Counselling
Fifty minutes that belong entirely to you, with someone whose only job in that hour is to understand what you are saying.
How I work
I practise person-centred counselling. In plain terms that means I do not arrive with a theory about what is wrong with you and a six-week programme to fix it. I take seriously that you are the one who knows your own life, and my job is to listen closely enough that you can hear yourself think.
A lot of people expect to be assessed, or advised, or gently told what they are doing wrong. That is not what happens. You talk, I listen, I ask when something needs opening up, and between us we get to what you actually mean.
I am also trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which is useful when feelings will not shift no matter how much you reason with them. It helps with making room for the difficult thing rather than fighting it, and getting on with what matters to you anyway.
What people come with
You do not need to fit one of these, and you do not need a diagnosis. If something is making life harder than it should be, that is reason enough.
- Bereavement and loss
- The death of someone you love, and the losses that get less sympathy: a relationship, a job, your health, your independence, the future you had assumed you were getting.
- Cancer and long-term illness
- For patients, for survivors, and for the people around them. Diagnosis, treatment, scan anxiety, recurrence, and the part afterwards that nobody warns you about.
- Anxiety and stress
- Worry that has taken over more of the day than you want it to, and the physical toll that comes with it.
- Depression
- Flatness, exhaustion, the loss of interest in things you used to care about, and the guilt that tends to arrive alongside all of it.
- Relationship difficulties
- Patterns that keep repeating, decisions you have been avoiding, and working out what you actually want rather than what you are supposed to want.
- Life transitions
- Separation, redundancy, retirement, becoming a carer, moving somewhere new. Change that has left you unsure who you are in the middle of it.
I have had cancer twice, and I have been through the treatment, the waiting and the fallout. It is not the reason I can help, but it does mean you will not have to explain some things from scratch.
What to expect
- The first session
- We meet, you tell me as much or as little as you want about what has brought you, and I answer any questions. Partly it is about whether you feel comfortable with me. If you do not, that is useful information and you owe me nothing.
- The sessions after that
- Fifty minutes, at a rhythm we agree between us. You lead. I am not there to diagnose you or hand you a plan. I am there to pay proper attention while you work out what is going on, which is harder to do alone than people expect.
- Confidentiality
- What you say stays between us. The exceptions are the standard ones: a serious risk to your life or someone else's, or a court requiring disclosure. I discuss my work in supervision, as every BACP-registered counsellor must, and you are never named.
- How long it goes on
- After the first session we can talk about whether you want to continue, and if so, how often we meet. We then review it regularly, to check you are still getting what you want and need from counselling. Some people come for six weeks and are done, others stay a year. There is no minimum commitment and no notice period beyond telling me.
Where we meet
In Crewe
Sessions are held in a room set up for exactly this, in Crewe, Cheshire. It is private, quiet and nobody walks through it.
There is ramped access and doorways wide enough for a wheelchair, and parking outside.
Online
Over a secure video link, anywhere in the UK. This works better than people expect, and it is often the only realistic option if you are in treatment, have caring responsibilities, or simply cannot face going out.
Same length, same fee, same conversation.
£50
per session, 50 minutes
Fees and booking
Bank transfer or cash, paid before the session. Nothing to sign and no block of sessions to buy up front.
If you would like a short call before booking a first session, say so when you get in touch and I will ring you. There is no charge for it, and no obligation either way. Plenty of people skip it and come straight in.
Ready when you are
Send a few lines about what is going on, or none at all if you would rather just talk. I reply to everything myself.