What is therapy...
Reaching out to a therapist can feel daunting, particularly if you are accustomed to dealing with difficulties alone. An initial consultation gives us an opportunity to talk about what is happening and consider whether counselling with me feels right for you.
About therapy
Therapy offers a confidential space in which to make sense of what is happening in your life. You do not need to arrive with everything clearly understood or know exactly where to begin—we can start wherever you are.
You may have encountered the terms counselling, psychotherapy and talking therapy. Although people sometimes use these terms differently, they all describe an opportunity to explore your thoughts, feelings and experiences within a professional therapeutic relationship.
Therapy does not have to follow one fixed format. Some people seek support with a particular difficulty, while others want to understand experiences or patterns that have affected them over a longer period. The work may be relatively focused or more open-ended, depending on what you need and what we agree together.
Throughout my website, I generally use the words counselling and therapy interchangeably.
What happens when we first meet?
Our initial consultation gives us an opportunity to meet and consider whether we feel comfortable working together. I will invite you to tell me what has brought you to counselling and what you hope the process might offer.
You do not need to prepare a complete account of your life or disclose anything before you feel ready. We can also discuss any questions or concerns you have about therapy, alongside practical matters such as confidentiality and how sessions work.
The relationship between counsellor and client is an important part of therapy. The first meeting therefore allows both of us to consider whether working together feels right. If we decide to continue, we will agree arrangements for further sessions.
How I work
My approach is warm, attentive and guided by what you bring to our sessions. I will listen carefully and try to understand your experience without judgement or pressure. I may reflect on what I hear, ask questions or draw attention to something that might be useful for us to explore.
You remain the expert on your own life. My role is not to diagnose every feeling or decide where the conversation should lead. Instead, we will work together to develop a deeper understanding of what is troubling you — and, sometimes, what may lie beneath it.
As our work develops, I may notice patterns, contradictions or ways of relating that we can think about together. At times, what happens between you and me in the counselling room may also help us understand something about relationships outside it.
I won't impose an interpretation upon you or pretend to know you better than you know yourself. I see therapy as a collaborative process in which we can be curious together.
There may be laughter as well as difficult moments. There may be silence. There may also be times when I gently challenge you or invite you to consider something differently.
The aim isn't to turn you into somebody else.
It is to help you understand yourself more fully — including the parts of yourself that may previously have been difficult to understand.
How therapy may help
People come to therapy for many different reasons. You may be experiencing anxiety, loss or difficulties within a relationship. Perhaps something from your past continues to affect you, or you may simply have a feeling that life is not as fulfilling as you would like it to be.
At other times, the reason for seeking therapy can be difficult to put into words. You might know that something does not feel right without yet understanding why. That uncertainty is a perfectly valid place from which to begin.
Therapy cannot remove every difficulty or provide an instant solution. It can, however, offer time to understand your feelings, recognise patterns and consider possibilities that may be difficult to see when you are coping alone. It may also help you develop a more compassionate relationship with yourself and make choices that feel more genuinely your own.
Will you tell me what to do?
I believe that therapy should support you in reaching your own decisions rather than instructing you about how to live.
I may summarise what I understand you to be saying, offer another perspective or gently challenge something when it seems helpful. However, I will not impose my values upon you or tell you which decision you ought to make. The aim is to help you understand yourself more clearly so that you can decide what feels right for you.
Is therapy right for me?
It is understandable to feel uncertain about beginning counselling, particularly if you are accustomed to managing difficulties alone. You do not have to be in crisis, and you do not need to know in advance exactly what you want from therapy.
An initial consultation allows us to talk about what has brought you here and whether my way of working feels suitable for you. You can also read more about my experience, the different areas of my practice, and my session arrangements and fees elsewhere on the website.
