Sessions

Therapy is generally most effective when done regularly, most commonly on a weekly or fortnightly basis, at least initially. Once we have worked together for a while you may wish to move to monthly sessions, or stop all together! This completely depends on what will be right for you.

Every person is unique, and everyone is coming to counselling from a different place, so there is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to the duration of counselling. Some people want 6-12 sessions, whereas others like to have longer-term counselling over months/years. It really depends on what will be helpful for you as an individual and we can work it out together. Counselling can be life-changing and have a hugely positive impact on your life, but it often takes time and relies on your commitment, trust in the process, and the therapeutic relationship built between us.

It is important to continue counselling only as long as it is helpful, and there are several reasons you may wish to stop. You might have taken all you needed and feel ready to go on without our sessions, or wish to try something different. Alternatively, you might feel that it’s not the right time to continue counselling, or feel it isn’t for you all together. Whatever the reason, we can talk about it and figure out the next steps.

I strongly believe that therapy reaches its maximum potential when you show up as your genuine self and don’t hold back. There are no topics off-limits. Your true thoughts and feelings are welcome and I pride myself in maintaining a therapeutic space within which you will feel safe and unafraid to express any – or all! – of them, without judgement from me. That’s why therapy can be so liberating! With this in mind, whilst you are welcome to be completely open and honest with me, there are a few exceptions to confidentiality that I would be obligated to report for the protection of you or someone else, but even then you are still free to bring these things up in sessions.

It is a common misconception that you must know what you want to talk about in a therapy session, and if you don’t have a topic in mind then it’s going to be uncomfortable and pointless. This couldn’t be further from the truth. You don’t have to prepare for any of our sessions, nor plan what you want to discuss, unless this feels the right approach for you. It is absolutely okay to attend a session not knowing what you want to talk about. Sometimes these are the most impactful sessions – there can be even more headspace to explore things on a deeper level, and it’s surprising what will come up unexpectedly.

Counselling invites us to explore all parts of ourselves and our experiences, which can be challenging and uncomfortable at times. There may be periods where you feel more emotional or more drained than before, but trust the process – often the greatest change comes from being outside your comfort zone and allowing yourself to face things head-on. I will be by your side throughout, and if at any point it becomes too hard, then it might signal that now isn’t the right time to continue.

The short answer is – yes! You don’t necessarily need to be in the same room as your counsellor in order for counselling to be effective. As long as your counsellor is competent at working online and you build a trusting therapeutic relationship – which can absolutely be done through a screen – you’re set! There is growing evidence supporting online therapy and studies showing it can be as effective as face-to-face therapy. Of course, this depends on you as an individual and the therapist, among other factors. There are lots of positives to online counselling, two of the major ones being you choose where you have the session, so you may feel more at ease, and sessions can be more flexible because there is no travelling! Many people are hesitant about online therapy, but then find it really helpful and more convenient. I would say, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. I have undertaken additional training to develop my skills in online working, which enables me to provide the same high-quality service as my in-person work. I use a secure video-conferencing platform that is easy to use. If you have any more questions about online counselling, please don’t hesitate to contact me and ask away.