Our initial exploration will usually take place over two or three 50 minute meetings. After obtaining brief contact information I will ask you for details about your current difficulties and also for background regarding your present family, relationship and work situations. I may also ask you for memories and impressions of your life growing up, and seek some overall understanding of the life events that have brought you to this point in your life.
These initial meetings are about our sharing an understanding of your difficulties so that we may consider together whether and in what way I can help; or whether some other kind of treatment might seem more appropriate. If you are seeking counselling we may agree an expected duration for our work; alternatively a more open-ended arrangement is possible. Psychotherapy in particular is crucially a relationship between therapist and client and these meetings are an important opportunity for you to decide if you feel ours could be a therapeutic relationship that might work for you.
If we agree to work together we will agree the terms of our work and seek to establish a regular time when we can meet. I offer a range of weekday session times from 8am to early evening. Our sessions will be of 50 minutes duration. Typically I see people once a week but this can be altered if we agree it is appropriate. Once our work has commenced and for the duration of our work together, I will hold the agreed session time available for you and for this reason it is my policy to charge for missed sessions.
My standard fee is £55 per session; some reduction in fees may be possible depending on individual circumstances. Unless an alternative arrangement has been agreed, it is my practice to charge for initial exploratory sessions.
If you would like to meet with me to explore whether I can help you, please get in touch.