Who is counselling for?
Counselling can be for anyone and everyone. You may have had a difficult childhood, a traumatic experience, a sudden life change or loss, or perhaps you just don’t feel yourself/happy in your life.
Counselling can also be useful for people looking to grow and develop even when nothing is going particularly badly.
If you are unsure whether counselling is right for you at this moment, book an introductory session and we can discuss your reservations, hopes, and expectations.
Is counselling confidential?
Yes – I will not discuss anything, no matter how insignificant, with anyone else except with your consent.
It is, however, a requirement of BACP as well as good professional practice to meet regularly with a personal supervisor — another trained counsellor who abides by the same rules around confidentiality — to speak about my client work and no personal or identifying information is shared.
There are also a few notable reasons I may have to break confidentiality, as specified by the BACP Ethical Framework and legal requirements, but I would always try to speak to you before breaking confidentiality.
These are:
1. If I believe there is a serious and imminent risk of harm to yourself or others.
2. Where I believe you are involved in an act of terrorism, drug trafficking, or money laundering.
3. Where I believe there is serious, current, and ongoing child abuse.
Do you keep notes and are they secure?
I keep brief notes on each client session, both to help myself keep track of my clients, for good professional practice, in case they are required by law, and for insurance purposes. I also keep some personal details, such as phone number and GP contact info, on a secure system to allow me to manage your bookings.
This includes some information submitted electronically via this website which uses secure SSL encryption (the padlock to the left of the address bar in your browser).
Client notes are kept confidential (except in the exceptions listed above) and separate from your personal details on an encrypted platform. Find out more in my privacy policy.
I keep notes for 5 years after our last contact, as required by my insurance provider.
The only people who can require the release of client notes are:
- a judge (with a court order)
- a coroner
- the client themselves
How much does counselling cost?
Counsellors usually charge between £35-60 for a 50-minute session. I charge £40 for a 60-minute session, with discounts available for low incomes.
I also accept pay-it-forward donations from those who can afford it which helps me offer discounted sessions.
Why does counselling cost so much?
Being a counsellor requires a large number of overhead costs, including: counselling training, CPD, room rent, BACP membership fees, professional insurance, and more.
What is a pay-it-forward donation?
A donation typically around £5-10 that goes to help those on low incomes access counselling. Donations can be one-off or regular and for any amount you wish to donate.
How long does counselling take?
It can vary from client to client and is completely in your control. You may feel we have addressed the core issue within a few sessions or you may discover other issues you want to work on.
It may take a couple of months or last several years. You may want to do short bursts of counselling every few months. It’s entirely your choice how you use counselling and for how long.
What training and skills do you have as a counsellor?
I am a fully-qualified counsellor and gained post-graduate professional-level training from both the University of Edinburgh and the University of Strathclyde.
I am also a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
Membership number: 378609
Do you work with people who have been diagnosed with a mental health problem, mental illness or disorder?
Of course! Diagnosis doesn’t stop you from benefiting from counselling and evidence shows that counselling can be incredibly beneficial for things like anxiety, attachment disorders, body dysmorphia, depression, eating disorders, OCD, personality disorders, phobias, postnatal depression, PTSD, and even psychosis, including schizophrenia.
Do you provide advice/coaching/mentoring?
Generally no. I may offer suggestions or things you could try, pose alternative viewpoints and ideas, or suggest exercises to do together or between sessions, however none of these ideas should be taken as advice. Ultimately, you are the expert on your own life and you have the power in counselling to accept or reject anything I say.
I am not a medical professional and cannot offer professional medical advice.
What should I do if I want to end counselling?
You can end counselling for any reason at any time. I usually ask for clients to inform me one session in advance of their ending so we can discuss the ending, what the future holds, and have a sense of closure.
What should I do if I have a complaint?
Hopefully you will never have a reason to make a complaint. If you do, however, it would be great if we could discuss the issue between us in the first instance.
If you do not feel comfortable discussing the issue with me directly or do not feel I have offered a satisfactory outcome to your issue, you can refer the complaint to the BACP.