Frequently Asked Questions

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Person-Centred counselling is based on the principle that within each of us there is a tendency towards living better and thriving. The founder of the Person-Centred approach, Carl Rogers, called this the 'actualising tendency'. He believed that when a therapist offers their client empathic understanding; a non-judgemental space to be heard and valued for who you are; and an authentic relationship, then positive and constructive psychological change can occur. He called these factors the 'core conditions', and termed them empathy, unconditional positive regard and congruence.

Person-centred counsellors take a non-directive stance, offering a space where their clients can bring their own issues at their own pace; freely explore their experiences and feelings; understand these better and build confidence in their own judgement. 

More information can be found here.

I believe it is important that you find a therapist who you feel understands you and with whom you feel comfortable and safe to share what is troubling you.

I offer the no-obligation 25-minute session, either by phone or on Zoom, to help you decide whether I might be suitable for you. This gives you the opportunity to ask any questions you might have and to see how you feel talking to me.

This introductory session can be a chance to briefly describe what brings you to counselling, discuss how the sessions work and for me to answer any other queries.

I will also assess my own competence to work with the issues you want to discuss. If I feel I am not the right counsellor for you, I will endeavour to signpost you to a more suitable service.

The cost of this 25 minute session is £35.

Contact me to arrange an appointment.

I would usually suggest a minimum of six sessions, in order to build our therapeutic relationship. For some people and some issues, this can be enough. Others prefer to work in a longer-term or open-ended way. We will work this out between us, but I will always be guided by what you feel you need.

I typically work with clients having weekly sessions, each lasting 50 minutes. 

Before we start to work together, I will email you my Agreement For Counselling which sets out the terms and conditions for the therapy, together with my GDPR & privacy policies. I will ask you to sign and return this (usually via a clickable link). I will be able to answer any questions you have regarding this agreement in any of our sessions.

I work as a volunteer, or at a reduced rate, in two other organisations essentially meaning that these are my concessionary sessions. As a result, my private practice fees are set to cover my costs and to earn my income.

To make sense of how I set my rate, the costs of running my practice include the following:

• Registration with my professional body, the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP);
• Registration with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to safeguard the confidentiality of your data;
• Registration with the Association for Counselling & Therapy Online (ACTO);
• Supervision with an accredited supervisor to ensure I offer my clients a safe and ethical practice, at least 90 minutes monthly, often more depending on my workload;
• Ongoing training – Continued Professional Development (CPD) is an important part of my work and my ongoing commitment to offering my clients a service that is up-to-date, relevant and addresses their needs;
• Insurance;
• Directory listings/ advertising;
• My website & Client Management Software package;
• Zoom subscription and phone package;
• General costs such as heat, light, water etc.;
• Time spent on administrative tasks, note-keeping and record-keeping as required by BACP;
• Tax and National Insurance as a self-employed practitioner;
• Savings, when possible, towards holiday or times when I’m ill & won’t receive an income.

I ask for 48 hours (2 working days) notice for cancellations with no charge. If you cancel with less notice, the full session fee is payable unless there has been an emergency, in which case this will be waived. 

If possible and if you wish, I will endeavour to reschedule a session during the same week. However, this is always subject to availability of appointment times. 

Should it be necessary for me to reschedule a session, you will be notified at least 48 hours in advance, except in emergencies, and an attempt will be made to offer an alternative appointment time within the same week, again subject to availability.

If you are temporarily outside of the UK on holiday or for work, I may still be able to provide you with counselling if you wish, but will require more information to establish whether my insurance will cover me for your location.   Please note that any work undertaken whilst you are abroad is carried out in accordance with UK laws and any disputes will be subject to those laws.

If you will be away from your home address, I may ask you to use the What3Words app to let me know your location. This means that if there is a medical or other emergency during our session, I can let the emergency services know where you are.

I don't currently offer this service.

I don't currently offer these services.

Thank you for asking! 

Yes, the background of my logo is intended to represent  kintsugi, the Japanese art of visibly repairing broken ceramics using lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver or platinum. This is considered to enhance the beauty and inherent value of the piece by viewing the breaks as part of its history. This extends into the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, of seeing beauty in the imperfect and flawed. 

When I developed a disabling chronic autoimmune condition, I found this philosophy helped me to accept the changes that happened to my body and my life, and to incorporate them into my own history, allowing myself to be enhanced and strengthened by the experience. 

I also think kintsugi looks beautiful, so it's a win-win.