The first six sessions
Once you have come to your free first exploratory meeting, and if we both agree that working together may be a good idea, then we can plan to meet.
To start with, I ask you to make a commitment to meet for six sessions.
After these six sessions together, we will reflect on whether going further with this work will be right for you. Only after these six sessions can we both make a more fully considered decision about working together beyond this point.
"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."
Æsop
How often do we meet?
When starting out, people work with me for one hour each week.
This will allow you to experience the regular and consistent support often needed for real change to take root.
Being in therapy is an important and significant commitment that you make to your own well-being.
It requires a sustained commitment, and it isn't something to be entered into lightly.
It is an act of real care to make space in your life for this kind of inner work, and like anything else truly worthwhile, it requires an investment of time and money, energy and commitment.
"The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware."
Henry Miller
How long do people work?
People work with their psychotherapist or counsellor for different lengths of time, according to their needs and wishes. The choice always rests with you.
Some people choose to come for a short period, perhaps just a handful of months.
My experience suggests that at the very least you should be thinking about a minimum of about 14 to 16 sessions, about 4 months or so.
This seems to be the bare minimum needed for some change to take root, and sometimes this is also all that is needed or wanted.
However, people often work for longer than this, for months or years, to help them make significant and lasting changes, to navigate major life transitions, or to help them as they make their inner journey.
“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul - and sings the tunes without the words - and never stops at all.”
Emily Dickinson
Privacy, confidentiality & supervision
Working with a psychotherapist is a precious opportunity to experience a relationship that is entirely private and, in a sense, neutral.
It is very different from talking things through with family, friends and colleagues.
All that you share with me always remains confidential. I am supported in my work by an experienced supervising therapist, but your identity is never revealed to this person.
Working with a supervisor like this should be standard practice for all counsellors and therapists; professional supervision is vital for good practice. Never think of working with a counsellor or therapist who is not working with a supervisor.
"If you can let your experience happen, it will release its knots and unfold, leading to a deeper, more grounded experience of yourself. No matter how painful or scary your feelings appear to be, your willingness to engage with them draws forth your essential strength, leading you in a more life-positive direction."
John Welwood
