First Steps
- If you contact me by email or text I will reply to you in the same way, answering any questions and inviting you to reply or have a 15 minute telephone call to discuss further. If you call me, I will answer if possible, or return your call if you have left a voicemail giving me permission to do so. I need this permission because without it I cannot be sure that someone is in a safe or private space to receive the call. - Our initial contact is an opportunity for you to share basic details of what you are experiencing or needing support with, and for us to consider together how to proceed. Therapy itself will not begin during this first call or exchange, as this depends on an agreement being established between us. - If we are agree to begin therapy, we can decide together when this will happen, and discuss how often you want to meet, whether in person or remotely, what length of sessions you would prefer, and how long you hope/expect/are able to be in therapy for. - The most common form of counselling is 50 minutes weekly at the same time, but this is open to discussion. Remote counselling is more common than ever, and can be more comfortable for people, but it depends on having a secure and quiet space for the person to speak. Administration/Information - Prior to the first session, I will normally email you three documents: 'Counselling Agreement (PDF)', 'Client Information Sheet (PDF)', and 'Client Personal Details Form (Word)'. Samples of these can be found below. - The counselling agreement confirms what I offer, including confidentiality, as well as what I ask of you in terms of payment and cancellation. I ask that you either acknowledge this by email prior to the first or second session, or you can bring a signed copy with you if you prefer. - The information sheet is simply to describe in more detail how I practice, and does not need any response. - The personal details form is for my own record keeping (see https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/ for Data Protection information, further information in Counselling Agreement form), and you can either return this to me by email before the first session to save time or complete it with me at the first session. First Session and Beyond - The first sessions of counselling are normally just about giving you the space and safety to share whatever it is you have been going through. My initial response to will be mostly to listen in an active, accepting, understanding way, reflecting my experience of what you have shared, and occasionally asking questions to clarify my understanding. It may also involve periods of space for you to reflect or feel, but if this is the case I will be careful to check how comfortable you are with short periods of silence. - My experience of offering this practice of compassionate listening is that it enables people to experience, explore, clarify, and perhaps let go, of whatever they have been carrying, and to move out of feeling stuck, confused, hopeless, or lost. This talking and listening is therapeutic in itself rather than simply a preparation for more technical interventions or instructions by the therapist. - Occasionally, it will be clear to me over time that someone is looking for a more practical or solution-based response from me, and if I see this I will normally make it clear to the person and discuss with them what they want from me. This might involve a more focused reflection on thought patterns or beliefs, or more space to explore painful emotions, or a chance to test alternative behaviours or patterns of communication, or review concepts of self, or perhaps practice mindfulness, self-compassion, or dialogue with parts of self. - If this more focused or directive approach is appropriate, I will always be clear about when I am hearing this from you and agree with you that that is what you are looking for. Duration/End of Therapy - I will normally agree to work with someone on an open-ended basis, unless someone wants a specific number of sessions. The length of time that someone is in therapy differs from person to person, with some staying for weeks and some for months or years. - I will offer a review of counselling every 6-8 weeks, and you can also ask for this at any time. You can also ask me to give you my understanding of what is happening in the therapy at any time, or ask me for something that you would like us to explore. - Most therapists ask for at least a weeks notice before therapy ends, so that the ending can be reflective and cooperative. Whilst this can be helpful for both people, it can also involve pressure being put on the client, so I will simply invite you to have a final session rather than expect it. - You are entitled to end therapy at any time, and if you miss a session I will contact you once by email to discuss, but give you space after that if you don't respond. I understand that people sometimes simply have private reasons for not returning and whilst this can be challenging and confusing for a therapist, I value your freedom to do that. Between Sessions - I welcome feedback, whether positive or negative or both, and this can be an important part of the therapeutic process. If you are uncomfortable giving me feedback in person, I also welcome it by email or text. If you email me or text me with feedback, you can tell me whether you would like a response from me, and whether in person or in writing. - If we cross paths outside of the sessions, or when we have ended therapy, I will not acknowledge you, but welcome you approaching me if you feel comfortable. This is for your privacy. - I will not communicate via social media during therapy, but will sometimes post public content on my 'Across the Sands' page. - Communication between sessions is normally for administration or making arrangements, but I understand that there can be exceptional circumstances. During sessions, we can establish a safety plan in case of risk, if you would like to. If you need immediate medical or psychological assistance, please contact NHS direct telephone 111, your GP, or the Samaritans 116 123. In an emergency call 999. - I also understand that clarification or further information about something that we have discussed is occasionally helpful between sessions, but this is normally limited to a brief text exchange or a five minute phone call. This is because it is not always possible for me to offer more. New therapeutic content should be kept to the next session. - If you would like me to send you resources to do with things that we have spoken about, you can ask me during or between sessions to do that. I may just give you some suggestions for search engines or general websites if that is all I have, but will sometimes have book or website references that are more specific. Privacy Statement - As a member of the BACP, I may keep brief notes around matters of risk, along with general information such as date of birth, email address and contact phone number, and a record of attendance and payment for my own purposes (only identified by initials in a password protected spreadsheet. - This information is stored securely on a laptop that that is password protected at both the level of the individual document and the laptop itself. You are entitled to see the notes pertaining to risk at any time. I also keep any text messages in my phone without your name, and emails. - Notes and personal information will be kept securely for a period of 7 years from when counselling has ended and will then be deleted. - I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office and any information I keep is subject to Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR. - If you pay by BACS. your name may be on my business bank statements, and so may be visible to bank employees or other financial services or tax employees. This data is covered by GDPR legislation. If you would like to prevent that from happening, you can ask me for Paypal details or pay in cash or by cheque. |