Welcome to Counselling
What is counselling?
Counselling is a place for you to talk about whatever is troubling you -
there are no 'no-go' areas.
Few, if any of us, sail through life without any problems; as we go along, we each develop our own ways of coping with
situations. Sometimes, however, the difficulties we hit are just too great for us to overcome without support
and help from others. Or else, we do manage to cope with all kinds of traumas, losses and misfortunes and
then something happens, it may be a small thing, and it is the ‘last straw’. Counselling can be a time to stop and reflect on what is going on in your life, a time to examine the possibilities
and choices that lie before you.
You may choose
to have a small number of weekly sessions (e.g. six, eight, twelve), longer term therapy (e.g. six months, a year) or open-ended
therapy (a few years). It is your decision and it will depend on many factors, including
what you want to get out of it: are you looking for help with a specific present difficulty? Are you trying
to come to terms with long-standing problems? Do you want to make major changes in your life? You can also come for one single session to talk about your situation before deciding whether you
wish to opt for counselling. Counselling
sessions are fifty minutes long.
Confidentiality:
Our relationship is confidential: while
I may be required to say that you have attended sessions if your employer or a management company is paying for them, the
content of the sessions will remain confidential. There are three exceptions to this: disclosures involving the
Terrorism Act; disclosures of yourself as being a danger to others; disclosures which require me to act within my duty of
care under the Children Act. Even in such cases, I would not break confidentiality without discussing the matter
with you first. All counsellors have to be in regular supervision and some of the material
of the sessions would at times be discussed with my supervisor, in an anonymous form.
Method of Work:
I work from an Existential perspective – exploring with each client what it means for them to be human
and to grapple with life’s problems. The therapeutic work is a joint endeavour between client and therapist: I
focus with you on what you bring and pay attention to what matters to you personally. Together we can look at the values, assumptions and ways of thinking and reacting that underlie your ways
of relating to others and to the world. The aim of such an exploration is to come to terms with your limitations, with
what you cannot change in your life and to develop a greater awareness of the things that you can change and of the possibilities
that are open to you. The Existential approach to therapy is holistic in that it sees body, mind, emotions, spirit as
inseparable aspects of being, which all require our concern and care.
I also have a strong interest in the way we carry, in
our bodies, past traumas as well as the stresses of everyday life, and
I integrate into my existential work understanding derived from Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (levels I, II
and advanced) – one of the trauma therapies that has grown out of neuroscientific research in recent years.
My systemic
constellation training has helped me to become more aware of the broader picture of a client’s life. This builds on
the existential concept that human existence is always in relationship to others and to the world - even avoidance is a form
of relating; and it implies that we have an impact on one another, often without even realizing it. This can often be seen
in trauma that is carried, and patterns that repeat themselves, in families down the generations.
While I do not usually refer to theory in counselling sessions, I do have a special interest
in existential therapy and its philosophical roots. I have contributed articles and chapters on existential therapy and supervision,
and edited two books.
As a supervisor, I see my work as supporting
you in your own approach, while also trying to offer different perspectives - always abiding by the Code of Ethics of our
profession, in a way that is most beneficial to you and your clients.
Training, Affiliation and Practice.
I am a UKCP (United
Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy) and EAP (European Association for Psychotherapy) registered Existential psychotherapist
and a supervisor. I am a senior accredited member of BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy)
and also a member of the Society for Existential Analysis, and the Society for Psychotherapy. For any enquiries
or complaints, my organization of reference is the Universities Psychotherapy and Counselling Association (UPCA) section of
UKCP. I adhere to the UKCP and BACP Frameworks for Ethical Practice, I have regular supervision and professional indemnity
insurance.
Practicalities
My fees are £60.00 per 50 minute session, payable after each session in the case of short-term counselling;
longer-term clients are invoiced monthly at the end of each month. Naturally, I do not charge for the sessions when I
am away; I do however charge for sessions which you miss, unless you give me one week’s notice.
Transport:
-The nearest railway
station to me is Lewes, which is approximately a twelve to fifteen minute walk from here - down towards the High Street, then
left, and straight on up the High Street and its continuation Western Rd, for about 8 minutes, then left before the Black
Horse pub.
As I have no waiting-room, I'm afraid that I cannot receive you before your appointment time.
