“We don’t have to do all of it alone.
We were never meant to.”
(Brené Brown, Author of Rising Strong)
In today’s world, life can be very busy, noisy and stressful, which can make it hard to hear what you actually want. You may feel alone with your thoughts and feelings, as if no one could hear or understand you. Maybe you even feel like you can’t hear or understand what you’re feeling either.
Counselling gives you time each week to slow down and can help you hear your own feelings and needs, and develop deeper connections and relationships. You are able to speak with someone who is there solely to listen to you and help you. Your relationship with me will be different from other relationships in your life, and it may be the first time you haven’t had to worry about someone else’s needs. Counselling allows you the opportunity and space to get in touch with who you are and what you want in life.
My approach to counselling
I focus on creating a warm, empathic and caring relationship in which you feel heard, supported and accepted; helping you develop and see change in your life. I also believe the counselling relationship can be used to help you understand your relationships and ways of relating with others in your life; past and present. This understanding can help you develop your ways of relating to others and even yourself.
I believe each person is unique and has individual needs, and this is true in counselling. Therefore no one approach can work for every person. I am an integrative counsellor, which simply means I draw from a variety of different methods and counselling theories; tailoring an approach which helps you with what you need and where you are throughout the counselling journey. This approach may develop over our time together to be what you need at that moment.
What to expect at the start of counselling?
Whether this is your first time seeking counselling or not, it can be helpful to know what to expect at the beginning. If I sound like the right counsellor for you please contact me. I will then reply to arrange a convenient time for us to have a free 20 minute phone conversation. We will use this time to discuss why you are seeking counselling, answer any questions you may have and decide whether we would like to book a first session.
The first session, typically called an assessment session, is different from the other sessions. During this session I will ask more questions than in subsequent sessions, in order to get a real overview of your concerns and discover more about who you are and where you have come from (your past relationships and experiences). We may find it helpful to agree on a goal (based on your reason for coming for counselling), as well as an initial number of sessions. These will be reviewed and may change over time as things develop throughout the course of the counselling. Each session is 50 minutes long, and will take place at the same time on a weekly basis.
How many sessions?
How many sessions we will have together will depend on a number of things; including your reasons for counselling, and the time and resources you have available. I am able to work with you for different lengths of time depending on your need. Some people find they only need or want short-term counselling, whereas others want to pursue a longer course. This is something we can discuss during the assessment, and review as counselling progresses.