How long does therapy take?
An initial consultation provides the opportunity to discuss whether a limited number of sessions or open-ended therapy would be helpful, depending on individual needs. Some people come with specific difficulties of a recent nature and are helped with time-limited, focused counselling. Others may have emotional difficulties that have troubled them for some time or may feel confusing and can be helped with longer-term counselling or psychotherapy. Regular sessions as well as more frequent sessions if needed, provide consistent support for working more gradually on a deeper level. This process offers the possibility of long-lasting change.
How frequent are the sessions?
Counselling sessions are usually once weekly at a regular time and day of the week. Psychotherapy sessions may be once weekly but are usually more often, either twice or three-times weekly depending on individual need.
How much is therapy likely to cost?
My current fee is £55 for a 50 minutes session. Fees are reviewed annually.
What kind of therapy?
There are many theoretical approaches to counselling and psychotherapy and I use an integrative approach, which means I draw on more than one model. I refer to Psychodynamic, Interpersonal and Analytic Psychology ideas and I include a cognitive approach for particular difficulties, such as various forms of anxiety.
A Psychodynamic/psychoanalytic approach:
takes the view that emotional difficulties stem from unresolved experiences and internal conflicts. This approach to therapy aims to provide the time and space to speak as openly as possible about your current difficulties, memories, dreams and past experiences. It can help develop understanding of the connections between previous experiences and present difficulties and to gain awareness of emotional and behavioural patterns that may no longer be helpful. Often these patterns may be outside of our awareness and the therapy enables unhelpful patterns to be made conscious and so provides the opportunity for different choices.
This form of therapy can bring increased freedom to choose how we respond to ourselves, in relationships and to events in our lives. Regular sessions are valued as they provide continuity and the consistent support needed to develop trust and a commitment to working together with the therapist. The process can enable internal patterns to be modified, to develop our potential and and a stronger sense of self, to make long-lasting changes that may be desired and considered as beneficial.
Cognitive approaches to therapy:
are based on the concept that when people have unhelpful and unrealistic ways of thinking, it can have a negative effect on feelings and behaviour. It works by helping us to confront negative automatic thoughts that are based on faulty thinking-styles and beliefs and aims to help develop more realistic and helpful ways of thinking. Part of the therapy involves enabling a gradual move towards trying out new behaviours and ways of responding to life events, situations and relationships.