Integrative,relational,at your pace
You decide what we talk about, and how far we go. I help you notice what keeps repeating.
How I work
I work integratively, which means I draw on a range of therapeutic approaches and bring them together in a way that fits you. My practice is rooted in humanistic and psychodynamic thinking, and informed by existential therapy, CBT, ACT, mindfulness and solution-focused ideas.
I’m collaborative and curious. My aim is to work alongside you to make sense of what has happened to you and the meaning you made of it, and to explore whether the ways you’ve learned to cope still help.
I came to counselling through psychology and research, and I still love reading about what helps people and why. That curiosity feeds into my work, alongside what you tell me is and isn’t helping.
What a first session looks like
There is no script, but a first session tends to move through four parts.
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Checking in
We say hello and settle in. I explain how confidentiality works, and you can ask me anything before we start.
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What brings you
The largest part of the session. You talk about what has been happening, in whatever order it comes. I listen, and ask a question now and then.
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What you’d like to achieve
We think about what you would like to be different, even if it is still vague. It gives us both something to work towards.
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Wrapping up
We slow down before the end. You tell me how it felt, and we agree what happens next, if anything.
Three things you can expect
However we end up working, these stay the same.
A collaborative relationship
Therapy isn’t something done to you. It’s a collaborative process, and we work things out together.
The bigger picture
Family, work, culture and circumstances all shape how we feel and how we cope. We look at your life as a whole.
What is going well
We talk about what is difficult. We also notice your strengths, and the progress you make, however small.
How things often unfold
Counselling can be a set number of sessions or open-ended. Either way, it tends to move through a few phases.
Early on
Getting to know what brings you
The first few sessions are for understanding what you need and what you are hoping for, and what sits behind it. We also agree how we will work together.
Once we’ve met a few times
The main body of the work
We go further into the patterns, beliefs and experiences you want to shift, and you try out what we notice in your life between sessions.
Every so often
Checking how it is going
We stop to review what is helping, what should change, and whether someone else might suit you better.
When it feels right
Ending well
We gather up what you have learned and think about how you’ll keep using it in your own life. You choose when.
Everyone’s therapy sessions are different. This is how it often goes, not a timetable.
Confidentiality
Counselling only works if you can speak freely, so it helps to know exactly where the edges are.
What stays between us
- What you say in our sessions stays between us.
- Nothing is recorded, by either of us.
- I talk my work through with a supervisor, as every counsellor must. No names or identifying details are shared.
The rare exceptions
- If your life or someone else’s is at risk, or a child or an adult at risk needs protecting.
- If the law requires it, for example a court order.
Questions people ask
About how I work, and what you can expect from me. Something else? Ask me directly.
What is integrative counselling?
It means I am trained in more than one way of working and draw on whichever fits you, instead of applying a single method to everyone. Underneath, the approach is humanistic and psychodynamic: I am interested in you as a whole person, and in how your past shapes the present.
Will you give me advice or tell me what to do?
No. I won’t hand you instructions, and I won’t try to fix things for you. I help you think clearly, notice what keeps repeating, and work out what you want to do about it.
How often will we meet?
Most people come weekly at the same time, which keeps the work moving. If you would prefer to meet less often, we can arrange sessions one at a time around what is free in my diary.
What if it doesn’t feel like it is working?
Tell me. We hold regular reviews for exactly this, and you can raise it at any point. We may change how we work, or decide that someone else would be a better fit. Saying so won’t affect how I work with you.
Can I take a break, or stop?
Yes, whenever you choose, and you don’t have to give a reason. If you can, I’d suggest a final session to round things off, but that is up to you.
Whenever you feel ready
Ask me how we can work together.
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