FAQs
Your Questions Answered
Who is counselling suitable for?
Counselling is ideal for people who are basically healthy, but need help coping with a current crisis or ongoing emotional or psychological distress.
What can I expect from counselling?
At your appointment, you'll be encouraged to talk about your feelings and emotions with a trained therapist, who'll listen and support you without judging or criticising.
The therapist can help you gain a better understanding of your feelings and thought processes, and find your own solutions to problems. But they won't usually give advice or tell you what to do.
How many sessions will I need?
Counselling is usually short-term and can last anything between 6-8 sessions. On occasions, you may benefit from longer term counselling. The counsellor will offer regular reviews every 5-6 sessions to check how you are doing.
How regular are counselling sessions?
Counselling sessions are usually weekly, in some cases bi-weekly. We do not recommend less frequent than that as it would not allow for continuity and lead to “playing catch-up”, which makes therapy less effective. It is important to attend sessions regularly. If you need to cancel it is important to do this at least 24 hours in advance otherwise your session will still be chargable.
How do I know if a particular counsellor is right for me?
In your first session, but also in all subsequent sessions, you can ask your therapist any questions related to how they work and their training; their professional memberships as well as their experience. Most importantly however, is how you feel in the session itself. Do you feel comfortable, understood and safe? If not, it might be important to raise your concerns. A good counsellor will acknowledge your concerns and work on resolving them. It is very important that your needs and wants, as well as your space and safety are respected.
What is guided self-help?
These are shorter session to provide you with insight and guidance on how to manage your current situation or feelings. It won't necessarily resolve a problem but will equip you with the resources to cope better. This can help to manage stress, anxiety or depression in a variety of circumstances, for example exam or work pressures. We can also offer ways of coping with depression, lack of confidence or isolation/loneliness.
What is a 'person-centred' approach?
This simply means that we work together at a pace that is right for you and are guided by your individual needs.
How do I book a session?
You can book online by clicking here. You can also contact us via our contact form or by phone (see 'Get in Touch' below). Please leave your name and number and also indicate what times it is ok for us to contact you. This is especially important if you are leaving a landline number that you share with others as we want to protect your privacy. We will be in touch within 24 hours and you can discuss your needs and availability. All your details will be held in absolute confidentiality.
Still have more questions? Get in touch and we'll be happy to answer them.