Counselling is one of the talking therapies. At its simplest level, it provides an opportunity to share difficult thoughts, feelings, hopes and fears with someone who is trained to listen, in a space that is safe, confidential and accepting. Counselling is not a solution to all of life’s problems, nor is it for everyone. However, for many people, there is something profoundly therapeutic about the process of identifying and talking through your issues with professional guidance.

Counselling can be short-term and goal-orientated, perhaps because there is something very specific that needs to be unpacked and processed or because you are currently going through a difficult life transition, such as a relationship-breakdown or sudden unemployment. However often people aren’t sure exactly what is wrong, they are simply struggling with feeling anxious, overwhelmed or unhappy. Counselling can involve a longer-term and deeper examination of the self and your key experiences and relationships in order to explore and make sense of these feelings.

Both will involve a degree of exploration about who you are and what you want from life. All counselling, whether it involves just a few sessions or a far longer working relationship, aims to improve self-awareness and understanding about why we are the way we are and how this impacts on our current behaviours and relationships. It will provide you with a greater ability to both understand your feelings and control the way they influence your life.

In short, the aims of counselling include: to uncover and process difficult life events; to develop better awareness of your own feelings and behaviours so that you become better able to spot and deal with recurring patterns in your life; to deepen your understanding of where these feelings and behaviours come from so that you can address them in a way that is self-compassionate and effective; to focus with clarity on the things in your life that you would like to change and, if appropriate, set yourself goals and aspirations.

Starting counselling can provide its own anxiety, particularly if you have never had it before (or even if you have). The important thing to remember is that what you need from counselling is a mutual, and often gradual, discovery process. Whilst I will ask you what you are hoping to get out of counselling, I will not be expecting a definitive answer in your first session.

All counselling sessions, whether face-to-face or online, last for 50 minutes. The first session is an assessment session, with the aim of meeting, getting to know each other and starting to explore what has brought you into counselling at this point of your life. By the end of that first session you should be able to make a better informed judgment about whether you want to continue.

Thereafter, counselling with me proceeds at the pace you want and for as long as you need it. There is no obligation to sign up for a certain number of sessions in advance, and we will regularly review our work and check that it is giving you what you need. Your well-being will always be my priority.

General counselling is not suitable for treating serious mental health conditions (counsellors are not doctors and cannot diagnose or prescribe). Neither is it an emergency service. If you need immediate or urgent support you will need to go to one of the many helplines out there, such as the Samaritans at www.samaritans.co.uk. In addition, depending on your main presenting problem, you may want to seek a counsellor with specialist experience, for example in areas such as eating disorders, substance abuse and bereavement. If you have any questions about whether counselling is suitable for you, please get in touch.

Counselling is completely confidential, allowing you to talk about difficult feelings and topics in a way that is contained and separate from the rest of your life. The exception to this confidentiality is if I become concerned about your safety, or that of any vulnerable people or children, or if there is a legal obligations for me to pass on information to the police or criminal justice system (due to illegal activity or a court case for example).

I am a registered member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), which means I follow their ethical guidelines about client safety, wellbeing and confidentiality. I am also fully insured and supervised and follow all current guidelines on managing data safely. I am registered with the Information Commission Office and have an official GDPR policy which is available upon request.