Counselling

What is Counselling?

You know yourself better than anyone else ever will.

 

So counselling is not about giving advice or telling you what to do; it's about helping you to find your own way forward. 

 

Many people come to counselling feeling 'stuck', as if something is in the way of their happiness or their progress. This may be circumstantial, it may be part of a relationship dynamic, or perhaps it has its' origins in childhood experiences. Others come as a result of loss or trauma, overwhelmed sometimes by strong and debilitating feelings.  Counselling offers an opportunity to have your distress heard and acknowledged, to make sense of it and where appropriate to look at change.

The first meeting

 

Before sharing your personal thoughts, feelings and issues, you will no doubt want to feel that you are in safe and competent hands. Our first meeting is an opportunity for you to meet me, for you to visit my practice, and also for you to share any expectations, hopes, fears or  concerns, and of course to ask any questions. It allows you to make an informed decision about whether or not you wish to return for ongoing counselling.

 

The first meeting also allows me to find out about you, and to make sure that I am well placed to support you.


We would begin counselling by establishing your needs and considering objectives you may have. You may also wish to discuss the number of sessions you feel you can attend, and we can talk about frequency. This will form the basis of a working agreement, which will be reviewed and possibly updated as counselling progresses.

 

A question I am often asked is 'how many sessions do you think I'll need?'. This is not an easily answered question, but if you know in advance that you will only be able to attend a fixed number of sessions, please let me know early on and we can consider objectives that are realistic within the time frame.





Individual therapy

Unfortunately life is not always kind and we can find ourselves distressed by a range of strong and difficult feelings, ones that have possibly led to unhelpful coping behaviours.  In counselling you will have your difficulties heard and acknowledged, we can explore their origins together, and we can think about what you would like for the future. 

I have experience of working with bereavement and loss, trauma, anxiety, depression, low self esteem, anger, addictions, adverse childhood experiences and relationship difficulties amongst other issues.

Couple therapy

Communication difficulties; conflict; parenting; problems relating to in-laws; affairs; sexual issues; managing new challenges together; illness; bereavement; separation, co-parenting and step-parenting: these are all common presenting issues for couples in counselling. 

My aim is to provide a space in which both partners are heard and empathy and support for one another is fostered whether the objective is reconnection or an amicable separation.

Family therapy

We seldom live in isolation; most of us are part of a family whether it's one we live with or an extended family.  Hopefully this is largely a positive experience, but family life can also be the source of distress if relationships are threatened or break down.

My aim is to provide a space in which everyone is heard, and empathy and support for one another is fostered, enabling families to reconnect and find a way forward in challenging times.

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