Frequently Asked Questions
How do I book an appointment?
Either email me or fill in the contact form and we can discuss your needs and whether my services might be of benefit to you.
How will I know if your way of working is right for me?
It is important to feel comfortable and safe with your therapist and an initial free 15 minute phone call.
What are your fees?
Individual Therapy is £65
Couples Therapy is £80
How many sessions will I need?
This depends on what your needs are. Some people find that after a few sessions they have some clarity and focus and are ready to end the work. Other people value the ongoing support and relationship and will continue to come for months, or even years. We will work together to establish how long is right for you and we will review your therapy on a regular basis.
How often are the sessions?
Sessions are usually weekly and last for 50 minutes. By mutual agreement, we will arrange a day and time which then becomes your 'personal space' for therapy.
Cancellations and re-scheduling
I take your welfare seriously and make a commitment to your booking. I am always willing to be flexible and reschedule where necessary, so I ask for advanced notice of any changes, less than 48 hours notice to cancel an appointment will result in the full fee payable.
Multi Service Directories
Hub of Hope - An incredible directory to find free support for a multitude of concerns near to where you are based or remotely, options for adults and young people.
CALM - 0800 58 58 58 - The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) has a wealth of resources and a vast directory of free services to help you live a better life.
MIND - 0300 123 3393 - UK’s number one mental health support charity and directory.
Rethink Mental Illness - 08454560455 open (Mon-Fri 10am-2pm) - Mental health support groups, help lines and more.
Mental Health UK - Working UK-wide, we deliver both national and local services that enable and empower people to understand and manage their mental health in a person-centred and empathetic way.
Veterans UK helpline - 0808 1914 218 - Provider of welfare support for veterans of any age, and their families through the Veterans Welfare Service and the Veterans UK helpline.
Depression, Anxiety, Stress & Crisis Support
Papyrus HopeLine247 - 0800 068 41 41 - For children & young people under the age of 35 who are experiencing thoughts of suicide or anyone concerned that a young person could be thinking about suicide.
BeFrienders - Global support for anyone suffering from loneliness, despair or depression.
SHOUT - Text 85258 - A free confidential, anonymous text support service. You can text from wherever you are in the UK.
Samaritans - 116 123 (24/7) - Charity support line for people who are feeling depressed or suicidal, available.
SANEline - 0300 304 7000 (open 4pm - 10pm 365 - A mental health helpline offering specialist emotional support, guidance and information to anyone affected by mental illness, including family, friends and carers.
Crisis Text Line - Text or Whatsapp HOME to 741741 for free 24/7 crisis support.
Self Help Services - Online & face to face anxiety support groups.
Anxiety UK - 03444 775 774 (open Mon-Fri 10.30am 4.30pm) - Group support, resources, a helpline and more.
Combat Stress - 07537 173 683 - The leading charity providing specialist treatment and support for veterans from every service and conflict, focusing on those with complex mental health issues resulting from their experiences during military service.
ACA - A free program of recovery for anyone who is an adult child either of parents who were alcoholics / addicts or were dysfunctional in any other way.
Adolescents & Children
Childline - 0800 1111 - Phone, email, group, counselling support and more for children of all ages who are struggling.
The Mix - 0808 808 4994 - The UK’s leading support service for under 25’s. They can help you take on any challenge you’re facing - from mental health to money, from homelessness to finding a job, from break-ups to drugs. Talk to them via our online community, on social media, through their free, confidential helpline or their counselling service.
Kooth - An award winning anxiety support app for young people.
Young Minds - The UK’s leading charity fighting for children and young people's mental health.
Papyrus - Hopeline247 0800 068 4141 for under 35's - A UK charity dedicated to the prevention of suicide and the promotion of positive mental health and emotional wellbeing in young people.
Centre Point - 0808 800 0661 - A charity helpline for those in England between 16 to 25 that can give support around housing rights and homelessness.
Learning Disabilities
Mencap - A charity that’s aim is to value and support people with a learning disability, and their families and carers.
ADHD or Autism
Wrong Planet - Fantastic site for individuals (and parents / professionals of those) with Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, ADHD, PDDs, and other neurological differences.
National Autism Society - Directory or services across the UK and more.
Embrace Autism - Their mission is to help autistic people understand who they are,
and help them acknowledge their worth; and to help others to better understand autism
and its often-overlooked benefits.
Domestic Abuse
Bright Sky - A free app and web page that supports anyone in an abusive relationship or anyone concerned about someone they know.
Victim Support - 0808 168 9111 - Victim Support is an independent charity dedicated to supporting victims of crime and traumatic incidents in England and Wales.
Women’s Aid - Find refuges and domestic abuse services in England for women.
Refuge - 0808 200 0247 (24/7) - The national domestic abuse helpline.
Homelessness
Shelter - 0808 800 4444 - For rapid help if you are homeless.
Homeless Link - A national service directory for services supporting those who are Homeless.
The Salvation Army - Christian Charity supporting people who may be struggling.
Centre Point - 0808 800 0661 - A charity helpline for those in England between 16 to 25 that can give support around housing rights and homelessness.
Loved One of an Addict or Alcoholic
Al Anon - 0800 0086 811 - 12 Step based free support groups for the family of an alcoholic.
Fam Anon - 0207 4984 680 - 12 Step based free support groups for the family of a drug addict.
Love First - A book on how to get through to your loved one.
NACOA - 0800 358 3456 - Providing information, advice and support for everyone affected by a parent’s drinking.
ACA - A free program of recovery for anyone who is an adult child either of parents who were alcoholics / addicts or were dysfunctional in any other way.
Alcohol & Drugs
TalktoFrank - 0300 123 6600 - Find information about addiction and local free drop in services.
SMART Recovery - Free NON 12 step support groups with a program for people struggling with drug addiction and alcoholism.
Narcotics Anonymous - 0300 999 1212 - 12 Step meetings online and in person for anyone struggling with substance misuse.
Cocaine Anonymous - 0800 612 0225 - 12 Step meetings online and in person for anyone struggling with substance misuse.
Alcoholics Anonymous - 0800 917 7650 - 12 Step meetings online and in person for anyone struggling with alcohol misuse.
Gambling
GamCare - One of the leading gambling support charities.
Gamble Aware - 0808 8020 133 A leading national charity and 24/7 helpline.
Gamblers Anonymous - 0330 094 0322 - 12 Step meetings online and in person for anyone struggling with gambling.
Eating Disorders
BEAT - 0808 801 0677 - The UK’s eating disorder charity. Founded in 1989 as the Eating Disorders Association, their mission is to end the pain and suffering caused by eating disorder's.
EDS - 01494 793223 (open 6pm - 9pm 365)- Eating Disorder Support (EDS) is a free and confidential eating disorder support helpline.
SEED - 01482 421525 - (Support and Empathy for people with Eating Disorders) offer peer led support groups for free.
Sex Addiction & Co-dependency
Sex & Love Addicts Anonymous - 12 Step meetings online and in person for anyone struggling with sex or love addiction.
Sex Addicts Anonymous - 12 Step meetings online and in person for anyone struggling with sex addiction.
Co-dependency Anonymous - 12 Step meetings online and in person for anyone struggling with co-dependency.
Bereavement
CRUSE - 0808 808 1677 - The UK’s leading bereavement charity, their helpline answers over 31,000 calls per year, they also have 80 branches giving local services across the UK.
NBS - 01916 563 201 (open Mon-Fri 10am - 6pm & Sat 10am - 2pm) - The National Bereavement Service provides practical and emotional assistance after a death.
Sue Ryder - Sue Ryder offers palliative care and online bereavement support services.
OCD
OCD Action - 0300 636 5478 - OCD Action works for a society where OCD is better understood, diagnosed & treated quickly. They have a helpline and support groups.
OCD UK - Offering lots of informative resources and some online support groups.
Terms and Conditions
Session Terms
I offer fifty-minute weekly sessions for both time-focused therapy and longer term for individuals and couples.
Please contact me if you wish to discuss my session fees with me.
If you do not attend a session for any reason, I will offer you alternative session times within the same working week, subject to availability. Otherwise, I require 24 hour notice for a cancellation. With any shorter notice, the full fee will be payable.
Before starting therapy, I offer an free 15 minute phone call, or a paid 30 minute zoom session £30,-. This gives us the opportunity to discuss your reasons for seeking therapy and what your hopes and anxieties might be. It also allows you to get a sense of my way of working and decide whether I am the right therapist for you.
What to Expect
Therapy sessions take place weekly and last for 50 minutes. I tend to work within an open-ended model of therapy, which enables clients to go at their own pace and reach a deeper level of healing and self-growth. I also offer a short-term therapy models of twelve sessions, which may be more suitable if you are facing or have recently experienced a specific life event or transition.
An initial assessment meeting will help us to determine together which type of therapy is in your best interests. This will give us the chance to establish whether we will be a good fit for each other and gives you the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about our sessions or counselling in general.
The First session
During the first session, we will allow some time to go through the therapy contract.
The remaining time I may ask you some questions to get to know you and your history a little bit better and for us to discuss what has brought you to therapy in more detail.
After the First session
As an initial commitment I recommend 6-12 sessions, this can be reviewed, extended or kept open-ended as we go along.
Therapy can be both challenging and rewarding at the same time and I encourage you, if you can, to allow some time after a session for some self-care, in whatever format that is meaningful for you.
For shorter-term therapy, it can be helpful to allow for at least a 2 session notice, prior to ending, or a longer notice for longer-term therapy. This is so that we can have time to review your journey and discuss anything that may still be valuable for you.
Keeping Things Safe:
Though I do all that I can to keep things safe for my clients, the nature of our digital world brings with it some unavoidable risks that I have sought to minimise. I regularly review these points and update them as necessary, publishing them here in an open and transparent manner. Should you have any concerns I am happy to discuss them and make reasonable adjustments as necessary.
Confidentiality and Records
What we talk about in sessions is confidential within the professional and legal limits. I use clinical supervision to support my work and may discuss our work in this confidential setting. I would normally seek your consent to contact other health professionals involved in your care. I keep brief anonymised clinical notes about our sessions that are stored securely and safely.
Email Communication:
I do not use email encryption as I have found that most of my clients have been comfortable enough using traditional email servers. By engaging via email we both accept the risks that entails including the fact that emails may be vulnerable to viruses or human error. For this reason, it is best to be thoughtful about what you include in emails to me, and which email address you choose to use with me (e.g. a private personal email address is ideal). Ideally emails should be used only for non-confidential communications like logistics (e.g. setting up an appointment time). Material that you consider private and confidential should be avoided in emails unless we discuss it in advance. I will request your preferred email address from our first session.
If you choose to communicate with me by email, be aware that all emails are retained in the logs of Internet Service Providers. Furthermore, they can be vulnerable to viruses and unintended forwarding or replication. If you are concerned about the confidentiality of your emails, you may wish to contact me by telephone instead.
I check emails at fixed times during office hours – I avoid checking them on weekends and holidays. I endeavour to respond to all emails within 24 hours upon opening them. If I am away for an extended period, you will receive an automated response. Emails should never be used in the event of an emergency; in which case you should contact emergency services.
Text or voice messages:
You may feel free to leave a message to alert me if you are running late for a session or for similar logistical reasons. As with emails, it is best to keep private and personal material out of text or voice messages.
Phone and Video Conferencing:
I offer both face to face and remote consultations. If we are meeting each other remotely, I generally use Zoom and I will provide you with a link in advance. When engaging via video conferencing, we both agree not to record sessions. It is also crucial that you’re sure your environment from which you are conferencing with me is safe, secure, and private. If, for whatever reason, your privacy may be compromised, please let me know straight away. If
we encounter any technical difficulties, I will contact you another way – usually via phone.
Emergencies:
Therapy is not an emergency service and I may not be able to respond to you in an emergency. Should you experience an emergency please contact the most appropriate emergency services. If you are feeling suicidal please ring The Samaritans: 116 123, go to your nearest A&E, or ring 999. If you feel that this may be an issue, please discuss it with me straight away.
In order to be the best possible counsellor that I can be for my clients and in accordance with BACP guidelines I work under ongoing professional supervision from a senior practitioner. My commitment to professional and personal development means that I regularly undertake further training in the form of counselling courses, workshops,research and reading.