Sessions are paid for by cash or internet banking at the end of each session.

A typical session for individuals and for couples is 1 hour.

I offer sessions depending on workload weekdays, weeknights and Saturday times.

This varies, depending on the nature of what you bring to therapy, for individuals I would recommend initially 6 weeks and a review after this. For couples therapy at least 8 to 20 weeks or up to a year is recommended

Yes. Reductions are available for therapists in training and those employed part time.

The term therapy is often used when talking about a wide range of services: counselling, CBT, psychotherapy, relationship/couples counselling and family therapy. All have in common the aim to make things better through talking and other techniques.

Therapy can be helpful for a broad range of issues and problems. Some of the more common reasons people seek therapy are depression or low mood, stress and anxiety, fears and phobias, trauma including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anger management, eating and body image issues, self-harm, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), emotional, physical abuse, low self-esteem, low self-confidence, and many, many more issues.

Yes, I can offer daytime and evening appointments to fit with your individual requirements. Please state your preference when booking your initial appointment.

I work on a self-referral basis, so if you feel you would benefit from a session, I am happy to see you. I am also happy to accept referrals from your GP or other medical professional.

At the moment I am not in a position to offer this service.

Your initial session provides the opportunity for you to talk and to discuss your situation. It can feel intimidating and uncomfortable at first, but please don’t worry I will try to put you at ease. Just arrive for your appointment and I will take it from there. In the session, I will ask you a few questions about your situation and tell you a bit more about how I work. You will be surprised how quickly time flies in the initial session. You will have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about your therapy sessions.

Many people worry about ‘clamming up’ when they first come for counselling or psychotherapy. However, this rarely happens. Everyone is different so I will try and find a way of doing things that feels OK for you.

Some people find it helpful to bring a note of the things they want to talk about, but there really is no need to do any formal preparation.

Everything you tell me in your sessions is confidential and will not be passed on to anyone without your permission, including your GP (except in a few extreme risk situations which I will speak to you about in the initial session). Sometimes it is helpful for me to let your GP know you are working with me and I will talk to you about this if it feels this is the case. However, other than this, all material disclosed is confidential and will not be entered onto your medical records.

I welcome contact from anyone who feels they may benefit from counselling or psychological therapies. This includes enquiries from individuals, couples, or young adults (18+). Through making contact, I can discuss the types of therapy I can offer as well as answer any questions or queries you might have.

Once you have decided to pursue therapy, I do ask clients to commit to a number of sessions, often six, and draw up a ‘contract’ between the client and myself, although this is in no way binding. I find this ‘contract’ helpful as it allows me to identify the goals for therapy and specify the type of work best suited in trying to achieve these goals.

There is no objective measure of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ in terms of people’s problems. What counts is how something makes you feel. If you feel bad, for whatever reason, then that is what matters.

Yes, this is usually possible, although I generally prefer for new clients to come regularly to start with.

CBT involves working with individuals to develop strategies to enable change. CBT helps to identify negative thoughts and patterns that are impacting on a client’s life.

CBT is different from counselling in various ways. The most obvious being the increased level of structure. CBT places greater emphasis on specific techniques, designed to help a client understand their feelings and make changes accordingly.

However, both CBT and counselling focus on current issues and facilitate healthy coping mechanisms to enable a client to move forwards.

CBT is primarily used for anxiety, panic, phobias, and low mood but the skills can be applied more broadly.