What is Counselling & Psychotherapy?
If you are suffering with depression, stress or anxiety and are having problems coping with or understanding your emotions then counselling may help.
Counselling FAQs
What is Counselling?
Talking to somebody who isn’t going to judge you and can listen to what you are saying can be a step towards making sense of what is going on. Similarly, if you are experiencing the negative effects of addiction, trauma, self-harm, grief and loss, low self-esteem or a lack of confidence then being able to have somebody who will really listen to you, may be the first step towards understanding. Counselling will help you to explore the reasons for your emotions and coping mechanisms, ultimately giving you support to try new ways forward.
What methods do you use?
Everyone is unique and will benefit from or prefer different forms of counselling, for different problems at different times. I use a Pluralistic approach which incorporates different aspects from different types of counselling as and when they are needed. This means that I mainly use psychodynamic, person-centred and cognitive behavioural methods.
I do not consider one form of therapy to be superior to another. Together we will tailor the therapy to you. Working in this collaborative way should enable you to reflect on your emotions, explore your psychological processes and challenge any negative thoughts that you might have about yourself. Together we can unpack the past, make more sense of your emotions and discover better ways of doing things, helping you to feel better.
What is psychodynamic therapy?
If using psychodynamic methods, we will explore your unconscious processes, defence mechanisms and early relationships to see how these affect you today.
What is person-centred therapy?
When the therapy is person-centred, there is less direction and you will be given the space to talk about your perception of yourself, thinking about the subsequent feelings that arise.
What is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)?
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help you to set goals and develop solutions to achieve those goals. CBT can be helpful to build new habits and to challenge negative thinking.
How many sessions will I need?
Everybody’s needs are different, and everybody responds to counselling in different ways. After your initial assessment, we can discuss a course of therapy together and how many sessions this is likely to take.
How confidential is counselling?
What you say to me is confidential. All of my notes will be kept, anonymised, either in a locked filing cabinet or on a password protected computer. I am GDPR compliant, and your personal information will not be kept any longer than is necessary. There are some very rare exceptions to confidentiality which will be explained in our contract.
Are there some things that you cannot help?
As a member of the NCPS I adhere to their code of ethics and as such would not agree to counsel somebody if I did not believe that I had the competency so to do.
How much does Counselling cost?
Click here to see the cost of counselling sessions.
Do you work with clients who have private health insurance?
Yes, I am a recognised healthcare provider for AVIVA, WPA and Vitality Health Insurance. Click here to find out more about accessing my services using your private health insurance.