How much do you charge, and how often should we meet?

My fees are currently £60 per 50-minutes session, although I am able to offer a limited number of sessions at a reduced fee each week to trainee therapists or those with a very low / no income.

Most clients start off meeting with me once a week, and some continue like this until they are ready to end. Others prefer to meet fortnightly to spread the cost, or once we’ve had a certain number of sessions and they feel a longer break in between sessions is more beneficial. Some longer-term clients meet with me on a three-weekly or monthly basis; usually when we are working towards an ending.

I am also able to offer longer appointments, as some clients prefer to meet for 80 minutes (charged at £90).

Counselling and Psychotherapy – what are they and what is the difference?

Counselling and psychotherapy are both talking therapies and the terms are often used interchangeably.

Some people define counselling as more of a short-term therapy – possibly time-limited (i.e. a pre-agreed number of sessions) – focusing on a specific, current problem or difficulty. In contrast, psychotherapy is often open-ended, longer-term work, which can involve looking at recurring patterns around your thought processes, relationships to self, and/or relationships to others, and acknowledges the importance of past as well as current experiences.

In reality, there is often no clear distinction, and it is not uncommon for someone to seek counselling for a specific issue and end up doing some really deep psychological work. I tend to use the term ‘therapy’ to encompass both counselling and psychotherapy.

Who can benefit from Counselling or Psychotherapy?

People seek help for a wide array of difficulties. These include (but are not limited to):

• depression or continual low mood
• lack of purpose / dissatisfaction with life
• confidence / self-esteem issues
• stress and anxiety
• relationship difficulties / breakdown
• big life changes
• bereavement, grief and loss
• anger issues
• problems relating to the past / childhood
• attachment related problems
• phobias
• abuse (past / current)
• trauma
• addiction
• discrimination / oppression

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Why not just talk to a friend or relative?

Often people don’t feel able to talk to friends or family members about their personal difficulties.

This could be for a number of reasons:

• Others may want to help but may be too emotionally involved to support you to make your own decisions.
• You may be worried about burdening others with your problems.
• You may be afraid of being judged or misunderstood.
• There may be no one available to you.
• Sometimes it is just too difficult to talk about a particular problem or share painful, difficult feelings with someone you know.
• You may feel you would benefit from a professional who has experience of helping people explore their current situation, their feelings and their behaviours.

These are just some of the reasons people may choose to work with a counsellor or psychotherapist.

How does it work?

Simply put, a good therapist can support you in exploring and expressing your thoughts, feelings and behaviours, helping you to gain a clearer perspective and develop a deeper level of self-awareness.

A hugely important factor in the success of therapy is the relationship between you and your therapist.

A therapist will be there with you, validating your experiences, whilst offering their own observations and gentle challenges.

Therapy aims to help you to realise your own unique potential, and to feel more confident and equipped to manage all the difficulties life throws your way. You may gain new insights and self-awareness, and feel more able to be your true, authentic self.

Is counselling / psychotherapy confidential?

Yes. As your therapist, I do not discuss the content of our therapy sessions with others.

There are a few exceptions where I may need to break confidentiality, for example, if I am requested to provide information to a court of law or as part of a police investigation, or if I am concerned that you or someone else is at risk of serious harm (if this happens I will always endeavour to discuss my concerns with you first).

Also, as an ethical practitioner, I attend regular (monthly) supervision, where I explore aspects of my client work with my clinical supervisor. My clients remain anonymous to my supervisor.

What is required from me, as the client?

Counselling/psychotherapy works best when approached with total honesty. Naturally, it takes time to build a relationship with your therapist; to trust them and to feel safe. But it is important to be honest about your feelings, thoughts and behaviour so that your therapist can gain the best understanding possible of what is going on for you.

What can I expect from you, as my therapist?

I treat all my clients with the highest level of respect and offer an authentic, non-judgmental, supportive, therapeutic relationship. I have a genuine desire to help and, metaphorically speaking, I will walk alongside you on your therapeutic journey, showing you empathy and compassion along the way.

What happens if I decide I would like to get in touch with you?

From my own experience of being ‘the client’ I know that this first step can be very daunting and often takes a great deal of courage.

If you decide that you would like to get in touch to make further enquiries or to make an appointment, you can do so by emailing me, sending me a text message or WhatsApp, or leaving me a voicemail message with your details – whichever you feel most comfortable with.

I always aim to respond to any enquiries within 24 hours (If I am on annual leave, it may take a little bit longer).

I’ll ask you for a few basic details such as your name and the best way to contact you.

We can then arrange to meet for an initial appointment.

What happens at the initial appointment?

The initial appointment is really an opportunity for you to share with me what has brought you to therapy, what your expectations are, and what you hope to gain from the process. You can share as much or as little as you feel comfortable with – there’s no need to rush this process, and it may take you some time to feel relaxed enough to open up fully.   

This first session also provides an opportunity for you to ask me any questions you may have, and allows you to get a sense of what it would be like to work with me.

At the end of this session we can both decide whether we feel we would work well together and we can arrange a follow up appointment if you wish to do so.

How will I feel?

Dealing with personal difficulties and discussing painful issues is hard work and can be both emotionally and physically draining.

However, sharing you problems with another person, verbalising your inner thoughts, and getting in touch with your emotions can also feel very uplifting, and clients almost always report feeling better, or “lighter” after sharing their problems.

How you feel after each session will vary from person to person, and session to session.

How many sessions will I need?

This varies greatly and is dependent on your individual goals and needs. What’s important to know is that it is up to you as the client to decide how long you would like us to work together, and you do not need to commit to a specific number of sessions. We can discuss this during the initial consultation, and while we are working together we will review your progress and goals at regular intervals.

If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me.