a place to talk about your experiences. Working with you, your therapist can help you make sense of those experiences and yourself, help you to spot patterns, perhaps give you tools to help and support you in getting to a place where you feel counselling is no longer needed.

There are different modalities in counselling. As you look for the right therapist for you, you’ll see each counsellor works in a different way. Person-centred, integrative, humanistic and CBT are just a few common ones that might pop up. I know that can feel confusing especially if you haven’t had counselling before. Google can answer questions about those different ways of working, but first and foremost I would always recommend choosing a therapist you feel you can talk to, someone you feel comfortable with. After that they can talk to you about how they work and answer any questions you have to help you make an informed decision.

In practical terms, you attend regular sessions with your counsellor which last 50 minutes (unless agreed otherwise in advance). This can be in-person, over the phone or online via Zoom depending on which you choose. There’s no set number of sessions you attend before you end, it’s more of an ongoing conversation until you decide you’re ready to finish. For some it may be short-term and for others it may take a little longer. Your therapist will check in with you regularly about your counselling journey and where you feel you are in the process so that when you’re ready to end, it’s easy to talk about together.

What’s next?

I offer a free 30-minute phone consultation to give you a better idea of the process, ask any questions you may have and make sure we are both happy to work together.

After this it is up to you if you wish to continue with sessions, there are no expectations that you will. It’s important you find the right counsellor for you. Someone you feel comfortable or connected with. If I’m that therapist, great, but if I’m not that’s ok too.

If you have any questions or would like to book in for your free consultation just get in touch. The more you know, the better you can feel in your decision. Hopefully this will help you to feel more comfortable and empowered along the way.