What is therapy and counselling?

Therapy and counselling provides the opportunity to talk through the particular issue you are bringing in a safe and supportive environment. It offers you a compassionate space to explore your own thoughts, feelings and actions, the impact that your circumstances (both past and present) have on you, and the ways these things relate to your faith and values. This can help you to see things differently, experience personal and relational transformation, and explore new ways of responding to challenges.

What about faith, diversity and inclusion?

I am a Christian and operate from a Christian worldview, however I do not make any assumptions or have any requirements about your beliefs and values, nor will I push my faith onto you. No matter how you identify yourself, you are welcome to explore working with me.

What is biblical counselling?

As a biblical counsellor, I have been specifically trained in connecting the truths of the Bible to life, primarily by considering ourselves and our issues in a Christ-centred way. If you would like to understand more of my approach, please visit www.ccef.org/about which highlights the distinctives of the training I have received in biblical counselling.

How long is each session and how many sessions will I need?

Each session lasts a "counselling hour" which is 50 minutes. Sessions are usually scheduled on a weekly basis for the sake of regularity and to enable the counselling to progress at a steady pace.

The length of counselling varies widely depending on the issues being discussed. Nonetheless, I usually advise we initially meet for 4-6 sessions followed by a review, at which point we may decide to extend our work. You can choose to terminate your counselling at any point, however I would encourage you to have a final session as part of the ending process.

What about fees and do you offer a reduction in rate?

You can see my fees on my Services page. My fees reflect my level of training and experience, whilst at the same time, trying to keep them as low as possible.

Payment is due before each session and sessions will still be charged if a session is cancelled with less than 24hrs notice or you do not attend.

If money is a barrier for you, then you may want to seek assistance from your family or church to see if they can help pay for your sessions in part or in full. Some churches have hardship funds which they are pleased to use in this way.

What about confidentiality?

The content of all our sessions will be entirely confidential. 

In rare circumstances, where I am concerned about a possible serious risk to you or another person, I may be bound by my ethical code to breach confidentiality.  I would make every effort to discuss this with you first.

You, however, are not bound to confidentiality and if you would find it helpful, I would encourage you to share the things you are exploring in counselling with a trusted other(s) for your own support and ongoing wellbeing. Occasionally, people request to have a trusted other to join us for a counselling session, which I am happy to explore and facilitate when appropriate.

Still have questions?

Why not contact me to arrange an initial phone call, and I will be happy to try and answer any questions you may still have.