What to expect

Meeting for the first time

If you are interested in having counselling with me, the first step is contact me to book a session so that we can decide whether we would like to work together and consider whether counselling is right for you at this time. If we decide to continue, I will ask you to sign a contract, which outlines the boundaries within which the counselling will take place. You can download a copy of the contract here. Boring, I know, but it's important that we're "singing from the same hymn sheet".

Getting the maximum benefit

As with any process, you get out of it what you put in. You wouldn't employ a personal trainer and then not work out, would you? It's the same with counselling - it's not a quick fix, and it demands sustained commitment if you're going to get the maximum benefit from it. We will therefore need to meet on a regular basis (weekly at first), because otherwise it will be difficult to sustain momentum and progress.

Counselling will inevitably make demands on your time, energy and finances. It is not uncommon in counselling for people to feel worse before they feel better, as they begin to open up issues they've been trying not to face up to. I really don't want to leave you in an emotionally difficult place without the tools to deal with the pain. It is therefore important to consider whether you are in the right place in your life to embark on a course of counselling, and whether you have the financial resources to sustain the counselling relationship for as long as is necessary for you to feel your issues are sufficiently resolved.

I ask you to commit to four weekly sessions in the first instance, which will give us sufficient time to develop a working relationship and for you to get a sense of whether you want to continue with counselling. On the fourth session, we will review our work so far and decide whether it will be beneficial for you to continue on a more open-ended basis. There will then be further reviews at intervals, until we decide together that it is time to end counselling.

It is not possible to tell at the outset how many counselling sessions you will need. Some people who may bring a single issue to counselling may need therapy for only a few weeks. More complex matters may take much longer to resolve. However, you will never be pressurised to have more sessions than you actually need or want, and you are free to leave counselling at any time.

Confidentiality

All information disclosed during the counselling process is held in the strictest confidence. There are one or two exceptions to this, which I will discuss with you during the first session.

Cancelling a session

We will normally meet at the same time each week, as this provides a clear structure to the counselling process. If you cancel a session for any reason without giving at least 24 hours' notice, I will unfortunately have to charge the full fee for the missed appointment. If you give less than 48 hours' notice, I will charge half the normal session fee.

I understand that it may seem unfair to have to pay for something you haven't had, particularly if you are cancelling for genuine reasons, such as illness. However, like you, I have bills and overheads to pay, and in order to be in a position to help you and other clients, I need to run a viable and sustainable business. I simply can't afford not to charge for cancellations. I do try and meet people half-way, so if it is possible to reschedule your session for later in the same week, I will often waive the cancellation fee.

Ending Counselling

If we have been working together for some time, it can be very beneficial to explore what feels right in terms of closing the work. Endings are a normal part of life, but they can often be difficult to process and move on from. In counselling, you have an opportunity to experience an ending in a more conscious way, which can enable you to move on without any unfinished business. Abrupt endings or wanting to close the work without notice may be part of a pattern in relationships of getting away or cutting off from saying goodbye or dealing with conflict, anger or other feelings. It may be really helpful for you to have the opportunity to process this before ending counselling.

If you would like to book an introductory session to get help decide whether counselling is right for you, please contact me.

The most creative act you will ever undertake is the act of creating yourself. - Deepak Chopra