COUNSELLING SESSIONS:

The number of sessions you have depends on your need and is not restricted by time. Sessions last up to 50 minutes and are usually arranged with you at the same day and time each week.

TO HELP YOU TO HELP YOURSELF 

Counselling is not advice-giving or about making judgements. It is about supporting you and helping you adjust to the emotional changes and challenges in your life.

TO LISTEN  

Counselling is a space for you to explore your feelings in a safe environment.

TO PROVIDE CONFIDENTIALITY 

Confidentiality is central to my work and I am not allowed, under professional codes of ethics to discuss you with anyone, with the following exceptions: 

All counsellors are obliged to attend monthly clinical supervision meetings when the work they are doing with you is discussed. Your identity is protected throughout. Supervision sessions are an ethical and necessary undertaking and are to ensure that you are being properly looked after.

In accordance with the BACP Good Practice policy, I may be obliged to contact your GP or another professional if for any reason I feel concerned that you are at risk of harming yourself or another. I will always try to enlist your consent before doing so. On exceptional occasions, contacting the GP may have to be done without your consent. In either case, this would only be done after I have discussed the situation with my supervisor.

WHAT I ASK OF YOU:

TO ATTEND REGULARLY AND ARRIVE ON TIME:

The greatest benefits from counselling are gained when attendance is weekly and the relationship between us is given time to work. Please arrive on time for your sessions otherwise they will have to be shortened and we will have less time for our session.  If you attend irregularly, I may take this to mean that you are unable to give the commitment needed and suggest that you come back to counselling when you feel more able to do so.

For you to get the most out of your confidential counselling sessions, it is really important, when working remotely (online) that you have access to a private space where you will not be interrupted. If during your session you are in a social space or in the company of others, I might find it necessary to pause until privacy can be achieved. Should this happen, I will not be able to extend your session or re-book for later.

LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND A SESSION

If you are unable to attend a session, please call and leave a message for me or email me at my email address. If you cancel your session with less than one weeks notice, I will ask that you make your usual payment so that my running costs are covered.

PAYMENTS FOR EACH SESSION

Sessions cost £65 online and from £75 face to face. I do have a small number of concessionary slots available dependent on your circumstances. Please feel free to ask about these. I accept payment by bank transfer online.