FAQs  
Is it totally confidential?  The work that we do is confidential.  The only exception is that I am legally obliged to break confidentiality if I consider that you are in danger of causing serious harm to yourself or others, or in cases of terrorism.  Additionally I keep no records on the computer, and any notes I might keep will not be made with clients' names as part of them.  My work is covered by the UK Data Protection Act.
How long does therapy last? This is between the two of us to decide. You may stop whenever you want to, but in general short-term work lasts between 6-12 sessions, longer-term work may last for months or in some cases years.
Is it all about the past?  What we talk about depends upon what you want to bring to the session.  The past may be the subject which you bring, or may rarely be foreground.
Isn't it very self-indulgent?  The process is about making your life work better for you, and is indeed indulgent to the self - and why not?
Will you give me advice?  Advice-giving rarely plays a part in psychotherapy and counselling, we can get advice from friends, colleagues and family members.  Coming to your own decisions as a result of a conversation in therapy or counselling is a different experience than being given advice.
How long is a session?  50 minutes.
How much does a session cost?  My standard fee is £70 for individuals and £75 for couples and I do have some concessions available.
How do I know if it's working?  If you are clear about what brings you into the process, then you can evaluate whether you are getting what you want and need.  It is not necessarily a comfortable process, so being  happy or satisfied with a particular session may not be an indicator that the process is working. We review the work on a regular basis.
What's the difference between counselling and psychotherapy?  There is no standard definition of the difference, but a general rule of thumb is that counselling is used for single-issue short-term work and psychotherapy is longer and more in-depth.
How is the profession regulated? There is currently no regulation of counselling and psychotherapy in the UK; practitioners can voluntarily apply for registration with one of the national bodies (BACP, UKCP), but this is not a requirement in order to practise.  I am registered with both national bodies.
Do you have a complaints procedure? Yes, all Codes of Ethics have Complaints Procedures as part of the Code, I am governed by three sets of Codes of Ethics, Spectrum, BACP,  and UKCP.
How often are sessions held? We usually start with weekly sessions, and may move to fortnightly.
Is there a cancellation fee? Yes, details of this are in the contract letter which we agree before we start to work together. 
Have you been in therapy yourself? Yes, it was a requirement of my training that I undertake my own therapy, I found it a powerful process which changed the quality of my life.
How long might the therapy last for? This depends on what you want, how we make an agreement to work, and regularly reviewing our work together.
How does therapy end? Usually by agreement between us, and with a finishing session to wrap things up.
What happens if you, the therapist, get ill or stop working?  It is good practice for psychotherapists and counsellors to have a "buddy" who works with them to inform clients in the unlikely event that a session or sessions have to be cancelled, I do have this arrangement in place with a colleague.
How do I pay you?  You can pay by making a transfer from your bank to my bank account, or if you have a Paypal account, you can pay me with that.

About counselling and psychotherapy
Counselling and psychotherapy are based on having a conversation.  In this we communicate, talk and listen, hear, be heard and be witnessed.  When we feel ready to share aspects of ourselves with another, we can begin to find ways to improve our quality of life and to develop some new part of us. The conversation takes place in a relationship of respect between therapist and client, and the relationship  itself is important and determines the successful outcome of the therapy.   It informs the way that I work with each individual.  As well as  building this relationship, I look to find an appropriate and effective method to work with each person.
Being a humanistic practitioner means that I am interested in the client as a whole:  who they are, what has shaped them and how they are in the world. The work can involve looking at parts of our past which may be unresolved, finding ways to work with current issues and dilemmas; and developing ourselves to be more of who we want to become. More information about humanistic psychotherapy can be found at www.ahpp.org.
 
How we begin and how the process works 
I work with individuals on a basis which suits them and the issue that they want to work on.  shorter-term work, or brief therapy,  may be appropriate for someone who wants to explore a specific issue or problem; while longer-term more in-depth work will suit those who have a general feeling of dissatisfaction in their life or who have many areas they want to work on.  I prefer to start with weekly sessions, and regularly review if you are getting what you want from the process.

We begin when you send me an e-mail with a brief outline of what you would like us to work with.  You don't need to go into too much detail at this stage; just a few sentences about yourself and your situation.  I will e-mail you back outlining the contract we would have if we worked together, this covers fees, cancellation policy, technology arrangements, my contact details, our confidentiality agreement.   We will then fix our initial appointment which is a session of up to half an hour, for which I require no payment. If I feel that I am not the most appropriate person for you to work with, I will suggest an alternative. You may choose to work with me by phone or with Skype for a number of reasons:  you may be housebound - be ill or have limited mobility, have caring or parenting responsibilities, or anti-social working hours. In addition you may have a need for privacy, you may live abroad or be working as an expat, or you may have limited access to well-qualified professionals.  Scheduling may be easier when working online, and convenient in that you are likely to be having the session from your home, so you don't lose time in travelling to a session.   

These are some of the advantages to working online.  There are disadvantages too in that the technology may be unreliable, or it may be challenging to build a relationship between the two of us because of the technology. The lack of visual and auditory cues can be difficult. You need to make sure that you won't be interrupted during the session, and that you are able to talk without distraction.

For telephone work, I will telephone you on a landline.  If you need to use a mobile phone we will make other arrangements.  For Skype you will need a system with an integrated or additional webcam and a good internet connection.