Will I have to talk about things I don't want to?
Is counselling confidential?
Session length and duration
No - it is completely your decision to either talk about something or not. There may be things that you decide you would like to discuss straight away, things you decide to discuss as our sessions progress, and things you decide not to discuss at all.
It is important that you are honest during your sessions as this will help you to achieve the best possible results. Although this does not mean that it will necessarily be an easy process, most people find that it becomes much easier to talk freely as their sessions go on.
We can sometimes tend to ‘bottle up’ our emotions, usually to avoid feeling pain or hurting others. These ‘bottled’ thoughts and feelings can begin to feel like carrying physical weights and become too much to carry in time.
Talking about some of these things may also remind you of the emotions you felt at the time and this can be difficult and upsetting to think about again. However, talking about these issues within a counselling setting allows you to process them and, in turn, heal yourself.
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Yes, confidentiality is an important factor in the client-counsellor relationship. Everything that is said in the counselling room remains entirely confidential and is not shared with anyone without your express permission.
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The only exceptions to this are for me to take part in clinical supervision, which ensures that I practice safely and within my competence levels, or if I felt that either you or someone else was in imminent danger, or in the case of safeguarding concerns, where I would legally be required to disclose relevant information, for example to the police or courts. This is, however, very rare and I would always try to discuss this with you first.
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I cannot and would not disclose any information at all to anyone (including your doctor) about you or our sessions together.
This is so that you can feel safe to discuss anything that you need to.
Sessions last 60 minutes each and are usually weekly, unless we mutually agree a different interval.
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I can cater for both long and short-term therapy which means that I can tailor the number of sessions to your individual needs. Some clients have complex issues which can take several months of sessions to work through, however, many clients just need a few sessions to get them on their way to achieving their goals.
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We will review your progress at each session and you will always be the one to make the decision whether or not to continue with therapy.
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Appointment times
Appointments can either be booked for the same day and time each week, or on a flexible schedule. If you choose to book flexible days and times each week then this is on a first come first served basis.
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My working hours are:
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Monday - 10:00 - 20:30
Tuesday - 9:30 - 15:30
Wednesday - 10:00 - 20:30
Thursday - 10:00 - 20:30