I am often remind, that, as in all professions, there is a sliding scale of professionalism once someone has qualified. It therefore important to me to emphasise that what I lecture on, and always aim for, is a practice that embraces professional ethics, equality and diversity, and your autonomy to know what is best for you and to have your thoughts and feelings respected , honoured, and valued. To ensure that your therapy sessions are going where you want them to, and that you feel supported, we review our time together regularly. This allows you to give feedback on how you experience your sessions, and for us to change course as necessary. You will be invited to give an outline of the reasons you are seeking counselling, but do keep in mind that the problems/issues that you bring often have many layers. You may want to know how long therapy should take, yet the time is dependant on how many of those layers you want, or need, to work through. I can offer agreed time limited therapy, of maybe six or 12 sessions, or open ended therapy. Therapy at its most boring is at the start when we contract on how we will work together, and I assess any risk to you or our work together. This does require you sharing information on, for example, any medication that you are taking. All my notes, which are brief and factual, are kept securely in a password protected fire safe. After contracting and assessing, you can expect kindness, compassion, unconditional positive regard, congruence, and empathy from me as the cornerstone of our therapeutic relationship, along with my professional facilitation that might include gentle challenges and the possibility of psychoeducation. As I get to know you, and if you have agreed, I may suggest creative interventions to support your healing journey,. Such interventions can also help you to access thoughts and feelings that are on the edge of your awareness, allowing you insights into your hidden self. Creative interventions do not require you to be creative, though you absolutely can be. Creative interventions have the potential to provide deeply emotional and unexpected responses. For that reason, I always take care to pace your sessions. As we move towards your last therapy sessions, I might suggest apps or support groups that can help to scaffold you as you move away from our relationship. You might like to reduce your sessions from every week to every other week, and then to every three weeks as a gentle way to ease out of the therapeutic relationship. Another option is to end sessions but book a follow-up session in six weeks, so that you know that you have that opportunity to reconnect if needed. Read less