Frequently asked questions about therapy and counselling
How can counselling and therapy help me?
Everyone takes something different from therapy and counselling. It’s a unique and personal experience that deepens self-awareness and your relationship with yourself. For some people, it’s about being listened to, and heard, non-judgementally for the first time. For others, it’s a space to work through tricky issues that are leaving them stuck, and emerging with more clarity.
Ultimately it is a safe space for you to bring whatever you’re holding and work through it together.
We’ll spend time at the beginning of the process talking about what you’d like to get from therapy and how we can make the sessions work for you.
How long do I need to have counselling and therapy for?
Some people seek short-term (6-12 session) counselling to work through a specific challenge or goal. With other clients, I work in an open-ended way, giving time and space to work through your challenges in a deeper way. In our initial session we’ll discuss what you’re looking for.
We’ll always check in at regular intervals to make sure you’re still getting what you need from the process.
What do you actually do in a counselling or therapy session?
No two sessions are the same and are always led by what you need. I might ask some questions to help understand your experiences, or we might work with any current feelings or sensations that you’re experiencing.
Sometimes, using movement or more creative techniques (drawing, using objects) can be helpful to explore or describe things that are hard to put into words. Whether we incorporate any of these practices is always up to you.
You don’t have to come prepared with anything: we’ll go at your pace.
Are my counselling sessions confidential?
Anything you share in your sessions is confidential, aside from specific circumstances where I am legally or ethically required share information. This includes risk of harm to you or others and requirement to share information with a court of law. I always aim to discuss concerns with clients beforehand.
What is the difference between a counsellor and a therapist UK?
In the UK, "therapist" is often used as a general term that can cover counsellors, psychotherapists, and other talking-therapy practitioners.
Where a distinction is drawn, it's usually this: counselling tends to be shorter-term and focused on a specific issue or period in your life, while psychotherapy (sometimes just called "therapy") tends to involve longer, more in-depth training and can work with more longstanding or complex patterns.
In my practice I work with clients requiring both short and long-term work.
How do I know if my counsellor or therapist is a qualified professional?
Counselling and psychotherapy are not legally protected titles in the UK, so it is important to check whether your therapist is registered with a recognised body with an ethical framework. In the UK, this includes the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), United Kingdom Counselling for Psychotherapy (UKCP) or National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS). Psychologists are registered with The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
I am a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), which means I work to their Ethical Framework and guidelines. You can find me on the BACP register here.