Question 1

How will we work together?

Accepted Answer

Our first session is about getting to know each other and finding out what you need from your therapy.

There will be a couple of forms to give us a benchmark of your starting point which will be useful to refer back to as we assess your progress. We will carry out an assessment together to work out what your goals are and how many sessions you will need and we will reflect this in a simple contract.

Question 2

How many sessions will I need?

Accepted Answer

This depends entirely on you and what you need from our space together at this time in your life, but here are some options:

Making a decision whether to have surgery or not:

You might only require 1 to 2 sessions to discuss specific concerns about having your procedure, or to decide whether to go ahead or not.

Deeper exploration of your reasons for wanting surgery:

You might want more sessions to explore deeper your motivations for wanting surgery and to work out if surgery is right for you.This might involve looking at your feelings about yourself or your relationship in more depth. In this case, 1-6 sessions is more appropriate

Going on to have mid to long-term therapy if you want to look at specific themes in your life:

After the 6th session we will have a review, at which point you might feel that you have got what you need from your personalised surgery specific therapy and our sessions will come to a natural end.

Or, you may become aware of other issues which are affecting your confidence, relationships or working life and might want to explore these in longer term therapy together to move forwards in your life and be happier.

In which case, we will review our work together and adjust your aims accordingly, so your goals are always clear and are the focus of our sessions.  It might be helpful for you to explore issues surrounding your self-esteem, social anxiety, your family, anxious feelings, your sexuality, your gender, your home life.

Question 3

What do I promise to bring you?

Accepted Answer

I promise to value you, and not to judge you. I will bring myself fully into our sessions to facilitate your deeper understanding of yourself, and what you want and need at this point in your life.

As an Integrative Therapeutic Counsellor, I am trained in a wide range of styles of therapy, and will use these where appropriate and to the best of my ability to enable you to get the most from your sessions so that you find answers for yourself and have new tools for living a happier life.

There might be times when therapy can be hard or uncomfortable, and I will be with you when you face difficult or sad feelings so that you are not alone. We will go at your pace.

I can help you untangle conflicting and confusing thoughts and feelings so that you step into a place where there is more clarity about what you want and who you are.

The relationship with your therapist is very important and different from any other relationship you have.  Trust will build naturally over time so that you can feel safe and able to take risks by disclosing and discussing sensitive issues.

That includes being able to give me honest feedback on how you feel about your therapy so we are always working collaboratively to get you what you need.

In therapy our focus is on enabling your unique growth as a person so that you can thrive to the best of your ability, understand yourself better and be able to identify and respectfully get what you need from your relationship with yourself and others.

Question 4

What do you need to bring?

Accepted Answer

Quite simply, a willingness to be yourself, and a commitment to being as open as possible.

This is unique opportunity for you to explore feelings and thoughts that you might never get the time or space to look at. This is the chance to explore what it is you want, don’t want and might want to change.

You will need to be available at the same agreed time each week, either face to face, on online, or on the phone, and to be willing to make the most of this opportunity  and confidential space to focus on you.

Question 5

What is the next step?

Accepted Answer

It’s easy – simply get in touch to book your initial complimentary chat on the phone about your situation so that we can decide if and how therapy can help you and book a time for your first session.

We can take it from there - That’s it!

About Therapy