What is the first step?
The first step is to contact me to arrange a consultation. I generally recommend three consultations because I have found from experience that one consultation does not provide the amount of time needed to fully understand an individual’s life experiences.
What happens during the initial consultations?
I often think of the initial consultations as being a little like beginning a jigsaw puzzle. We may arrive with a number of separate pieces, such as experiences, feelings, relationships, symptoms or concerns, without yet being able to see clearly how they fit together.
The purpose of the consultations is to begin putting some of those pieces together so that a clearer picture can start to emerge. This helps us think about what may be happening, what you might need from therapy, and whether analytical psychotherapy feels like the right way forward.
I will usually recommend up to three initial consultations before we decide together whether to continue.
Do I need to know what I want to talk about?
No. Just as with a jigsaw puzzle, there is no single correct piece to begin with.
You do not need to arrive with a clear agenda or know exactly where to start. We can begin with whatever feels most present, whether that is something that has happened recently, a feeling, a relationship, a dream, a memory, or simply a sense that something does not feel right.
As the work develops, different pieces often begin to connect, and what initially felt confusing or fragmented can gradually start to make more sense.
How long does psychotherapy last?
There is no fixed length of time. Analytical psychotherapy can be either shorter-term or longer-term, depending on what brings you to therapy and what develops through the work.
For some people, a particular difficulty may become clearer over a relatively contained period. For others, the work may develop into a longer exploration of recurring patterns, relationships and emotional life.
We would review the work together as it progresses rather than deciding the length in advance.
How much will it cost and how long is a session?
I charge £80 per session and each session lasts for 50 minutes.
When do you work?
I work both during the day and evenings. I do not work weekends.
How often will I attend?
I offer as many sessions as clinically appropriate. This can be from one to two, or three times a week.
How will the work end?
When the therapy has been open ended the ending will be discussed and agreed ahead so that there is time to reflect on the effects of the psychotherapeutic work and to pay attention to all the feelings that can emerge as the therapy draws to a close
How confidential are the sessions?
In line with BACP and WMIP professional and ethical guidelines, I offer a high level of confidentiality. As part of good professional practice, I may discuss aspects of my clinical work in supervision. When doing so, I take care not to use information that would identify you. There are, however, some circumstances in which confidentiality may need to be broken, for example if I became seriously concerned about your safety or the safety of another person, or where I was required to disclose information by law. Wherever possible, I would discuss this with you beforehand.
How can individuals distinguish the right ‘talking therapy’?
Individuals who seek a ‘talking’ therapy can initially be met with large amounts of therapeutic jargon that can confuse the person, ‘medicalise’ their symptoms, and create unnecessary complications and differences. The most effective ‘talking therapies’ are those where there is a good working relationship between the client and the therapist. So, the short answer is find someone who you feel good working with that may be the right therapist for you!
What is the difference between counselling and psychotherapy?
There is no clear cut answer to this question. Broadly, counselling is concerned with finding solutions to particular, current difficulties whilst psychotherapy works at a deeper level with patterns of thought and behaviour that may have been established many years ago. Again, we can review your specific needs as we go.
Do you offer Zoom sessions?
I do offer zoom sessions but only with individuals I have been able to meet face to face for the initial consultation period. Then if it is clinically appropriate I will offer zoom sessions with tailored face to face sessions arranged.
Please contact me for further clarification on any of these points and with any other questions you may have.
The word ‘happy’ would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.
– Carl Jung