General Questions
Some of our frequently asked questions by our clients.
Having the capacity to think and feel emotions is part of being human. Sometimes there is scope for the way we think to become a problem or despite our best efforts we can't seem to find solutions for the issues and concerns we have.
Counselling allows people to discuss the problems they encounter in a safe and confidential environment.
People tend to come to counselling when they want to change something in their lives.
For most people counselling alters the way they think and feel which often enhances your life and the way you approach problems you face.
Ultimately counselling helps you understand yourself better through examining the way you think. You will gain a clearer understanding of yourself.
Counselling is a journey that takes time and consistency. At times it can be painful, however when clients reach through this they feel rewarded and energised.
My role is not to tell you what to do, instead I will encourage you to talk about what is bothering you in order that we can try and work collaboratively to help you understand the root causes of your thinking and identify the specific way you think.
This may involve a plan that we work to or a more flexible approach to the sessions.
My counselling directly addresses your concerns and therefore it's difficult to give a precise explanation of the approach I will take as I will be led by you
The first thing we do is to sit down and work with you to get a good understanding of why you wish to come to counselling including:
- What are you seeking through counselling?
- What is your personal situation and history?
- What symptoms, either physical or psychological, are you experiencing?
- What would you like to be different when we finish counselling
I am often asked what I think is the most important ingredient that makes counselling work and I say it’s two things “you have to like me and have to be heard by me”… these are key.
My counselling approach is integrative namely I bring skills and techniques from many different counselling approaches but in many cases I find Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) is the approach I use the most in my sessions. I love it, I use it myself and I find for many of my clients they love it too. It’s practical and reality based with real tools to help you manage challenging emotions and situations.
What can you expect in our sessions? Someone to listen to you, someone who will sometimes challenge you, someone who is interested in all of you and lastly expect to laugh because counselling is so much more enjoyable when at times we can step back and reframe the life we all living.
Counselling is helpful for anyone who wants to explore more about what they are thinking and feeling, discuss problems they are encountering and how to possibly resolve them.
Counselling helps you understand emotions are not necessarily good or bad – they are just emotions and we can choose whether we take notice of them or not.
Counselling can also focus on some specific areas including bullying, illness, emotional health issues, relationships, trauma. obsessive behaviours, addictions, bereavement or larger issues like I feel sad … lonely
If I am not able to provide the specific support you need then we will find out who can offer you such a service.
A sessional counseling session is around 50 minutes.
My counseling sessions are available on Thursday evenings, Friday all day, and Saturday until midday.
If I am full I will offer to place your name on a waiting list.
For most sessional clients they are with me on average 8-12 weeks however, there is no such thing as an ‘average client’ – we are all unique people. I will be honest with you about the sessions we may need and keep checking in with you to see if you are getting the progress you want and how you feel it is going.
Most people visit once a week however, sometimes more flexibility is required, and we see each other perhaps every two weeks.
It all depends on what you need help and support with and the plan we work out to help you achieve this.
As a counsellor I am acting in a professional role with you. After meeting and discussing your concerns you will decide if you wish to go ahead with counselling.
If you do we will both agree boundaries that will help structure our relationship; these will include the times and dates of sessions, the number of sessions, contact out of session, payment, and anything else which is relevant to you.
Anything discussed in our counselling sessions will be confidential, exceptions would include an intention to harm someone. The exceptions to counselling are explained in our counselling contract which will be sent to you ahead of our commencement of counselling.