If you have not had experience of counselling before or have had a poor experience in the past, you may have mixed feelings or feel nervous about contacting me. When we embark on anything new or something which we may expect to be negative, there are natural anxieties that emerge. I am more than happy to spend a few minutes on the telephone to talk through these with you before you commit to booking an appointment.

At your first appointment we look at what you want to talk about. Some people are clear at the start with what they are looking for and others need a few sessions to think it through, either way is fine.

I will ask some general questions about you and if you have any concerns or questions then this is a good opportunity to discuss these too. This all helps us decide whether it is the right place for you.

If it is, then we agree on weekly sessions of 50 minutes at usually the same time each week, although occasionally this might alter in certain cases (e.g. where people work different shifts).

If your therapy is being funded by someone else then a certain number of sessions may be offered so we look at how to work together within that time frame.

If you are funding yourself then it is called open-ended therapy where we do not decide on an ending date and the therapy is ongoing incorporating review sessions along the way.