A Counsellor/Psychotherapist provides a safe, confidential space in which you are invited to look at and deal with issues and feelings that have an impact on you/ your family/ friends and your daily life. It can help to make sense of personal difficulties, whatever their nature. Counselling/psychotherapy provides a supportive safe space in which you can talk in confidence to an experienced, professional counsellor who will listen to you in a way in which you probably have never been listened to before, which in turn gives you the space and time in which to process your thoughts and feelings in a way in which you have probably never done so before, which facilitates change. Counselling/psychotherapy is not an easy journey to make, the road is never straight. It will always have its ups, its downs, its twists and turns, however, if you feel ready to make this journey you will not be making it alone, you will be supported every step of the way by an empathic, professional, experienced counsellor. All our counsellors/psychotherapists are fully trained and are all members of the British Association of Counsellors & Psychotherapists (BACP) and all abide by the BACPs policies and code of ethics.
When you feel depressed, anxious, nervous, panicked, bereaved, depresssed, angry, lonely, frustrated, stressed. Counsellors/psychotherapists can also support you to look at difficult relationship issues, addictions & obsessions. Counselling can also support clients to find a greater sense of personal well being as well as supporting clients to identify what triggers certain behaviours and enables them to identify ways in which they can manage/change these behaviours. It can also support clients to identify coping strategies in situations that they may find potentialy difficult for example, job interviews, meetings with the boss, getting into lifts, being in confined spaces etc., getting back behind the wheel of a car after an accident. We offer short term and long term counselling depending on what best suits your needs.
Give us a call, or if you prefer email us with your telephone number and we will call you. Should you wish to explore counselling further we will then arrange to meet.
The first counselling/psychotherapy session is an opportunity for the counsellor and the client to make an assessment on whether this type of therapy will suit you. Each session lasts 50 minutes. The first session is FREE, thereafter the charge is £40 per session. Please be advised that we do not have a waiting room. Please arrive at your appointed time. We require payment for each session a week in advance by cheque, or cash please, this secures your appointment for the following week. If for any reason you need to cancel your appointment please do so 24 hours before hand other wise you will be charged for the session missed(We will be able to accept credit card payments soon) You will be offered a block of six weekly sessions (although you may choose to finish your counselling journey at any time), on the fifth we(counsellor and client) will determine whether a further block of six weekly sessions will be beneficial or whether the sixth will be the last. Discounted rates are available for prepaid block bookings. Your counsellor will speak to you about this on your first session.
The reason people enter therapy is generally because they are experiencing pain or suffering of some kind. The counselling itself can be painful as we tackle our internal defenses and change our unhelpful behaviour. Having survived these painful times people who have received counselling talk of the enormous benefits, help and relief it brings.
If you are receiving Direct Payments we have been advised that you can use these payments to pay for counselling services. But please get this confirmed by your social worker, as we know rules with regard to Direct Payments can vary and do change.
Our counselling service is private; we do not receive any grants or funding. Please contact us for further information regarding our fees.
This will depend on your availability; there is usually a longer waiting time for evening appointments than daytime. We aim to see new clients within one week of their initial contact with us wherever possible.
Each session starts and finishes on time and lasts 50 minutes.
How often do I attend?
It is generally agreed that you will get the best from your counselling if you are able to attend on a weekly basis. This is not always possible and we try wherever possible to accommodate a need for flexibility. It is important that attendance is regular.
This will depend on your own personal needs and is something you might like to consider and agree with your counsellor. Some people find that six to eight sessions is all they need; others may require much longer.
Is there a limit to the number of sessions I can have?
This is something you might like to consider with your counsellor. Some people like to work within a structured time frame and decide how many sessions they would like to have from the outset. Others like to work with an open-ended contract. Some like to review their progress at regular intervals, re-contracting as they go.
What if I need to cancel an appointment?
If you need to change or cancel a session, please let us know as soon as possible and we will do our best to offer you an alternative appointment. Failure to keep an appointment or sessions cancelled at less than 48 hours notice will be charged at the full rate and a refund will not be available.
