I’m so glad you’re considering starting this journey.
Our first session together is an opportunity for us to get to know each other and gently explore whether I’m the right person to support you.
Sessions typically begin by asking you what is causing distress and what you would like to change. I may ask about your background, family, general health, and wellbeing to understand you better. This is also an opportunity for you to ask me questions.
It’s completely normal to feel a bit nervous before a first session, especially if it’s a new experience. The most important thing is to feel comfortable and safe. The therapeutic relationship is considered crucial to the success of counselling. That’s why it is often recommended to listen to your gut feeling and meet with a couple of different counsellors before making a decision.
Many people come to therapy because there is something specific that is causing them pain, such as a relationship ending, a bereavement or general feelings of anxiety and sadness. Other people may have reached a crossroads and decide they are ready to make changes in their lives. Whatever your reasons for considering therapy, counselling is about creating a safe relationship where you can be heard without judgement.
The counselling relationship is unique in that it is completely different to the relationships we have with our family and friends. There is no agenda and no influence. I am exclusively concerned with the changes that feel right for you and your emotional wellbeing.
Transitioning from a child to an adult can be a very exciting time, but some young people find this period of their lives overwhelming. They may be struggling with friendships, school pressures, home life or their identity. Early intervention is important, as it can halt a negative spiral in terms of emotional / mental health. Therapy can build resilience, encourage the young person to develop different coping strategies and help them make sense of themselves and their relationships.
All relationships go through periods of turmoil and sometimes it’s hard to see a way forward. As a couples’ therapist, it is not my role to take sides or to tell you the decisions you should be making. Equally, it isn’t up to me to save your relationship. Instead, couples therapy is about creating a space where you can reflect together, hear, and understand each other in a different way, and ultimately choose a way forward that feels right for you both.
Often people love each other deeply, or maybe they have fallen out of love with each other and developed unhealthy patterns in their relationship. Sometimes one half of the couple decides they want to end it, but the other is still invested. We can work through these challenges together, so you can explore what you want and need.
If you have children together and you have decided you want to separate, we can focus on establishing new boundaries and new ways of making your family work, as you co-parent.
A relationship ending is often extremely painful and difficult. You may both feel angry, hurt, or guilty, or a combination of all three. Working through the process of separating from one another gives you space to reflect on your shared history and remember the good and meaningful parts, and to accept the parts that were not. The benefits of taking time to do this enables you to move forward positively and not be held back by grief, pain, or anger.
