Question 1

How do I start my therapy journey?

Accepted Answer

If you're interested in pursuing therapy with me, get in touch via my 'Contact' page and share an overview of your current difficulties via the contact form. I'll email you back to try and find a suitable time to meet for an initial assessment session.

As this session is initial, there is no pressure to commit to further sessions. It is simply an opportunity for us to meet and gauge whether we might be a good fit. We can talk about what you would like us to focus on, what goals you wish to achieve, and I can share more about my approach and answer any questions you might have. If you inform me that you feel comfortable booking in again, we'll take things from there. However, if you want some time to consolidate your thoughts then by all means take some time to have a think and get back to me via email if you wish to book in again.

Question 2

What does a typical therapy session look like?

Accepted Answer

Therapy sessions last 50 minutes and I am currently offering sessions online only. Therefore, ahead of time I shall send you a link to join a remote consultation call at an agreed time.

When you join, I usually start with a check-in to get a sense of your mood and wellbeing since I last saw you. Depending on the therapeutic approach we choose, it might be that we set goals in our last session for you to work on that we can review. Again, depending on the chosen approach, there might be an intervention for us to try together to help you work towards your goals. This might include psychoeducation, a grounding activity, an imagery based or experiential intervention, a worksheet, or perhaps a creative, more personal endeavour. Sometimes, people need a space to feel and share. If this is required, I aim to provide this space for you to unpack and discuss your difficulties.

Regardless of approach, a common aim that I work towards with clients, especially in the early sessions of therapy, is in the development of a psychological formulation of your difficulties. A formulation is a map exploring an individual's psychological presentation by combining leading-edge psychological theory with your individual experience, history, thoughts, behaviours, feelings, and physical wellbeing. A good formulation is the foundation for many evidence based therapeutic approaches, and the collaborative development of your formulation will inform a large portion of our work together.

I'll gently inform you as we begin to approach 50 minutes, so that we can have a debrief of the current session and book in for another if this is desired. If you and/or I sense that we are heading towards an ending, we can discuss this here too.

Question 3

How frequently should I attend therapy?

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that clients experience the best results from therapy when they attend weekly or fortnightly appointments. However, this is not a hard and fast rule and there may be individual factors which influence how frequently you wish to attend. You can also choose how this evolves throughout therapy. For example, if you wanted to start weekly, then move fortnightly, before ending monthly then depending on my availability, this can work too.

Question 4

How do I know when I'm ready to end therapy?

Accepted Answer

The goals we set at the start of therapy together will help determine the length of therapy. Typically, research has shown that most people make the most progress in the first 16-20 sessions. For some, they might feel their goals are met in less sessions, and for others it can take longer. If you have an idea of how many sessions you might like or can afford, do let me know to ensure we can find a way to support you with any limitations or wishes that you might have.

I'm aware that as a paying client, I do not wish to extend your therapeutic journey beyond what is necessary and I have a professional and ethical obligation to ensure that I consider endings for you in a timely, communicative way.

Question 5

Who do you work with?

Accepted Answer

Therapeutically, I work with adult (>18 years old) clients. For insurance purposes, I can only see you if you are based in the UK for our sessions. My experience stems from general adult mental health services, meaning I can work with most presentations and diagnoses for neurotypical clients and neurodiverse clients with low support needs. My main areas of expertise involve supporting those struggling with anxiety, panic, depression, stress, OCD, anger, emotional dysregulation, binge eating, restrictive eating, bereavement, body dysmorphia, relationship difficulties, low self-esteem, trauma, and challenges arising from neurodivergency and personality disorders. Let me know what you would like support with when you contact me and if I foresee another service or practitioner that can support you better,  I shall let you know their details.

Likewise for those seeking professional supervision, I work with UK based practitioners who share my therapeutic approaches. Please refer to my 'Services' page for more information.

Question 6

How confidential are our sessions?

Accepted Answer

Confidentiality is a key legal and ethical aspect of therapy. I am therefore obliged not to break confidentiality without your consent unless I perceive there to be a significant risk of harm to yourself or another. In these cases I am obliged to break confidentiality with the relevant people and services to ensure that safety is maintained. Should this circumstance occur, I will endeavour to share my concerns and plan with you before doing so where ever possible.

Please note that I am also required to attend regular professional supervision with another Psychologist. Supervisors oversee another therapists work to ensure they provide high quality therapy and are appropriately supporting their clients. Supervision is a necessary component of competent practice that is also professionally required to maintain registration and chartership. As a result, supervision requires me to share some generalities of your case with my supervisor. However, I will never provide names, contact details, or identifiable factors and all information shared remains anonymous. Additionally, my supervisor is another registered Psychologist, also bound to keep all shared in supervision confidential.

Question 7

What is your cancellation policy?

Accepted Answer

If you need to cancel an appointment, or change it to a different day, please contact me 48 hours before your scheduled appointment to avoid the requirement to pay for the missed session.

COMMON QUERIES

Frequently asked questions