Counselling sessions can help you to gain clarity on an issue, change old patterns, untangle complex personal issues, or embark on a journey of self-development. You may seek counselling because of a crisis, or you may be encouraged to seek counselling by family members, friends or colleagues.

There is no typical counselling session. Your counsellor will be highly trained in listening and reflecting and provides a safe environment in which to explore your issues. With most types of counselling you are free to discuss what you wish, from everyday events, dilemmas, feelings, and thoughts, to regrets, aspirations, memories and dreams.

Clients come to us with wide-ranging problems, including:
anxiety (generalised anxiety problems, panic attacks, agoraphobia, social anxiety, claustrophobia)
workplace issues (stress, work-life imbalances)

relationship issues (breakups, divorce, affairs, choosing inappropriate partners, loneliness, life adjustments, marital problems, arguments, jealousy, wedding and premarital issues)

depression (including suicidal thoughts, low mood, social withdrawal)

low self-esteem and lack of confidence

trauma (including post-traumatic stress disorder from accidents, rape and other attacks/incidents)

obsessive-compulsive disorder

eating problems (including bulimia, binge eating, negative body image)

phobias and fears

addiction and substance misuse

abuse (including physical, verbal, and sexual abuse)

bereavement/grief/loss.

What kind of people seek counselling?

Counselling can assist everyone. We welcome you, regardless of your culture, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or employment group. Counselling is also not just for adult individuals, but is beneficial for couples, families, teenagers and children.

To book an initial assessment you can use our online form, email us, or phone us.

There are many kinds of established therapeutic approaches nowadays, including humanistic counselling (for instance, ‘person-centred’, existential), psychodynamic psychotherapy, cognitive analytic therapy (CAT), and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
Don’t worry if you are simply not sure what particular approach would be suited to you. Your first appointment will be an assessment where you can discuss your issues and the different types of therapy that might help. Many of the therapists are also what is known as ‘integrative’, meaning they are trained in several types of therapy and can draw on different ideas and approaches, to move you from where you are to where you want to be.

Many therapists nowadays are what is known as ‘integrative’, meaning they are trained in and combine a variety of psychotherapeutic approaches to best help their clients. If this is of interest, look at individual profiles under ‘Counsellors’ to find one that offers the several types of therapy you are interested in, or call us and we can advise you further.

The number of sessions you will need will depend on your unique circumstances and needs. Six sessions are often recommended with a ‘review’ to agree a future plan.
Keep in mind that once you start sessions, new issues and angles can arise you were not aware existed that you then want to explore. It is of course possible to also see improvement faster than you expected.

Yes, counselling sessions are confidential. The exception would be if you were to pose a danger to yourself or others, in which case the relevant parties would be notified.

Generally, your first session will be used as an assessment rather than for treatment. This allows you to identify your issues as you see them, and for your therapist to start to gain an idea of what your needs are. So unfortunately, having just one session is unlikely to have any lasting benefit for you.

The standard format of weekly sessions helps you make gradual progress to where you want to get to. In some cases, a counsellor will agree to two or more sessions per week if you both deem it beneficial and they have the availability.