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You may choose to participate in counselling for a number of reasons. You may be seeking support for a specific challenging life event such as a relationship break-up; perhaps you experience anxiety or depression within your life and you're wondering if life could be different for you; or maybe you're finding you're living the same relationship patterns repeatedly (for example, with your parent, friend or work colleague). Counselling can provide a safe, confidential space to explore, deepen your understanding of all of these and much more.

You may also arrive with very specific goals for your therapy, or you may be unsure exactly what you are looking for from it, just knowing that you want to make some changes in your life in some way and need support figuring this out. These are aspects of your therapy we will discuss in our initial exploratory call together. We'll also review them on a regular basis to ensure you are getting the most out of your counselling.

Choosing to take part in counselling is a personal choice and there is no 'right or wrong' reason to attend. If you feel that you need support or would like to implement change in your life, it can be a valuable investment in your wellbeing.

Research has consistently shown that an important part of counselling is the quality of the therapeutic relationship. This means that it can be important to have your counselling with a therapist that you feel able to trust and feel comfortable speaking with.

It might also be useful for you to consider the style of therapy you would prefer. I work as a person-centred counsellor (you can read more about it here) and you can read more about other approaches here.

The free, no obligations 15 minute exploratory call I offer is an opportunity to meet and get a feel for me as your potential therapist to see if I suit your needs at this time. Within this you are able to ask any questions you have. If you would like to proceed, I will happy to work with you. If you feel you need to work with a different therapist I will direct you to useful resources within your search

It would be unethical for me to claim that I can guarantee that you will see positive results through working with me.

What these results look like for each person can be highly subjective and based on many different factors, however, there is much research to support the overall efficacy of counselling (including working online), and also of my approach to counselling (person-centred).

I will also check in with you on a regular basis throughout our work to see how you are experiencing your therapy, what is helpful for you and if any changes in our way of working together would be useful for you. In this way our counselling together will be dynamic and tailored to your own individual needs.

In terms of my theoretical approach I would describe myself as a person-centred pluralistic counsellor.

But what does that mean? Well, there are three different aspects to this and I will take you through them briefly.

• Person-centred counselling was founded by Carl Rogers in the 1940's and has an extensive evidence and theoretical base. Revolutionary at the time compared with other approaches, Rogers places you as the client as the expert of your world (rather than the therapist), believing that you have all the resources that you need to flourish within you. He believed that empathy, authenticity and acceptance within therapy can support this tendency and challenge conditioning from others and society that may have gotten in the way of this, in turn lessening distress that you may be experiencing. Considering this, my approach is to offer you a safe and accepting space where we can explore your world in the way you experience it, disentangling your challenges together, finding ways forwards that makes sense to you and supporting you to live a life based on your own values.

• Pluralistic counselling is founded on the principles that 'different clients may find different things helpful at different times' and that if, as therapists, we want to know what is best for our clients we should talk to you about this. This is a newer modality but has a growing and exciting evidence base emerging. My approach therefore, is to tailor your therapy around your unique preferences, discussing this with you on a consistent basis alongside open and transparent dialogue around how you are experiencing your therapy and your relationship with me on a continual basis so we can support you to get the most out of it.

These terms can cause confusion and can make the path to support feel more complicated than it needs to be.

In the UK, the titles counsellor and psychotherapist are not currently legally protected or regulated. In theory anyone could use these terms. Voluntary professional bodies - such as the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), with whom I’m accredited - hold members accountable to ethical codes and supervision requirements. Accreditation adds an additional layer of quality standards and oversight.

The terms counsellor and psychotherapist are sometimes used interchangeably. In practice, the approaches can look similar, and the scopes can overlap. Often (but not always) psychotherapy trainings are longer in length - for example 5 years - and may include additional requirements.

I trained as a counsellor for 4 years, graduating with a degree in Person-Centred Counselling from Metanoia Institute (a specialist organisation for counselling and psychotherapy), and have been in practice for over 10 years. I also engage in ongoing training to deepen, refresh and broaden my skills. At the same time, I am transparent and precise about my title - I use the term counsellor. On this website, when I use the word “therapy”, I’m referring specifically to counselling.

It’s also worth noting that in some other countries these terms are regulated differently, or carry different legal meanings - which is another reason I’m careful to use language that is accurate to my role and jurisdiction.

Here’s how this compares with two other common roles:

Psychologist - In the UK this is a protected title. Chartered psychologists are regulated by the HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council), and have specific postgraduate training pathways. Some psychologists provide talking therapy, some focus on research or testing, and some specialise in assessment and diagnosis.

Psychiatrist - Psychiatrists are medical doctors who have then specialised in mental health. They can diagnose, assess, and - importantly - prescribe medication. They are regulated through medical regulation, and are employed across NHS and private settings.

You may work with more than one of these professionals during your life. In our work together, if it becomes relevant to explore a diagnostic process, medication, or an additional type of support, we can talk about this openly. I can support you in exploring what might be appropriate and - if needed - refer you to a relevant professional alongside our counselling sessions.

In our first counselling session, we will go over any questions you may have, including any around our counselling agreement which details how we will hold our therapy sessions together. We will then go through, in more detail, your history and the background details of why you would like counselling right now.

You can read about in more detail what to expect in one of my blog posts.

Preferences around how long clients wish to remain in therapy can vary greatly. You may find that, for example, six sessions is enough support for your needs right now, or you may find that having counselling on a more long term basis means you can explore your challenges in more depth. There is no rule or 'right and wrong' in this - it is an individual choice and it's important it feels right for you, your circumstances and your budget.

Once you decide to proceed with therapy with me, your regular counselling time will be yours as long as you wish to attend your sessions. We are able to agree a set amount of sessions, or we can work together on a more 'rolling' open ended basis. Either way we will have regular reviews to discuss how you are finding our work together and you are in control of making the decision around how long you wish to have therapy.

Generally counselling sessions with me will be held on the same day and at the same time each week for 50 minutes. This is my recommendation as consistency can be a key factor in establishing therapeutic change.

I am also able to offer 30 or 75 minute sessions if this is preferable for you (currently only available for online and telephone sessions) and fortnightly sessions are also possible.

If your work pattern can change or you require a more flexible arrangement please contact me so we can see what is possible for you.

At some point you may feel like taking a break or concluding your counselling sessions with me.

Often 'endings' within our lives can be unexpected or abrupt, and in counselling it can be important that we have time to discuss our work together and process its conclusion in a way that honours it. In this way, I ask that once you’ve given me notice we have at least 1 further final session together for this.

Should you wish to return to counselling sessions with me at a later time, I will welcome you back (though please be aware there may be some waiting time until an appointment becomes available).