In Therapy with Me

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Structure

I offer weekly counselling for individuals in Sevenoaks or online. The first session is 60 minutes long which gives us time to get to know each other. I will explain how therapy works and ask you some questions about your history and what brings you to therapy.  Subsequent sessions are generally once a week for 50 minutes. 

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Starting therapy

When I first meet a new client, we take some time to get to know each other and I will listen to how you are feeling and your story of how you got to where you are today. Many of my clients benefit greatly from the relief of sharing their story. I will be listening here for signs of trauma too and will suggest specific treatments if I believe they might help. You can also read here about how I work with Postnatal Depression.

 

In the first few weeks of therapy, many of my clients gain a lot of insight into their struggles and the regular time for reflection helps them identify immediate changes which enable them to feel calmer and more able to cope. For some clients, what they have learned at this stage is enough and they will leave, always knowing they can come back if they need.

 

Longer term

For other clients, there is a desire to learn and change more. As therapy progresses, themes often emerge and this insight can bring new understanding of what has happened in the past and what might be blocking you in the present. As a client this may involve grieving for losses in our past or accepting certain decisions we may have made. 

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At this stage many of my clients start to experiment with new ways of acting in their life and relationships. We might work more practically experimenting with various ways of responding to situations, and I will gently challenge you to become aware of your patterns. As a client it can be a frustrating stage, being aware of what you want to change but struggling against a lifetime (and often generations!) of habits. Sometimes when we change, it can also be difficult for those close to us to accept. Over time these changes tend to settle, and clients can move on to other areas they would like to work on, and so the process begins again.

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Ending therapy

Many of my clients tell me at the end of therapy that what they expected from me was someone who was going to tell them where they're going wrong in their life and what they need to do to fix things... but what they got from therapy was very different. They got someone who gave them space to feel, and empowered them to find their own unique way forwards. 

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The unique fit between therapist and client is one of the most important parts of therapy, and the only way to know if things will work is to try it out.