What To Expect
I believe that, if there is an area of your life which creates discomfort for you, talking your feelings through and exploring how you got to this point can be enormously beneficial. It can help you to live more comfortably in the present, enable you to come to terms with the past, allow you to arrive at the solution to a problem or simply discover strengths which will help you cope with life’s ups and downs.
Free initial meeting - if you think counselling may help you, contact me by phone or email and we’ll arrange an initial phone or video meeting of 20-30 minutes. I don’t charge for this “assessment”. It’s an opportunity for each of us to decide if we would like to work together. If the answer’s “yes”, we’ll agree a start date (6 sessions as a minimum to give us time to get to know each other properly, for you to feel comfortable and for the work to really begin). We will then meet each week on the same day at the same time wherever possible.
We will agree a contract – so that we both know what is expected, we will talk about why you are seeking therapy and what you want to achieve.
Counselling isn’t advice giving – I will be there to help you find your own solutions by encouraging you to explore your own feelings, thoughts, behaviours, attitudes and experiences in a safe place. You will be in control of the topics you want to explore and how deep you want to go.
Really being heard - you will have my undivided attention as I listen to and support you as you tell your story, possibly for the first time. You can do this openly and honestly: counselling is confidential and you will not be judged, no matter what you say. I will offer my own observations of my experience of you in a bid to support you in knowing yourself better.
Much of our work together will be talking but we can choose to do other things as well if it feels right - we could use objects to help represent relationships or feelings that are difficult to articulate; we could use pen and paper to draw elements of your life, to make lists or create a timeline - sometimes seeing things in this way helps by offering perspective. I am particularly interested in the connection between emotions and the body so I might well ask you to bring your attention to what information your body is offering as you tell your story to me.
I'm in Frome, Somerset (near Bath) but, because I work online and by phone, even if you're miles away in another part of the UK or in another country altogether, I can help.