What might bring you to counselling:

"My relationship is a mess, I want to fix it."
"My marriage is making me miserable, I want to get out but I don't know how."
"My family is driving me nuts."
"My parents are making me crazy."
"My partner/child/friend is in trouble and I don't know how to deal with it."
"I'm back in the same trap I've been in before and I can't keep doing this."
"I'm in a hole so deep I don't know how to climb out of it."
"I have no idea who I am."

About counselling:

You may know a great deal or very little about the process of counselling or what to expect. The language of therapy and psychology is becoming increasingly familiar to the general public, but therapists are trained in different models, and this can change how clients are seen and treated. There is also some confusion about the words "Counselling" and "Psychotherapy". They are often used interchangeably; I use them to refer to different levels of investigation of the self. This offers you an ongoing choice in what you want out of it and how in-depth you would like it to be. We will not go farther than you are ready to go, but if and when you are willing to risk a degree of uncertainty in self-discovery you will find a gift in it, a deeper level of comfort with who you are. I believe in clarity of communication and I will answer any questions you have about the process whenever you would like to ask them, before or after we have started. There is more about me on the “About Me” page.

 People are also familiar with words for diagnosis: Depression, Anxiety, OCD, PTSD and other categories of unwellness, which can be helpful or unhelpful depending on how they are perceived. Although reference to  methods and labels may feel reassuring, they don’t take account of the most important element in therapy.

We are two people in a room. Compassion and empathy are cornerstones of the practice. They may sound like mushy concepts, but they are in fact muscular tools for healing and growth. If you feel comfortable and safe with me, we have an excellent chance of helping you feel better in ways that will last.