What can I help you with?

You can bring anything you want to our sessions. There are no limits to what you wish to bring, after all, these are your sessions.

These are some examples of things brought by others:

• Abuse (including emotional,  neglect, physical, psychological and sexual)
• Addiction
• Anxiety
• Bereavement
• Bullying
• Childhood sexual abuse
• Complex Childhood Trauma (including Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD))
• Depression
• Disability
• Domestic Violence
• Family Issues
• Gender 
• Long term pain and illness
• Low Self-Confidence
• Low Self-Esteem
• Low Self-Worth
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Relationships
• Sexuality
• Suicidal Thoughts
• Trauma
• Workplace issues
   

What is Person-centred therapy?

There are many different types of therapy. Person-centred therapy is a form of Humanistic Counselling that was first developed by Carl Rogers. You can find out more about the theory here. 

What follows is my personal experience of having a Person-Centred Counsellor.

I'd experienced many different counselling types from CBT to psychodynamic psychotherapy as well as others, for both short and long-term therapy. They all helped me in some way but my life fundamentally changed with the experiences I had with a Person-centred counsellor.

The difference was that this person really listened and it felt like they heard me. No matter what I shared, both the 'good' and 'bad', they accepted me. Somehow their genuineness came across and I knew they weren't judging me. Having their acceptance made me think that maybe, just maybe, I wasn't all bad inside and they helped me find the courage to really look at myself. It took time and a lot of hard work but I learnt to love and accept myself for who I am. They helped me listen to things I used to shame myself with and face things I thought I would always be afraid of. The relief I felt, and continue to feel, has been truly life changing. I feel like I'm free of all that held me back and am the person I choose to be, rather than the one I thought I ought to be. Now when things come up, I feel I can recognise them for myself and can work through them, no fear, no hiding, just acceptance and love for the person I'm becoming. I can finally say "Life is good!"
 

What will happen in the first session? 

In our first session, after introducing myself, we'll discuss: person-centred therapy; our therapy agreement; confidentiality; GDPR regulations and if appropriate your hopes/goals for therapy. We both will know from this initial meeting whether we think we can work together. It is essential for therapy that there is mutual trust in our therapeutic relationship. That means, if at the end of the session you don't think I'm the right therapist for you, you do not need to continue working with me. Please don't worry about hurting my feelings in this, you must feel comfortable with your therapist or you won't want to bring your full self to these sessions. Likewise, if for whatever reason, I feel that I'm not the right therapist for you, I will let you know and provide some other potential therapists you could contact if that's what you wish to do. 

How many sessions do I need?

Person-centred therapy can be short-term or longer term work, so the number of sessions is entirely up to you. Some clients find a couple of sessions helpful, whilst others find longer term therapy to work through long-standing issues beneficial. I will check in with you to see how therapy is working for you and make suggestions where appropriate.  It will always be up to you when you wish to finish, take a break  and/or restart if you wish to continue, there will be no external pressure from me towards any action, only my availability.

What if I have to cancel a session?

I ask, where possible, to give 48 hours notice to cancel a session. If less time is given I will need to charge for the session as this cannot be filled by another client. I will also make sure I give you the same timeframe if I need to cancel the session. Obviously there may be unavoidable situations occur that cause us to miss an appointment, and payment for these sessions will be at my discretion.

What regulations do you adhere to?

I adhere to the Ethical Framework of our professional regulatory body, The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

I hold MBACP status, meaning I am a registered member of the BACP.

I hold an up-to-date enhanced DBS certificate.

I have an  MA in Person-Centred Experiential Counselling and Psychotherapy Practice from the University of Nottingham.

Confidentiality

Your confidentiality is taken very seriously. It is my hope that you will feel safe enough to talk openly about any aspect of your life that is troubling you, in the knowledge that what you say will go no further. However, there are two limitations to this:

1. In accordance with the Ethical Framework of our professional regulatory body, The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), and for the purposes of therapist's on-going personal development, all professional Therapists are required to engage in regular Clinical Supervision sessions, with a fully qualified Supervisor, to ensure that my work with you is always of the highest professional and ethical standard. At times I may share with my Supervisor something which you have talked about during our sessions together. However no identifying information will be given, meaning that your anonymity will always be protected. In addition to this protection, I to reassure you that the Supervisor works to the same ethical standards as me.

2. In most situations, what you talk about would remain confidential between you and me. 
In very rare circumstances, however, I may have to breach confidentiality, in the following situations;

• If what you tell me, leads me to believe that there is risk of serious harm to yourself or others;
• If you tell me of a serious crime or act of terrorism which has, or may, cause serious harm to others;
• If I am required to break confidentiality by law, eg in the event of a court case

I wish to reassure you that any potential breach of confidentiality would be considered very seriously and discussed with my Supervisor, before any action was taken. Where possible, I would also discuss such a situation with you (and ideally with your consent) before taking any action.