FAQs

All the things you wanted to know but were afraid to ask(!)…..scroll down for answers on the following:

Is therapy for me?
How does therapy work?
Psychotherapy and counselling- what’s the difference?
Do you work with specific issues?
Where and when do you work?
How much are sessions and how can I pay?
How often are sessions?
What’s your cancellation policy?
How long does therapy last?
What will my first session be like?
What if I am unsure about starting therapy?
Do you have a contract for clients?
What training/qualifications do you have?
What does “an integrative, transpersonal psychotherapist” do?
Is our therapy confidential?
Are you insured?
What are the UKCP and BACP?

Is therapy for me?

Therapy isn’t solely for people in deep crisis. Therapy can provide the much needed space for you to explore, reflect and process your life (an emotional MOT so to speak).

I strongly feel that we can all benefit from hitting the pause button on our lives in order to take stock of where we are. Your weekly session is a great opportunity to do just that.

If you’d like to explore your life (past, present and future) with someone without judgement or agenda in a safe and confidential space, then therapy is for you.

How does therapy work?

Your therapy is about you and for you. It’s important that it serves your needs and this is something we will keep coming back to in our work together.

Most clients find giving an issue space and time within our unique therapeutic situation, allows for something new to emerge and for the current issue to shift. As your guide, or compass, I will pay close attention to how your outer world reflects, or not, your inner world, keeping one eye on the detail and the other on the bigger picture.

Therapy can provide you with a greater sense of well being and resilience to face the inevitable ups and down of life. It can help you lead a more fulfilling and rich life, closer to your true self. Through therapy you can discover things about yourself which you didn’t know or which you had forgotten or lost. It takes courage, curiosity and commitment.

Psychotherapy and counselling- what’s the difference?

Counselling is normally shorter term (say 3 to 6 months) focusing more on specific current life events, where as psychotherapy goes deeper into the issues over a longer period of time.

In terms of the way I work, there is no real difference. Everything is tailored to your needs including timescale.

Do you work with specific issues?

For over ten years now, I’ve worked successfully with a wide range of issues including burn-out at work, anxiety, divorce, depression, narcissistic parenting and childhood sexual abuse (to name but a few).

I don’t prescribe to one specific area, preferring to work with what you decide to bring to therapy, thereby embracing the wide diversity of issues which can arise out of our varied lives.

Where and when do you work?

I mainly work online, seeing clients via Zoom, and have the following sessions available: Mondays at 2.20pm, 3.30pm or 4.45pm and Wednesdays at 4.45pm, 6pm or 7.10pm.

I also work in-person with clients on Thursday afternoons, from my space in Guildford, Surrey.

How much are sessions and how can I pay?

All sessions last 50 minutes and cost £80 each for online and £100 for in-person.

Payment is made via bank transfer in advance of each session.

How often are sessions?

Sessions are weekly; same day, same time, same place, same therapist (me)! Meeting each week helps us form a strong working alliance and creates a safe, secure and consistent space for our work together.

What’s your cancellation policy?

Please give a minimum of a week’s notice if you’re unable to attend your next session. Missed sessions without adequate notice will be payable in full. Excluding my own planned holiday, there is an allowance of four missed sessions over the course of the year of the therapy. Any missed sessions beyond that are payable in full.

If you are unable to make your specific session, then we’ll try to rearrange it at a different time/day that week if possible.

I will provide at least four weeks notice of any planned holiday.

How long does therapy last?

Your therapy will be tailored to your specific requirements, so it can be tricky to know how long your weekly sessions may go on for.

As a guide I normally suggest we have six sessions to start with as I feel that’s normally enough time for you to get an understanding of what therapy is like and if it suits you. On session six I will review our work together and we’ll agree how to take things forward. You are under no obligation to continue.

Most clients’ therapy lasts between three/six months to a couple of years. It really varies from client to client and what their needs are. The longer the therapy, the more time we may need to end. As a guide I recommend a minimum of one session to at least a four week plus period for longer term work.

What will my first session be like?

Once you’ve made contact with me, we’ll either arrange an initial session or maybe have a brief telephone call to start with. Some clients prefer to have a call as a way to touch base with me without the commitment of attending an initial session. The call is free and you are under no obligation to proceed with therapy.

In our first session, we’ll assess what issues are going on for you (e.g. relationships, family, health etc) and I’ll gather some basic contact information too. At the end of this first session, we’ll agree a way forward and cover any questions you may have.

After that we’ll meet every week for your sessions (with regular reviews along the way, the first one being on your sixth session).

If, for some reason, we decide to not work together, we will discuss whether I might be able to refer you to another therapist. Reasons can occasionally arise such as availability issues, close links to other clients or perhaps the required therapeutic skills/experience are outside of my area. We will always discuss such matters as they arise and agree a way forward together.

What if I am unsure about starting therapy?

First off, feeling hesitant is understandable and totally OK. Sometimes we need some time before taking that first step.

So what I would recommend, is for us to have an initial short telephone call so we can get an idea of where you’re at and for you to ask me any questions you may have. The call is free and you are under no obligation to proceed with therapy. From this we can agree a way forward which feels best for you right now.

Plus if you’re after a bit more background, I’d recommend checking out Starting out on my Resources page for some further information and maybe inspiration.

Do you have a contract for clients?

Once we’ve agreed to work together, I’ll talk you through my client information sheet (a copy is included in Contracting on my Resources page) which sets out my terms and conditions for your therapy.

What training/qualifications do you have?

I am trained as an integrative, transpersonal psychotherapist (see below for a translation)! I have worked for over a decade helping clients find their way.

I trained at CCPE (the largest training centre for Transpersonal psychotherapy in the UK). My training lasted six years and during this, I worked for various different charities as a counsellor/ support worker including Victim Support and Mind and a women’s centre in Kingston.

The official qualification I have is a diploma in counselling and psychotherapy. This diploma is accredited by the BACP and UKCP (see below for info on these two organisations). Plus I have a Certificate in the Foundations of Counselling and Psychotherapy.

I am a registered member of BACP and UKCP.

What does “an integrative, transpersonal psychotherapist” do?

I feel that the whole lingo which surrounds therapy isn’t very helpful and sometimes it’s just plain confusing.

So in short, “integrative” means I’ve been trained in lots of different types of therapy (for example using Gestalt, person centred and psychodynamic techniques/theories), but the main guiding approach to my work is transpersonal.

What this means for our work together, is that I have lots of different techniques in my therapy tool kit so your therapy can be designed around your needs.

As a transpersonal psychotherapist, I recognise the spiritual dimension of our work. It’s about experiences or views which go beyond the ordinary. This can include gaining inspiration and guidance from our dreams, imagination and intuition. This for me isn’t about religion (it can be but doesn’t have to be). There certainly won’t be any preaching from me! Our work together won’t come across as overtly spiritual, for me the transpersonal is at a more subtle level and it will emerge along side different explorations.

For me spirituality is the sense of us all being connected to one another as part of a bigger universe. I believe that we are more than just the sum of our parents/origins and that we come into this world as highly individual souls with lots of different qualities (e.g. courage, wisdom, reliability etc.). Sometimes these qualities can become blocked leading to problems in our lives, which can then lead us into therapy for support and exploration.

Is our therapy confidential?

Absolutely it is. Confidentiality is key to achieving safe and secure therapy. Abiding by the codes of conduct and ethics of BACP and UKCP (see below), the rare exceptions in regards to confidentiality are:

If I believe you are at risk of being harmed or harming someone else;

If I am compelled by an order of the Court; or

If, after gaining your consent, I need to share details of our work with third parties (such as your GP).

If these circumstance occur, then I will make every effort to discuss the matter with you first.

Please consult my additional resource page on confidentiality for further information.

Are you insured?

Yes, I have professional indemnity insurance with Balens Insurance brokers.

What are the UKCP and BACP?

So time for a bit more lingo…

UKCP stands for the UK Council for Psychotherapy

BACP stands for the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy

These are the two main bodies which help self-regulate, train and educate psychotherapists and counsellors in the UK. I am a registered member of BACP and a registered member of UKCP.

In order to maintain my membership to either organisation, I have to meet certain criteria including client hours, supervision cover and continued professional development, as well as comply with each of these bodies’ ethical frameworks (UKCP’s and BACP’s ).

Both of these organisations also have a complaints procedure for clients to use (details of which are included in Contracting on my Resources page), but hopefully any issues can be resolved directly.

Photo by Jonathan Simcoe on Unsplash