As a counsellor, I am most passionate about teaching life skills and daily practices that bring sustained inner peace and long term success in every area of life, especially in relationships. I have had extensive experience working person to person and online with children, individual adults and couples. I have helped many people in the following areas of specialty:
- Relationships
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Grief and Loss
- Self esteem
- Personal development
- Trauma
- Sexual Abuse
The First Counselling Session
Attending your first appointment can be a little daunting, especially if you’ve never been to a counsellor.
It’s common to feel a little nervous and unsure about where to start. Knowing what to expect can be helpful so here’s an overview:
The place I work from is warm and inviting and so the non-clinical atmosphere helps put you at ease and makes you feel at home. There will be some initial paperwork and then I will give you a brief run down on confidentiality. After that, I will ask you some questions which will get the session started.
We will discuss your main reasons for wanting counselling, your concerns and your hopes and maybe touch a little on your history if needed. Overall, it’s an opportunity for you to get a feel for how I operate and find out how comfortable you feel working with me. The ‘therapeutic relationship’ is pivotal to the overall outcome of therapy. With your permission I will take notes, which you are welcome to see at any time, and there will be a notepad by your side if you’d like to take some of your own.
At the end of the session we will decide together when the next appointment will be and how often you might need counselling. Generally speaking, depending on the issues that need resolving, I suggest 3 or 4 weekly sessions after which a review will be made and then if more therapy is required, the time between sessions may go fortnightly or monthly. The overall length of therapy really depends on the challenges you are facing and the depth at which you’d like to explore and work through them.