Who goes?

I work with men and women, parents, couples and young people who present with very different life circumstances and backgrounds. They may have already attended a limited number of sessions with a counsellor through their GP surgery; a set of sessions with an Employee Assistance Programme, through work; or perhaps a previous GP referral into NHS Community Mental Health teams.  However, many of the people I work with have not had any therapy before; and for them, this will be the first time they have considered some form of "talking cure".

The vast majority of people that work with me come because they are stuck and unhappy with their lives. Other people bring more complex needs which I also work with; such as eating disorders; pre/post natal issues (postnatal depression and birth trauma, loss of a baby and miscarriage) and parenting.

This section discusses what therapy is all about and what you might need to know about sessions. If you have any queries or would like further information please contact me on 07740 58 78 22

 What issues are relevant for Therapy?

It is important to recognise when a problem becomes overwhelming. Part of this process is finding someone that you can work it through with. When arranging to work with a therapist is important that you "interview" some and then pick who you feel best able to work with. There are "find a therapist" services with the UKCP and BACP (see links page for details).

When people struggle with their lives its because things get in the way of living life how they want to. Some of those things might be:

¨ Relationship issues (past/present; parent, partner, child, sibling)
¨ Antenatal and Postnatal issues (including: post natal depression,
       post natal post traumatic stress, early relationship issues and support)
¨ Eating Disorders
¨ Work/Life stress and balance issues
¨ Fear
¨ Isolation and/or Loneliness
¨ Loss and bereavement
¨ Stress
¨ Depression
¨ Anxiety
¨ Anger
¨ Confusion and/or Doubt
¨ Crisis
¨ Unmotivated
¨ Overwhelmed/not coping
¨ Unconfident
¨ Low self esteem/low assertion
¨ Unsuccessful dieting
¨ Poor body image
¨ Unhappy about weight/weight gain
¨ Unable to stop eating
¨ Binge Eating
¨ Obesity
¨ Bulimia/Bulimia Nervosa
¨ Anorexia Nervosa
¨ Not sure how to eat when not dieting
¨ Yo-yo dieting
¨ Feeling out of control around food

How much Therapy is enough?

This is entirely dependant on what you want to achieve, the issues you bring and your state of readiness for therapy. Initially, we will meet to look at what you might want to achieve and whether we can work together. This first session is an ideal time to look at whether therapy is something that you really want to do and is appropriate for what you want to do. The recommendation is that you meet more than one therapist, at this stage, to get an idea of who you might work best with.

Short Term Therapy (also called time-limited) seeks to address specific areas of your life, clarify areas of confusion or doubt and facilitate a decision making process. It involves anything from 4 to 12 sessions and requires that you have a clear understanding of what you want to work with and you are ready for that change.

Open ended Therapy seeks to address core life issues in greater depth according to your individual needs and choices. A period of notice is generally agreed with regular progress reviews and feedback throughout.