Counselling Service

My Psychotherapeutic Counselling service is a safe and confidential space just for you. This is a place for you to take a pause from your life, step back and unravel your thoughts and feelings. It is not always easy to share what is going on for us openly with friends and family. We sometimes worry about burdening them or feel they are too involved in what troubles us.  In counselling with me you will have the undivided attention of a trained person outside your situation – a fresh pair of eyes and ears – to help you explore what has brought you here and find some perspective.  I will listen closely to what you say and help you to say the things that you are struggling to say. 

Sessions are usually weekly, lasting 60 minutes. All sessions are conducted in a room providing privacy and comfort. I offer both long and short-term therapy. It can feel hard to know how to get started – actually all you need to do is get in touch by email, telephone or text saying as much or as little as you want to, and we can set up an initial appointment. This is a chance for you to see if you feel comfortable with me and to ask questions, and for me to see if I think I can help you. 

Long-term Psychotherapeutic Counselling Service

You could say that long-term Psychotherapeutic Counselling is an in-depth journey of discovery that we undertake together in the context of a supportive relationship. It is a journey that can be fascinating, exciting and revealing – and at times confusing, scary and painful, but ultimately rewarding.

I can support you to look deeply at your thoughts, emotions, behaviour and ingrained patterns of relating, which often have their roots in childhood, so that you can develop a greater understanding and awareness of yourself and make changes. Our work will be anchored in the present but we will attend to how past memories and future concerns impact you in the here and now.

Long-term work has the potential to lead to profound growth and personality restructuring over time. You may be seeking long-term psychotherapeutic counselling because you feel you are not functioning in life the way you would like to be. Perhaps you feel held back by aspects of your personality or you are profoundly troubled by a deep trauma. It could be that you are not clear why you have come and just feel a general sense of unhappiness. I can help you to work towards some clarity.

Short term Brief and Focal Counselling Service

In brief and focal work we may agree on 6-12 sessions then reassess. I support you to focus on one, or a few specific issues and find solutions. Although it may be helpful for me to offer guidance, structure and techniques at times, most of the transformation and insights you experience will simply emerge out of the deep attention we give your concerns.

You may come to brief and focal Counselling feeling stressed about problems you are experiencing in the workplace, perhaps a bereavement has left you feeling bereft and not knowing where to turn, or a sudden trauma or illness may have turned your world upside down. 

The distinction between the two ways of working is not always so clear. Sometimes people come for brief and focal work and later decide that they would like to continue and work for longer at more depth.