About counselling
People come to counselling for all sorts of reasons. This page gives some information about what I can help with and what to expect, if you have counselling with me. Feel free to get in contact for a 15-minute free consultation and to arrange a first appointment.
Why enter into counselling?
Counselling can be a really helpful, confidential space dedicated to and led by your needs, working at your pace. Below are just some examples of why people enter counselling and what I can help with.
You may want support with specific issues such as grief and loss, relationship difficulties/ruptures, challenges at work, decision-making which might feel overwhelming.
You may be struggling with high levels of anxiety, lacking in confidence and trying to work things out in your life.
You, or someone close to you, may have a physical or mental health diagnosis, or have been identified as autistic, having ADHD and/or another form of neurodivergence and wish to make sense of this, what it means for you and your relationships.
Maybe you find yourself held back because of things that happened to you in the past. Counselling can offer a safe, containing space to do some processing and sense-making so that the past does not control you and you can gain some autonomy over your future.
Maybe you’re not sure why you feel and act in the ways you do or why people seem to respond to you in certain ways and you want to understand this more and make some changes so that everyday life feels that bit easier.
You may be feeling deeply depressed and unsure if anything can offer hope right now.
Maybe you know that you are repeating unhelpful patterns and want to learn how to change these so that you can realise your full potential.
You may feel generally OK but as if you’re existing with a vague sense of unease and want to work out why.
You may be thriving generally but are curious to understand yourself more, build self-awareness and develop as a human being.
My philosophy and approach
I believe passionately in the ability and capability of everyone, regardless of where we start or how we got where we are. This belief is informed by the understanding that we are all affected by the impact of our histories – individual, family and societal – which can consciously and unconsciously influence how we face and make sense of new struggles or life situations that might arise. However, counselling can help in the process of understanding oneself in relation to others, the past and whatever might be the reason for seeking counselling in the first place. It can open up the possibility of new choices and different approaches to familiar problems.
I have been studying and working with psychodynamic theories and practices, at individual and group levels, since 2011. My practice is informed by the work of pioneers including Freud, Jung, Klein and Bion, and developed through contributions from attachment theory, compassion and mentalisation-focused therapies, and research from the fields of neuroscience and traumatology.
What to expect
Whether short or long-term, counselling sessions are offered on a weekly basis, for 50 minutes. When we first meet, a regular day of the week and time will be agreed for sessions on an ongoing basis.
Although everyone shares in the human condition, how this plays out can be uniquely individual. I therefore adapt my practice to you and your needs, so that you are in control of what the therapy will focus on and its pace. How long we will work together will depend on these. However, I describe my general approach here, to give you a flavour of how I work.
Session One
During our first meeting, I will hear about you, what brings you to therapy and what you might be looking for. I’ll explain a bit about me, my work, some contracting logistics (e.g. confidentiality, meeting and payment arrangements) and answer any other questions you may have. You will be able to get a feel for how I work in this session, and I will start to get to know you a bit more. It may be we agree to embark on working together at this point, or we may agree to meet again before deciding on this. If we agree that we are not the right match, I will be happy to share details of other therapists or services who might be more appropriate.
Ongoing work
This will change depending on what you bring each week and what might be going on for you in your life. The work is not always easy and can be challenging. For instance, It is not uncommon for people to experience feelings that go up and down over the course of counselling. However, my experience is that through this work, people are better able to make choices about their lives and ways of living, and develop a greater capacity to manage the inevitable life challenges that come along.
Part of my role is to offer you a supportive, containing framework to face things that might feel too overwhelming alone. I use a range of grounding techniques to support you so that our work together does not actively re-trigger past traumas. Sometimes things can come up unexpectedly which may be distressing. If this happens, I have skills which can help so that this doesn’t stop you from getting on with your daily life. If necessary, I can also offer guidance and signposting to other support, if this might be helpful.
My work also pays attention to the very real impact of what is going on outside of the therapy space, in your relationships, in society and the wider world, which can play a big part in how we all feel and cope. And as a psychodynamic counsellor, I am comfortable in working with the relational dynamics between you and me, what I may represent for you, the power dynamics between us, and how our relationship can support you in your relationships outside of the therapy space.
Ending counselling
Unless we agree to work for a fixed length, there is no right answer as to when to end counselling. It might be anything from a few months to many years after beginning. When you are ready to end, we can work towards an ending in a way which enables you to take away what you have gained from the experience into your ongoing life. Working towards endings is an important part of the therapeutic process and many people find that the work ‘continues’ even after the counselling relationship has ended.