What will the first session be like?

Our first session is a chance to get to know one another and to see if it feels a good fit. The relationship matters so ‘trying it out’ and seeing if you feel a connection with me is where we start. For some people, it can take a while to build trust with anyone. Please know that that’s fine. You know yourself and what feels normal for you. You may feel an immediate sense of relief and find it easy to speak. You may feel daunted and unsure what to say – that’s ok too.

In your first full session we will have time to talk about your experiences and your hopes. We will think together about what therapy may be like, which approaches we may wish to draw upon (although this may evolve as time goes on) and agree an initial number of sessions. There will also be an opportunity to consider other options or sources of support if this feels relevant.

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You are under no obligation at the end of the session. You choose if you would like to continue.

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When are you available?

Sessions take place online on Fridays during school term times.

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How much does it cost?

I offer a free initial brief consultation as an opportunity to meet one another and see if it feels a good fit. You may prefer to book straight in for a full session to have time to properly go through the difficulties you are experiencing and consider the options available. The choice is yours. Regular sessions are £95.

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How long are sessions?

Session are usually 1 hour. For some trauma-focussed or imagery work we may agree to allow 90 minutes for some sessions, this is just to give an opportunity to finish the piece of work and end with some grounding exercises to ensure you leave the session in a good place. 

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How many sessions will I need?

This is really variable. I am happy to offer short and long term work. When we meet, if it feels a good fit, we will agree an initial number of sessions and a focus for those sessions. We will review this regularly and will usually have the option to extend if this feels useful. I have a lot of experience with offering brief or short term work so I am very happy to think openly and practically with you about what you would like to achieve and the impact of any practical constraints like finances or childcare. 

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How often will we meet?

We will agree this between us. If we are doing trauma-focussed work there may be times when it would be preferable to meet weekly, otherwise we can be flexible to your preferences. Sometimes meeting more often (i.e. weekly) is more cost-effective/ results in fewer sessions, if I think this may be the case, I will give you my view on that so that you can make an informed choice. Other times, having some space between sessions to have time to work on the things we have spoken about can be helpful. Often we space sessions out toward the end of therapy and you may also decide that you wish to have a few additional one off sessions as part of staying well/ maintaining your gains. 

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What is your cancellation policy

If you cancel or postpone an appointment with less than 48 hours notice the full session fee will apply. If you cancel or postpone an appointment with less than 7 days notice a 50% fee will apply. 

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Is everything I tell you confidential?

Information you share with me is private and confidential. Like all therapists, I may be required to break confidentiality if I consider that there is a significant risk to yourself or others. This would be with an aim of sourcing support to keep you safe or someone else safe. If this arose, I will normally discuss this with you first. All therapists are required to have regular supervision, I will not share identifiable details within supervision and my supervisor is bound by the same professional ethical codes as I am. Please do ask me more about confidentiality and information sharing if you have any concerns or questions.

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I don't have childcare, can I bring my baby to appointments?

I will work flexibly with you to make sessions as accessible and useful for you as we can. It is possible to have sessions with a young baby present. We may think together about any possible alternatives if it seems that you would get more from the sessions if you were able to attend alone. We can also aim for naptimes or a lunch break if there is someone else who could help. 

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What if you think you can't help me?

This is a really common fear when reaching out. All therapists are ethically bound to only work within their own competence. If, when we meet, I feel there is another service or therapist who would be better placed to work with you, I will discuss this with you. I am not able to work with people who have a current substance or alcohol addiction, an eating disorder with very low current weight (such that a fuller medical team or inpatient stay would be more appropriate) or with people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. If this doesn't apply to you and you have resonated with things on this website, it is likely that we could work together. 

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I've had CBT before and hated it, is it worth contacting you?

I think so, yes. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is a very broad umbrella with lots of different approaches, techniques and strategies within it. There are also lots of things offered that are based on CBT which can cause some confusion - many people come to me and explain they have had CBT before. We then work out together that they have attended a workshop or maybe done some telephone-based sessions that are CBT-based but are not equivalent to a full course of therapy. Also, as the relationship and factors going on in your life in general are the biggest contributors to whether therapy is effective, the modality (whether it's CBT or not) is actually much less important than it feels. Please do tell me about any experiences of therapy you have had, positive or negative, so that we can use those experiences to inform the way we work together. 

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Can you help me urgently?

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Help in a Crisis

Please note that I am not able to offer support in a crisis. If you feel you need immediate support or support to help keep yourself or others safe, please contact your GP, out of hours GP by calling 111, attend your local Emergency Department or contact Emergency Services by calling 999.

The Samaritans offer support and can be contacted on 116 123

Within Oxfordshire there is also Oxfordshire Safe Haven – more information can be found here -

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Do you offer any reduced or sliding-scale fees?

Unfortunately I am not able to offer reduced fees. I am happy to support you to find out about NHS options in your area or to help signpost you to low cost therapy services, if these are available. Your GP, midwife of health visitor should also be able to signpost you to your local NHS talking therapy services.

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Got other questions I haven't answered here? Please reach out and I'll be happy to answer