Counselling and Psychotherapy are both forms of talking therapy and can help you understand how past experiences may be affecting your life.

Counselling tends to focus on specific life crisises such as bereavement, loss or change or on immediate difficulties in your relationships that leave you feeling anxious or depressed. Together we will agree the number of sessions you can expect to have focussing on a specific problem.

Psychotherapy usually takes place over a longer period and sessions maybe more frequent than once weekly. A person seeking psychotherapy may not necessarily be going through a crisis. They may, however, be aware of a deep sense of dissatisfaction or a feeling that life is meaningless. Some may seek psychotherapy when they are aware of long standing or recurrent difficulties in maintaining a relationship.

Through a professional relationship it is possible to explore your earlier experiences and emotions and begin to recognise how some patterns are repeated throughout your life. As the therapy progresses and you develop a greater understanding and awareness of past issues and patterns it is possible to change the decisions you make in the future.  

I offer an initial exploratory session which usually lasts for 1 hour 15 minutes. This gives you an opportunity to meet me and see what therapy is like. It gives us time to consider why you are seeking therapy now, to explore the kind of help you are looking for and to decide whether therapy with me is appropriate for you at this time. There is no obligation to continue. Whatever the outcome of the session, even if we decide not to work together, it can be a valuable experience in itself just to take stock and think about aspects of your life.