Starting Counselling

It’s a big step starting counselling. You may be in a time of crisis. You know you need support, but feel unsure of what if anything, will help. Counselling is one option which can really make a difference.

If you decide to come to counselling, it is important to choose a therapist you can trust and that you find a counselling approach that feels right.

The Way I Work

I am a psychodynamic counsellor. This means the way I work is to think with you to address your present situation in the context of your early upbringing. For example, you may have trust issues in your relationships. We think about where this originated from. We work together to enable change.

How Long Does It Take?

One of the questions you may ask when starting counselling is ‘how long will it take?’. Although there is no absolute answer to this question, we think about what you need, what your aims are in counselling as well as your current circumstance in terms of how long is affordable for you and other commitments you may have. We think about whether time-limited or ongoing therapy is more suited to you.

Time-limited Therapy

Time-limited therapy is about agreeing a set amount of sessions at the start of our work. You may be seeking a specific goal for therapy, such as improving your relationships, or you may need to find a therapy which is affordable, either financially or in terms of time. In which case, time-limited therapy may be the best approach for you. I often work using a 12-session model of time-limited work, but this depends upon your circumstance. 

Ongoing Therapy

In ongoing therapy, we do not have a fixed amount of sessions at the start of our work. You may have complex issues to work through and so it is best to work together until it feels right for us to stop. Sometimes it is difficult to tell how much counselling you need and in this case, ongoing therapy is most suited for you.

Working With Me

You will want to work with someone who is experienced. Someone who can help you with your situation in a non-judgemental and safe way. I have worked with hundreds of people both privately and in the NHS (Kings College London, and currently South London and Maudsley Mental Health Trust). My way of working is supportive and warm whilst also challenging deep-seated anxieties and difficulties. For more information about the client’s experience of working with me, please see the testimonials page.