Talking therapy is an effective way to treat a range of mental health presentations, emotional, & relationship difficulties.

Counselling: Counselling is type of therapy that is usually short term. The therapist and client agree on the number of sessions during the therapeutic assessment (typically between 5 and 10) and review during the last session about whether to continue or end as planned. Counselling can be useful for clients who are focused on a specific goal or problem.

Psychotherapy: Psychotherapy is usually longer term (this can be months or years) and takes a holistic look at your life. As the work is open ended it enables the client and therapist to explore multiple areas of the client’s life. Psychotherapy offers clients the opportunity to explore themselves. their relationships and their behaviours at very deep level.

EMDR Therapy (Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing) : In some cases, I may recommend a few sessions of EMDR as part of your psychotherapy. I believe EMDR can be a useful addition to the psychotherapeutic relationship to target specific traumatic incidents or negative cognitions. Unlike talking therapy, EMDR follows a formulated, 8 step process that targets the negative images, emotions, beliefs and body sensations associated with traumatic memories that seem to be stuck. These can contribute to a range of mental health problems. I do not offer EMDR exclusive of a therapeutic relationship, and should I believe it to be useful addition for a client, I will advise and discuss with them.

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What to Expect When Starting Therapy

The below information is designed to inform you of the process of what to expect when making the decision to start any type of therapy.

Making Contact
You are welcome to contact me via email or telephone to enquire about starting therapy or to ask any questions you may have. If you’d like to go ahead then we will set up a time for the therapeutic assessment. I offer a free 15 minute call to all new enquiries.

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Initial Session - The Therapeutic Assessment.
This initial session is an opportunity for us to meet one another. It is a chance for you to share more what brings you to therapy as well as to meet me and check that you feel comfortable talking to me.

During this session, I will ask some questions about your background and your lifestyle to gain a better indication of what type of therapy might be most effective. I will also be checking to ensure that the problems you bring to therapy are within the limit of my competence. If for whatever reason I don’t feel able to work with you, then I will be happy to advise on where I think you might look for support for your needs.

At the end of this assessment, we will agree upon the type of therapy, and if short term, a proposed number of sessions. Before this session I will also give you a copy of my working agreement. This contract outlines the boundaries and administrative parts of the relationship. From here, I ask that you take 48 hours to consider whether or not you would like to engage with the therapy. If you decide to go ahead, then I ask you to sign the working agreement and return that to me by the first session.

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The Therapeutic Relationship

During the therapeutic assessment we will have established a regular slot for your appointment. It is at this point that the therapy is ready to begin.