If you are dealing with a troubling situation that is perhaps stopping you from living life in the way you want to counselling can aid in exploring, understanding, and resolving these issues.

In the first instance, we can work together to talk about any therapeutic goals or aims you may wish to achieve. I appreciate for some, setting goals and aims may feel overwhelming and you might not want to work this way preferring a more unstructured approach. In either case, we will ultimately work together to explore issues you may be dealing with by drawing on different types of therapy techniques that suit you. Together, we can find ways that work best for you by taking into account your therapeutic preferences.

Only you can know this. I aim to involve you in the process of each stage of counselling by actively welcoming your voice, thoughts and opinions on what is right for you. If something isn’t working for you, we can explore avenues together to find what may work better

Early sessions involve getting to know each other to see what issues will be worked with and how depending on your preferences. This could look like talking, working creatively, walking in nature or working online if you prefer.

Creative counselling is a way of working that draws on your creative abilities; perhaps you express yourself better by drawing how you feel or concentrate better if you are knitting, you might enjoy photography and wish to share pictures you have taken…there are a million different ways we can work with creativity within sessions and I am open to exploring what these may be. I can appreciate the word creativity can bring up a lot for some and may feel daunting or be a source of shame. If you feel unsure, we can work to find ways that suit you by starting with a gentle exploration into what you may or may not enjoy. Creativity can have so many benefits; it can make talking a little easier and less intense, it can be calming, and it can help you re-discover parts of yourself you may have left behind in childhood. I can also appreciate this way of working won’t be for all and your preferences will be taken into account.

What I love most about my work is the uniqueness of my clients and will always work to accommodate this. I am trained to work with neurodivergence, and as someone who is neurodivergent, I can appreciate some of the challenges that arise, but also, I am aware of the benefits. Depending on your preferences, we can explore ways of working together that enable you to feel safe, accepted, and comfortable. This could look like sitting on the floor to work, adjusting lighting, not having direct eye contact, freedom to stim, removing distractions, shorter sessions, working online, working outdoors, finding alternative ways to express emotions and exploring feelings, and working with your strengths. I make no assumptions about how anyone may wish to work and I actively will encourage your engagement with this.

Some of the premises I work from have disabled access and facilities so I can accommodate this, I am passionate about equality and fair treatment for everyone and actively welcome and encourage alternative ways of working that best suit you.

Yes. Anyone is welcome and I offer a safe and non-judgemental space. However, this is not a specialist area of mine and if you require more specialist help I will discuss the possibility of referring you elsewhere that may have more specialised knowledge if you require

Sessions typically last 50 minutes, but I’m aware this may not suit everyone as life can be busy or perhaps talking for 50 minutes might feel too much initially. I am happy to have a discussion about whether alternatives may work better, for example, 90-minute sessions or half-hour sessions. To begin with I recommend weekly sessions, largely to allow for consistency and relationship building and once the relationship is built monthly or twice monthly sessions could take place. However, if this does not work for your lifestyle this could be looked at to see how best we can work together, for example, perhaps 90 minutes every fortnight would be more appropriate for you. you elsewhere that may have more specialised knowledge if you require

Not at all. These are your sessions, and you are free to discuss what you like. We can look at your preferences for our sessions and find what works. Perhaps you have no desire to explore your childhood, if this is the case we can agree to work in the here and now and be more forward-looking. Or maybe you love being given homework to do, or hate having homework! All of your preferences can be discussed. There might be an occasion where I think a certain issue may need something that doesn’t align with your preferences. If this is the case, I may make a suggestion of ways of working that may be beneficial however, this will always be an invitation and not a command as what you need is always at the heart of our sessions.

Together, we can explore how many sessions you would like, perhaps it will be six sessions to specifically target an issue or maybe you prefer a more open-ended arrangement. In either case, I conduct regular check-ins to see if you’re getting what you need, how it’s going so far or any concerns you may have. If I feel you may be reaching a point where you might be ready to end therapy I will discuss this with you to explore this. However, you can stop sessions at any time you wish and there is no obligation to continue if you don’t want to. There are many reasons for ending therapy and I encourage you to voice this, respecting your choice to decide if that time has come.

Yes. Everything you share within the therapy space remains confidential and will not be repeated outside of the room. However, as a member of the BACP, I have certain obligations that ensure I am fit to practice and remain ethical. One of those obligations is engaging within supervision, a supervisor is a bit like a counsellor for counsellors. We meet every month to discuss my caseload to explore and ensure I am working in the best way possible to serve clients. It is important to note that client information Is anonymised if discussed by using a client code, and my supervisor is also obliged to keep our sessions confidential. If you would like to discuss this in more detail, I would be more than happy to. There are times when confidentially may be broken if I feel concerned you are at risk of harm to yourself, or others or are being harmed by others, again, we can discuss this in more depth should you require.

Yes, you can. I appreciate things happen in life that may require you to cancel or reschedule appointments, you can contact me via email or phone to navigate this.

I am trained in working with young people from 12 and up, having previously counselled young people within a secondary school environment and worked as a Teaching Assistant I have a DBS check that allows me to work with this age group and have extensive knowledge of safeguarding procedures. I am also trained to work with adults and older adults, appreciating certain challenges and transitions this age group may be facing.

I am committed to the safe and ethical storage of information as per GDPR legislation and this will not be shared with any other party. If you have further concerns regarding this, I am happy to discuss further.

I typically offer a counselling contract that sets out my responsibilities, ways of working, cancellation policies, and GDPR. I ask for this to be signed (either electronically or hard copy) this is then kept on file. I will also request your next of kin and GP information in case of emergencies.

Payment can be made via online transfer, PayPal or… I request payment to be made 24 hours before each session to secure your place. Information relating to cancellations is contained within the contract.

Yes, if you require an appointment, cancellation or reschedule you can text, email or call. I endeavour to respond on the same day within business hours, but if I am busy with other commitments contact will be made at the most within 48 hours. If you require emotional support outside of sessions, please be aware I am limited in what I can offer, I can suggest signposting to 24-hour organisations but if this is out of business hours there is no guarantee I will check my work phone and so may miss the call or message. We can discuss this further if necessary.