What happens in the first session?

Our first session gives you the opportunity to see if I am the right therapist for you and for me to ensure I am the best person to meet your needs. I know from my own experience how important it is to have the right therapist, one who you feel comfortable and safe with. If we both decide to work together, I will invite you to give me a brief history of what brings you to counselling and your hopes for the future.  

Following this, I will ask you to complete a form with your contact details along with our counselling contract outlining how we will work together.  

How many sessions will I need?

This very much depends on your reason for having therapy.  Initially we will contract for several sessions - usually between 6-12 weeks - and agree your aims or areas that you would like to explore.  Some people find longer term work beneficial, and we would review our work at regular intervals. 

How often will I have a session?

Having your session at the same time each week creates often much needed stability and trust and gives more attention to what really matters – building a relationship between us and finding ways to feel better about yourself and your life. 

What happens if I cannot make a session?

If you need to cancel a session, please give me 48 hours’ notice or I will need to charge you for the missed appointment.  

Is what I discuss with you confidential?

It is very important within the therapeutic process that I strive to always maintain confidentiality.  This means that I will keep any personal information confidential as well as what we discuss during our sessions.  There are some very specific exceptions to this which I will discuss when we meet.

To ensure that I work safely and ethically within the BACP Ethical Framework, my practice is supervised.   This means that I may share themes of our work together with my clinical supervisor, who is also bound by the same codes of ethics and confidentiality.

Data Protection Policy (GDPR): For the sole purpose of one-to-one therapy, your email address and other contact details are stored on secure, multi-password protected devices. This information will be deleted six years after the work has ended.