Counselling & Psychotherapy
Fees
I offer a free 15-min discussion on the phone prior to any counselling arrangement.
Initial Consultation
£60 for the initial consultation, which takes up to an hour. The first meeting enables us to decide whether this is the counselling service you would like to take.
Counselling Session
Online: £75
In-person: £80
(W4 5UL or W4 2DT)
I recommend a minimum of 6-12 continuous weeks’ counselling. Fees are variable.
Concessionary Rates
Reduced rates available under specific circumstances, reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Please contact me for further details.
*image taken and edited from Charlie Mackesy (2019), The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse. London: Puffin.
FAQs
What age ranges do you provide counselling for?
Whilst clients of all age ranges are welcomed, my qualified counselling study specialises in working with children, adolescents and young adults. Most of my clients are from infancy to aged 50.
What is your therapeutic approach?
I am an integrative counsellor/therapist. Humanistic therapy, play therapy, art therapy, interpersonal, embodied therapy, neuro psychoeducation and psychoanalysis all impact my integrative framework. I would like to consider my practice as trauma-informed. I have great interest and enthusiasm in understanding and working with trauma.
I have finished Sensorimotor Psychotherapy training Level 1 for single traumas and Level 2 for Developmental Injury. If it's welcomed, I would like to invite my client to mindfully tune in with their inner states. This involves connecting with their felt senses, emotions, movements and thoughts. Practices for self-regulation, such as grounding, breathing and mindfulness, will also be explored during our sessions together.
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is a bottom-up approach, please read more from here.
Under my Theraplay® training, I am able to incorporate Theraplay® informed practice within my counselling, and my MiSP training allows me to offer group mindfulness exercises to primary-aged children.
Please visit The Theraplay® Institute to learn more about Theraplay®, and Oxford Mindfulness Centre or MiSP (for children and young people in education) for mindfulness.
How does your counselling work?
Everyone is unique. I adapt different theories and ideas to meet the individual’s needs. Depending on the client’s age and interest, they are free to choose ways in which they feel most comfortable to explore and express. With very younger children, therapeutic play can be a good way of making progress. When clients are older and can have more sense of what is going on, “talking” can be more evident during the counselling, along with other various ways of working, including art and craft, role-playing, sand tray, puppets, singing, storytelling and board games.
As a caregiver, how do I know if my child needs counselling?
If you are worried about your child, I am always happy to have a discussion prior to any counselling arrangement. This can be down via phone or email. This is a good opportunity for us to decide what would be best for your child, with no payment obligations.
Usually, caregivers look for counselling when their child shows signs of behaviour or emotional changes, such as: getting into trouble in the school, or becoming very irritated, sad or withdrawn. Counselling may be referred by the school, GP, local council, or the caregivers. Sometimes, counselling service can be self-referred by a child, depending on their age.
As a young person, how do I know if I need counselling?
If you are worried, I am always happy to have a confidential discussion prior to any counselling arrangement. This can be down via phone or email. This is a good opportunity for us to decide what would be best for you, with no payment obligations.
Are my sessions confidential?
Yes, all my work is confidential under the BACP Ethical framework. However, if I am concerned about my client’s or another person’s safety, I am obliged to tell the relevant persons, following safeguarding guidelines. Unless the situation demands otherwise, I will first discuss with my client within their session.
Upon request from the caregiver, I may provide general counselling progress information. However, if I am asked for specifics about their child’s sessions, I would first need to check with the child what I may disclose.
If I want to book counselling now, how does it work?
Get in touch with me for a discussion, and to book an initial consultation. During the initial consultation, we learn more about each other. If we both agree (and your child agrees, in the case of child counselling), counselling will commence at the same place and time each week. Every session, both online and face-to-face, lasts for 50 minutes.
How long will I need to have counselling for?
Each counselling case is different, but I recommend a minimum of 6-12 counselling sessions; this enables us to decide whether more sessions are required. Depending on the individual’s needs, sometimes it may take months or years to make evident progress.
What if I cannot attend a session?
To ensure a smooth counselling process, it is important to attend on a weekly basis. However, life does sometimes get in the way; 48 hours is required to cancel a session, otherwise, full fees will have to be incurred.
If you are unwell and unable to participate, and do not provide 48 hours’ notice, you will only be charged half the session rate.
(I will provide a minimum 2-week notice of any planned time off.)