What could counselling do for me?
Sometimes in our lives we need someone to hear us, to listen to us, without judgement and advice. Family and friends can be really supportive, but that support can come with conditions. Counselling offers a calm and safe place to be you. For much of your life you might have put on a mask, trying to be what others expect of you, but the therapy room is a place where we can look at that mask, and what lies behind it. You might be thinking how scary that sounds, how safe it is behind that mask, but the fact you’re looking at counselling as a possibility might tell you something about how you feel about the mask.
My training is integrative, which means that I have a range of different skills and techniques that we can work with together. Some of what is making you think about counselling could lie in your past. But what might be most difficult at the moment is something in the present. The session is yours, and it is for me to be present with you, hearing you and understanding you. Sometimes, sharing with someone outside your life can bring new perspectives, open up possibilities, embolden and empower you. As a counsellor, I don’t have the answers; you do, and letting go of some of your burden with someone who won’t judge you or tell you what to do, can help you find those answers.
What could this counsellor do for me?
There are lots of counsellors here and it can be hard to choose, so a bit about me. I have recently qualified as a counsellor having worked for over ten years as a Samaritan. My placement experience was with young people 16 and over and adults. Most counsellors here will have much more formal experience than me, but what I learnt in my training is very fresh, I don’t have lots of preconceived ideas about what will work or must work, I am still learning about myself as a counsellor, but counselling always involves learning about ourselves. I see counselling as a really collaborative experience, a journey we share, not one where I hold the power over you as the client. Working as a Samaritan has placed me in many situations with callers on the brink, in desperate and hopeless situations but also callers who need a friendly and empathetic voice with whom to share worries. Over the years I have come to recognise how amazing it can be to have a caller share something they have never shared before, to hear a caller find a way through, to see hope, to feel heard. My counselling experience so far has been just as much of a privilege.
Where and how would we work and what would it cost?
I work face to face in a counselling room at Lombard House, Canterbury, which is on the ring road near the Fire Station.
I also work on Zoom.
If outdoor therapy is something that appeals to you, we can also work as we walk along some of the footpaths of Canterbury.
Sessions would be 50 minutes face to face or on Zoom, an hour for walk and talk.
As a newly qualified counsellor, I charge just £40 per session, which would be payable after the session by bank transfer.
The first session would be free as it is about getting to know each other, seeing if I am the right counsellor for you, discussing our working agreement and getting a few details from you before we start.
Some other important stuff
I have a Level 4 Diploma in Integrative Therapeutic Counselling
I am a member of the BACP
I adhere to the BACP Code of Ethics (see link)
I follow GDPR legislation
I am registered with the ICO.