How can counselling help you?

Counselling can be very helpful when you are seeking support to deal with a specific issue or life event. The process can enable you to develop greater self-awareness and clarity in relation to issues you are currently finding it difficult to deal with. Having a safe space in which to express your feelings about what is happening can help you to contain difficult emotions. Sometimes you may be able to connect present feelings and patterns of behaviour with experiences from your past. Counselling offers you an opportunity to reflect upon your situation, identify choices and take steps to make changes in your life.

What happens in brief term counselling?

In brief term work with clients I generally use a fairly structured approach, drawing upon techniques from Solution Focused Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). This often entails setting goals and exploring options, which equip you to handle your difficulties more effectively. You will be encouraged to build up your own coping resources and uncover your own answers.

I may offer you self help techniques you can practise on your own between sessions. For example, if you are feeling stressed or panicky, I would introduce you to a simple relaxation technique that you can practise. Short term counselling can be very effective in helping to shift your perception of your problems and to make choices which are more empowering.

Telephone Sessions

Sometimes it can be difficult to attend counselling or therapy regularly. This may be due to a number of reasons, such as health or mobility issues or geographical location. For this reason I offer short term counselling (up to 8 sessions) on a telephone basis.

Telephone counselling may not suit everyone, but if you feel this would be helpful for you, the next stage is to give me a call. We can then arrange an initial 15 minute discussion on the phone to explore whether telephone counselling would work for you. If you feel comfortable with the process and we agree that it would be helpful to continue, I will ask you to commit to a minimum of 4 sessions at weekly intervals. As with face to face counselling the sessions last 50 minutes at agreed times.

For telephone sessions payment needs to be made for 4 sessions in advance. Payments can be made by cheque or by bank transfer, which must be received at least 5 days before the initial appointment. It is your responsibility to call me at the designated times and to meet the cost of the telephone calls.