Counselling /Psychotherapy
Why Counselling / Psychotherapy?
There may be a specific challenge or difficulty that you’re facing in life: the end of significant relationship, a traumatic experience or a bereavement; or you may just feel that you or your child need someone to talk to.
Maybe you’re feeling stuck in life and want to make a change but feel unsure how to go about it. It could also be that things just don’t feel right for you, or them, without any particular reason.
In short, therapy provides a space for the you to tell your story and to reflect. Your own story, with your thoughts, opinions, and feelings, without having to censor it to protect others. This means that as a client, you can share things which you may not be able to discuss with family or friends. Over time, this can help the burden begin to lift.
Therapists are trained to listen but it’s not all that they do. They consider what is being said and notice that which their clients aren’t saying – whether that’s because they’re hiding it from other people or not looking at it themself because it’s too painful, difficult or they are ashamed. By helping you as a client to explore what isn’t said, a therapist can help you to accept your feelings, even those which are less comfortable. This allows you to better understand what makes you tick and why, and to increase your self-esteem.
By doing this, you are better able to accept yourself and able cope with changes that have happened, or to feel better about the way things are.
As an integrative therapist, I explore with my clients what their goals are for therapy. Whether that’s more understanding about themselves and their triggers, an improved ability to manage challenges, or developing coping skills to support themself in difficult situations. I use skills and knowledge from different types of therapy to enable me to support my clients towards their individual goals.
For me, it’s all about you getting the right fit of therapist to walk alongside as you explore your story. You need to feel comfortable with me and feel psychologically safe for us to work together. The relationship between therapist and client is the most important aspect of any work and has the biggest impact on the success of therapy. With that in mind, all relationships start with a chat, so I offer a free 15-minute call with your (and if relevant your child) to see if we feel like a good fit.
Want to know what happens next? Take a look below at what to expect from sessions.
Issues I can support with:
I have experience in the following issues, amongst others:- Trauma
- Relationship issues
- Domestic abuse (I have worked with both men and women with experience of domestic abuse)
- Health issues including chronic illness and pain
- Women’s issues including menopause, abortion and baby loss, at any age/gestation.
- Abuse
- Divorce & family breakdown
- Bereavement
- Loss
- Self-harming
- Suicidal ideation
- Anger management
- Coping skills
- Depression
- Addiction
- Family conflict
- Self-esteem/Confidence
- Bullying
- Anxiety
- LGBTQ+
- Identity
- Stress (work/school/university)
If you need support with something not on the list, please do get in touch to discuss whether this is something I can offer. If not, I will do my best to signpost you appropriately.
Working Together
I appreciate that seeking therapy for yourself or your child can be daunting. For this reason, I’ve laid out my usual procedures so that you know what to expect from therapy sessions with me.
These are slightly different for adult clients and for working with young people so please ensure you choose the relevant section.
Unfortunately, at present I am not able to offer counselling to primary-aged children due to the limitations of my space.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Working Together
Following our free 15-minute consultation, I will invite you to an initial session where we would discuss the issues you’re currently facing in more detail. This would include identifying any goals you may have for our work. We would also look at our therapeutic agreement and ways of working, including payment arrangements etc. This is our chance to start to get to know each other and begin building the therapeutic relationship which will form the basis for the rest of our work.
The assessment session is as much your opportunity to assess whether you feel comfortable working with me as it is me learning more about what’s going on for you, and considering how I may be able to support.
Following this session, we will generally meet on a weekly basis for 50 minutes (this is known as a therapeutic hour). I offer both short and long-term work depending on client’s needs and wishes. The approach you would prefer will be discussed in our initial sessions. Whichever we decide, I suggest reviewing our work every 6-8 sessions to ensure that we are moving towards your goals..
Following the free 15-minute consultation, I will invite you and your child to an initial session where we would discuss the issues they’re currently facing in more detail. This would include identifying any goals they have for our work. We would also look at our therapeutic agreement and ways of working, including payment arrangements etc. and any other relevant information.
Usually, I would invite the parent(s)/carer(s) to attend the first part of this meeting only. This allows me to get their sense of what is going on, provides some initial support to the young person, and also enables us to have a discussion between the three of us about boundaries and confidentiality so that we’re all in agreement.
In the second part, I would ask parents(s)/carer(s) to leave so I can talk to the young person privately about how the issues are affecting them. I also undertake a risk assessment and discuss further with the young person the boundaries to confidentiality. This includes explaining that where there is any risk to themselves or others, information must be shared with their parents (and potentially other agencies), but that this will be done with their knowledge. It is vital that the young person has trust in the therapeutic relationship and its privacy, as it forms the basis for our work together.
Following this session, we will generally meet with the young person on a weekly basis for 50 minutes (this is known as a therapeutic hour). I offer both short and long-term work depending on client’s needs and wishes, and we will discuss your preference in our initial sessions. Whichever we decide, I suggest reviewing our work every 6-8 sessions to ensure that we are moving towards mutually agreed goals. During review meetings I will invite the parent/carer into the room and will share feedback which has with the young person has agreed, including how they can be supported outside the therapy sessions.
Unfortunately, at present I am not able to offer counselling to primary-aged children due to the limitations of my space.
I offer both face-to-face and remote sessions depending on your preference. My therapy room is on a quiet residential street with parking available, in Saddleworth, Greater Manchester. It is on a bus route and both rail and Metrolink stations are within reasonable proximity. For consultation and coaching I can travel nationwide.
Remote sessions can be undertaken over MS Teams, WhatsApp video or telephone depending on client preference.
At all times, I subscribe to the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy’s Ethical Framework.
Investment
My standard fees start at £65 per session of therapy for individual private clients. Fees must be paid a minimum of 24 hours in advance of each session. Where clients prefer to pay in blocks, this can be arranged. All sessions are 50 minutes.
I may offer work in clients’ own homes where appropriate. Costs for travel time/distance covered will be agreed in advance.
I offer a limited number of concessionary spaces. These are to support with making therapy accessible for a wider range of clients or to support students in training. Please enquire for more details.
If you are an organisation looking for a therapy package, please contact me to discuss your needs and the associated prices for this.