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What happens in counselling?

Counselling offers you a calm, confidential space to talk about what’s been troubling you, without pressure or judgement. You set the pace. I’ll help you explore your thoughts, feelings and patterns, so things start to feel clearer and more manageable. Many people describe counselling as a chance to breathe, reflect, and finally have room to become truly themselves.

What can counselling help with?

Counselling can support you with many of life’s challenges from anxiety, stress and low mood to relationship difficulties, grief, trauma, low self-esteem and feeling stuck or overwhelmed. It’s a space where you can learn to understand yourself more deeply, make sense of your experiences, and develop healthier, more satisfying ways of living and relating

Is counselling confidential?

Yes. Everything you share is treated with strict confidentiality. The only time I may need to break confidentiality is if I’m concerned about your safety or someone else’s, and a few other specific legal circumstances. Your privacy matters deeply to me, and it’s central to our work.

How long does it take?

There’s no fixed length - everyone’s different. Some people come for a few weeks to work through a specific issue. Others continue for longer to understand themselves more deeply and perhaps to look at underlying issues at the root of the problem, or to support ongoing changes. We’ll review together as we go, so the work always feels useful and suited to your needs.

How do I know someone is the right therapist for me?

Feeling safe, understood, and comfortable matters more than anything. A good therapist should feel attuned to you, you should feel that want to understand you and respect everything you say. You don’t need to know the all the answers, but you’ll quickly get a sense of whether you can be yourself with them. Trust your instincts. Your relationship with your therapist is the heart of the work and of your healing.

Does having therapy mean I have a mental health condition?

Not at all. People come to counselling for all sorts of reasons — stress, life changes, relationship difficulties, grief, feeling stuck, or simply wanting to understand themselves better. Choosing therapy is a sign of self-awareness and strength, not a diagnosis of any kind of mental health issue and certainly not a sign of weakness. On the contrary it often takes courage to seek support, and to look at things that may be painful.

What if I don’t want to talk about something?

That’s completely ok. You never have to talk about anything before you’re ready. We go gently. Often just knowing you don’t have to say something helps you feel safer, and you may find that when the time is right, the words come naturally. Counselling is all about the relationship between the therapist and the client. This is why it can be a good idea to have an initial chat with the therapist to see if you think they sound like the sort of person you’d like to work with.