What to expect
When starting your counselling journey
Starting anything new in life can feel daunting, and you may be unsure of what to expect from counselling.
It is perfectly natural to experience a range of emotions before your first session - Nerves, excitement, doubt, curiosity - all are welcome!
In the session
We will start off with a few exploratory questions to assess what you are experiencing, and how you might like counselling to help.
You may have certain goals you want to work towards, or maybe you are looking for a more general sense of support in your everyday life.
Perhaps you just want to better understand yourself, or build your confidence.
Whatever your specific needs, we can establish a way of working on them, together.
The process of counselling
I work on an open ended basis, providing both short or long term therapy for clients.
There is no obligation to commit to a certain number of sessions - However, most people find weekly or fortnightly sessions suits them well, and have a positive impact on the flow of therapy.
The main thing to remember is that there is no rush and no pressure - we will work at your pace and cover whatever material feels most important to you at the time.
My Approach and the Therapeutic Relationship
I believe a fundamental factor in the success of therapy is the therapeutic relationship. That means, how the counsellor and client respond to each other and work collaboratively.
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A positive counsellor / client relationship is essential in facilitating positive outcomes in therapy.
I will use gentle challenge and observation, as well as validation and understanding.
I want you to feel able to bring honesty and vulnerability to the work, to get the most out of it.
I will help to bring feelings into awareness, encouraging you to become more aware of what is going on, both in your body, and at a deep emotional level.
We may also look at the various 'parts' of you, in order to bring a sense of harmony and collaboration.