Counselling offers a safe and confidential place where the client will be heard and respected. It is not advice giving; I do not tell you what to do or make judgements.

Through gently exploring your thoughts and feelings we will work together to understand the situation you are in and how you got there.

I will encourage you to find and develop your own attitudes and strengths. You will then be better able to resolve the troubles you are facing, and respond to life from a position of strength rather than dependency.

We will work on raising your awareness of your situation, and I will support you whilst you make any changes that you feel are necessary to improve your life.

Throughout the counselling process your own unique values and resources are fostered and put to use in an appropriate way.

Short term counselling is a way of identifying specific problems and working out what action you want to take to resolve them. It is also helpful for decision making and coping with crises.

Long term counselling involves the resolution of inner conflicts, insights into your personal world and an enhancement of your relationship with yourself and others.

Counselling can sometimes be an uncomfortable process, as thoughts and feelings which have been shut away begin to emerge. Most clients find that, having dealt with these thoughts and feelings in a safe place, they lose much of their power to hurt or damage.

The content of your counselling sessions is absolutely confidential. I would only breach that confidentiality if I believed that you were at risk of harming yourself or someone else. In that case, I would advise you of my obligation to breach confidentiality.

As a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, I work within their Code of Ethics and Practice, and am subject to their Complaints Procedures.