About counselling and psychotherapy
Counselling and psychotherapy are based on having a conversation. In this conversation we communicate, talk and listen, hear, are heard and are witnessed. When we feel ready to share aspects of ourselves with another, we can begin to find ways to improve our quality of life and to develop some new part of us. The conversation takes place in a relationship of respect between therapist and client, and the relationship itself is important and determines the successful outcome of the therapy. It informs the way that I work with each individual. As well as building this relationship, I look to find an appropriate and effective method to work with each person.
Being a humanistic practitioner means that I am interested in the client as a whole: who they are, what has shaped them and how they are in the world. The work can involve looking at parts of our past which may be unresolved, finding ways to work with current issues and dilemmas; and developing ourselves to be more of who we want to become.
More information about humanistic psychotherapy can be found at www.ahpp.org
How we begin and how the process works
I aim to work with individuals in a way which suits them and the issue that they want to work on. Shorter-term work, or brief therapy, may be appropriate for someone who wants to explore a specific issue or problem; while longer-term more in-depth work will suit those who have a general feeling of dissatisfaction in their life or who have many areas they want to work on. I prefer to start with weekly sessions, and regularly review if you are getting what you want from the process.
We begin when you send me an e-mail with a brief outline of what you would like us to work with. You don't need to go into too much detail at this stage; just a few sentences about yourself and your situation. I will e-mail you back outlining the contract we would have if we worked together; this covers fees, cancellation policy, technology arrangements, my contact details, our confidentiality agreement. We will then fix our initial appointment which is a session of up to half an hour, for which I require no payment. If I feel that I am not the most appropriate person for you to work with, I will suggest an alternative.
If you have any other questions, please contact me via the "To contact me" tab in the left-hand column. I will get back to you within 48 hours.