What is therapy or counselling?
Counselling is the process of assisting and guiding clients, especially by a trained person on a professional basis, to resolve especially personal, social, or psychological problems and difficulties.
Psychotherapeutic counselling is talking therapy. It is used to treat emotional problems and mental health issues. What distinguishes psychotherapeutic counselling from traditional counselling is the emphasis it places on the in-depth therapeutic relationship jointly created by the therapist and the client. This relationship is a central factor.
Why would I need therapy?
There are many reasons people seek out therapy. It can be due to grief, anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationships are some of the most common. You may simply want someone to talk to in confidence. Some problems in your life may feel tolerable whereas others feel overwhelming and unmanageable. Regardless of the intensity, severity, and frequency of your problem, no issue is too small or too big to benefit from therapy.
Are sessions confidential?
Yes, your sessions are confidential. Confidentiality is vitally important. I do not disclose anything you discuss with us to a third party unless your safety, the safety of another person or the safety of a child is at risk. In rare cases, our counsellors are legally and ethically bound to break confidentiality. For more information please contact me.
I fear that I won’t know what to talk about
We all do. It’s completely natural. It’s enough that you are yourself, nothing else is expected. Don’t let the fear keep you stuck. Get in touch anyway.
I’m shy and struggle with opening up
It is okay, whatever the difficulty you are facing. Therapy is about showing up the way you are today. Showing up is already a step forward. And safety is a big part of the process and you might notice feeling safer in every session. Like with every relationship, it takes time to open up. It’s natural and it’s great if you are already aware of your shyness.
I’m afraid of being judged
As a therapist, I’m trained to remain non-judgemental with my clients. Judgement would not be therapeutic or useful in any way and so we leave it outside of the door.
I struggle in my relationship. What if my parter doesn’t want to do therapy?
They have the right not to do it if they wish. You can still go ahead and work on your part of what you bring into the relationship. When one person changes, the other is likely to shift as a result.
My partner forces me to come to therapy. What should I do?
Therapy can only take place if the client/s are there by choice. If one doesn’t want to or feel the need to change, therapy wouldn’t be effective anyway.
How do I start?
Get in touch, ask for the free 30 mins session online so you get a feel of how our sessions might look like. We discuss what brings you to therapy and whether I am best placed to support you. From there, you can decide if therapy is for you and whether we want to work together.
The first therapy session focusses on an assessment on your background and history, which informs some of our work.
Then we start the therapy process from there on.
I’m not familiar with any complicated therapy terms. Can I still have therapy?
Certainly. You are not expected to know any therapy related terms. They are not needed for therapy to be effective.
Some people like them and some don’t. Both approaches are okay.