What is Counselling?
Counselling provides a safe, confidential space (within limits) where you can talk to a trained professional about your concerns, challenges, and emotions.
Your counsellor will help you explore your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, guiding you toward a deeper understanding of yourself and your relationships.
Unlike doctors or advisors, your counsellor won’t prescribe medication or give direct advice. Instead, they’ll support you in discovering your own solutions—whether that’s making life changes or developing healthier coping strategies.
How Can Counselling Help?
Counselling can support you through many life challenges, including:
- Anxiety & Stress – Managing overwhelming thoughts and regaining control.
- Depression – Finding hope and motivation again.
- Trauma & Grief – Processing past experiences in a safe environment.
- Relationships & Communication – Improving personal and professional connections.
- Self-Esteem & Confidence – Building self-worth and resilience.
Our Counselling Approach: Person-Centred Therapy
At the core of counselling is the belief that you are the expert on your own life. Your personal experiences, thoughts, and emotions shape who you are.
Your counsellor will provide a judgment-free, warm, and accepting environment where you can express yourself freely. This process helps build confidence, self-awareness, and emotional resilience, empowering you to navigate life’s challenges.
- Your counsellor listens with empathy, seeing things from your perspective.
- You are encouraged to accept yourself more fully and trust your own decisions.
- Over time, you may develop the ability to manage difficult emotions without feeling overwhelmed.
- Sessions are open, transparent, and tailored to your personal objectives.
Your counselling journey is unique, and your goals may change over time. Your counsellor will regularly check in to ensure that the sessions continue to meet your needs.
Our practice follows the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Ethical Framework, ensuring the highest professional standards
Does Counselling Really Work?
Counselling, like life, can be challenging—but it can also be a powerful journey of self-discovery and transformation.
There is strong evidence that counselling changes lives, and countless clients have shared their stories of personal growth. click here to read to read about real experiences from people who found counselling life-changing.
What Happens Next?
Your first step is an initial assessment session, which lasts approximately one hour.
The purpose of this session is to:
- Ensure that counselling is the right option for you.
- Discuss your concerns, background, and goals.
- Determine whether this counselling approach suits your needs or if a referral would be more appropriate.
During the session, you and your counsellor will explore:
- The concerns that brought you to counselling.
- Your personal and family history.
- Your relationships and work-life balance.
- Any past difficulties or mental health challenges.
- Your GP’s contact details (all clients must be registered with a GP).
- Your personal goals and how progress will be reviewed.
Before the session, you’ll be asked to complete short questionnaires about how you’re feeling. These should take no more than 5 minutes.
What If You Choose to Continue?
If you decide to move forward with counselling, you’ll enter into a counselling agreement:
- Weekly 50-minute sessions on an open-ended basis.
- Progress will be reviewed every six sessions (or sooner, if needed).
- You can discuss your progress and goals with your counsellor at any time.
- Counselling continues until you feel your work is complete.
This ongoing commitment allows you to build trust, make progress, and work through challenges at your own pace.
Your counselling contract ensures that sessions remain structured, supportive, and focused on your personal growth.