What to Expect

Taking the first step towards counselling can feel daunting, whether you're looking for support for yourself or for your child. My aim is to make the process as clear, supportive and straightforward as possible.

Initial Conversation

The first step is an informal conversation. If you're enquiring for yourself, this is an opportunity for us to discuss what has brought you to counselling, answer any questions you may have, and explore whether I'm the right counsellor for you.

If you're enquiring on behalf of your child or young person, we'll begin with a conversation together to discuss your concerns, explain how I work, and answer any questions before deciding whether counselling is the right next step.

Referral Form

If we decide to move forward, I'll ask you to complete a referral form. This provides me with some background information and ensures I have the information needed before the assessment process begins.

Virtual assessment Consultation

Following receipt of your referral form, we'll arrange a paid assessment consultation via zoom. This session gives us the opportunity to explore you, or your child's, background in more detail, discuss current concerns, relevant history, and your hopes for counselling. The information gathered during this consultation helps to inform the initial assessment sessions and ensures that any support is tailored to your individual needs.

Initial Assessment Sessions

The first one or two counselling sessions are assessment sessions. These provide an opportunity for me to get to know you, or your child or young person, begin building a therapeutic relationship, and gain a deeper understanding of your experiences and goals.

These sessions also help us decide together whether counselling with me feels like the right fit. If I believe another service would be better placed to support you, I'll discuss this with you sensitively and, wherever possible, suggest appropriate alternative sources of support.

Beginning Therapy

If, following the assessment sessions, we all agree to continue, we'll begin our therapeutic work together. Counselling sessions last 50 minutes and usually take place weekly, on the same day and at the same time, providing the consistency that supports meaningful progress.

At this stage, I usually recommend an initial contract of six weekly counselling sessions, after which we'll review how things are progressing together and discuss the next steps.

Reviews

We'll review progress regularly to ensure counselling continues to meet your, or your child's, needs. Together, we'll decide whether to continue, adapt our approach, or begin planning an ending.

Ending Counselling

When the time feels right to end counselling, we'll plan this together. Wherever possible, counselling ends gradually, allowing time to reflect on progress, recognise the changes that have been made, and bring our work together to a safe and supportive close.