Me, and how I work
What you might want to know about me as a counsellor
I’ve been a counsellor since 2010, and clients say they find me friendly, kind and easy to talk to. As a person and as a counsellor I'm more at the practical, flexible, informal end of things - someone who works with you rather than talks at you. I'm not averse to a light-hearted moment, but I won't blind you with psycho-babble or suggest strategies with no evidence behind them.
What's possible when we work together
I don't think in terms of people being 'mentally ill'. Instead, I see the whole person - your physical wellbeing, emotional wellbeing and psychological wellbeing are all completely connected. Each client is unique, doing their best to cope with difficult thoughts and feelings. Perhaps these feelings stem from tough experiences in the past or challenging situations right now. Together we can work out what you need from counselling and how to get there in a way that feels manageable, opening up space for you to live more at ease, be more yourself, and feel more resilient in facing whatever the future might hold.
Making counselling work around your life
I work flexibly because I want counselling to be as do-able and hassle-free as possible. If the traditional 'every week, same day, same time' approach doesn't suit you, I completely get that. My clients can fit sessions around work, shifts, appointments or childcare. You can book, rearrange or cancel sessions online (with 24 hours' notice) whenever suits you.
You might book one session at a time or plan ahead to be sure of getting the times that work best for you. Choose phone sessions if you need flexibility with finding a quiet and private space, video sessions for face-to-face connection, or mix and match.
How many sessions will I need?
As you might guess, this is like asking how long is a piece of string, it’s impossible to say exactly. Most people find anxiety and insomnia much improved within 6-8 sessions. If the work isn’t so clear cut, counselling can be more open-ended. You can have sessions for as long as you’re finding them useful. We’d check in regularly to make sure you're getting what you need. Constructive feedback is absolutely welcome.
Boundaries that help: a transparent and ethical approach
Mine is a flexible approach, but not an 'anything goes' one. I always work ethically and in the most helpful way I know. There are certain boundaries in place for both our benefit - for instance, I don't offer support between sessions. You can see more detail in my counselling agreement.
I only work with individuals aged 18 and over. Because I work remotely, I can’t support people who are at immediate risk of taking their life. If you feel you’re at risk of harming yourself, please do take action to help you stay safe. Call Samaritans on 116123, or call NHS 111 to get in contact with your local mental health crisis team, or go to A&E, the place for any kind of health crisis, physical or psychological. See the crisis support page for more details.
I have regular supervision and undertake continuing professional development, keeping up with research and evidence-based approaches for anxiety, sleep difficulties and wellbeing.
Am I who you’re looking for?
By now you'll have a sense of who I am and how I work. If you're still wondering whether we'd be a good fit, we can have an initial session to explore what life's like for you and how you'd like it to be different. This gives me a picture of how therapy might help, and we can both get a feel for how it would be to work together. If for some reason I think you’d be better suited to a different kind of counselling, or if I think another counsellor is better suited to offer it, I’ll say so, and I may be able to signpost you.
At that point, there’s no pressure at all to make a decision. If you think you could work with me as your counsellor, we’d come to an agreement about our work together. I’ll ask a few questions about your preferences, like ‘how do you want to feel when our work is complete?’ how do you want your sessions to feel (and how not), how do you feel about some gentle challenge, would you like to make notes, to have a few moments of silence now and then… and anything else that’s important to you.
There are some things I expect of you: to be honest about what you need and how you experience sessions; to make sure, or as sure as you can, that you’re in a private, safe and confidential space when we speak.
What happens next?
If you recognise yourself in what you’ve read, you don’t have to cope alone, even if you’ve been trying to for ages. You can book that first appointment, just to see what you think. What have you got to lose? If it’s not for you, then at least you’ll know, and even if the thought of it is awful, most people breathe a sigh of relief for just having made a start. They say it was easier than they expected, or at least, less awkward or scary than they feared. There's no pressure to decide there and then if you want to go ahead
You can book a session online, or if you’d rather, you can call, text, email, or leave me a voicenote, whatever’s easiest. So when you decide something needs to change, feel free to take that first step.
In the meantime, take good care of yourself, bye for now,
Caroline