General Information

  • The usual frequency is weekly, to keep the work moving forward, but it really is up to you. If weekly doesn't fit your schedule or other things mean it doesn't work for you I can try to work around you.

    How long sessions are depends on what we're doing. The usual length is 50 minutes to an hour. We may decide Wild Therapy or Animal Assisted Therapy sessions are more effective longer, and sometimes the same if we're using EMDR. We can agree this between us.

  • Everything we discuss is confidential with some exceptions, which are made clear in the working agreement before we start work together. Some things are negotiable and some are not, and there are different parameters for young people and adults. As a Senior Accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, I am bound by their Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions.

  • I hold Senior Accredited Supervisor membership of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. The BACP is the largest body accrediting counsellors and psychotherapists in the UK. Accreditation means someone has met a set of rigorous standards set and assessed by the BACP. Senior Accreditation as a supervisor requires meeting a higher set of standards in overseeing and supporting practitioners with less experience. Only 3% of the BACP Accredited membership hold Senior Accredited status. You can find our more here.

  • I am happy to have a short phone or video call to answer any questions you might have and discuss whether we feel we are a good match for each other before you make any decision.

  • Having worked as a counsellor continuously since 2003 I have a broad range of experience and training, so don't limit myself to any specific difficulties I do or don't work with, but I will always tell you if I feel my experience and training is not a good fit for what you need, and it would be unethical to work beyond my competence.

  • Simply complete the details on the Contact tab and I will get back to you as soon as I can. We can have a phone or video call to have a chat, and there are three pieces of information you need to see/complete:

    – The Working Agreement, which details confidentiality, consent and record keeping.

    – A contact form, so I have current and correct contact details (link to form?)

    – A few questions on your preferences for outdoor working, which will help maintain comfort and safety. (link to form?)

    When these are done we can arrange our first session and begin working together.

  • The specifics will vary depending how we are working together but generally in the first session we will answer any questions you may still have and establish:

    – Whether counselling is right for you

    – What you would like to work on, and why now

    – Some history of the development of the issue and how it affects you now

    – Some goals for how you would like things to change during counselling and how we will know if we are meeting them

    – Whether we are a good fit to work together and how we will work if we are to continue

    – Agree fees and payment details

  • Please see the bottom of the 'About Me' page for these. Not all my post-qualifying training is listed there so if you want to ask any specific questions about my experience or qualifications please feel free to contact me to ask.

  • Every person and their circumstances are different, so it is impossible to give an answer to this question before we start. Some services will limit sessions to 6 or 8. Sometimes that is enough and sometimes people leave not satisfied with the progress they've made. What I can commit to is that I will work hard to support your progress at a pace you're comfortable with and not extend counselling beyond what is helpful to you, for my own financial gain. We can agree the goals and pace of the work together and will review as we go along. There isn't really an average number, as no-one is average.

  • I live near Canterbury in Kent but am happy to work remotely over video call.

  • I am an approved practitioner for BUPA. If you hold a policy with a different provider it will depend on what their criteria are.