What is the difference between counselling and psychotherapy?

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​Counselling generally refers to shorter-term work on one particular issue, such as a bereavement or a career change, while psychotherapy tends to refer to longer-term work. Psychotherapy may involve looking at patterns which repeat in your life, your ways of coping, or how you see yourself and the world around you. 

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What is your approach to therapy?

I’m an integrative psychotherapist. This means that I’m able to draw upon principles from a range of approaches to psychotherapy, tailoring my approach to you and your needs. No one person is the same as the next; the therapy they receive shouldn’t be either.

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In practice, therapy often involves talking. If appropriate, and only if you agree, we may also occasionally work with dreams, bodily sensation, visualisation and other more creative methods. 

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Whatever the approach to psychotherapy or counselling, it’s widely acknowledged that the most important factor in helping people is the relationship between the therapist and the client. With this in mind, I provide a confidential, consistent, empathetic and non-judgmental space for you.

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What happens in the first session?

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I offer a free-of-charge phone call of up to 15 minutes before we decide to schedule any initial session. 

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Our first session is an opportunity for me to learn about you and your reasons for seeking therapy, and for us both to see if we’re a good fit. I’ll take a personal history, and I'll explain more about how psychotherapy and counselling works too.

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In our initial session, and at review points during our work, I’ll ask you about your expectations of therapy and will discuss with you the ways in which we could work together to try to meet them. 

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There's no obligation to continue after an initial session. If I’m not the right therapist for you, I’ll do my best to refer you to another psychotherapist or counsellor. ​

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How many sessions do you offer?

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I’m able to work on a long-term, open-ended basis, or over a shorter-term. Whatever the duration of our work, we will generally meet once a week for a 50 minute session.