Counselling and Psychotherapy in Reading and London
Q. So what happens when I first contact you?
A. We will have initial contact via email or by telephone and I will tell you about my practice and answer any questions that you may have. If you are OK with the replies, then we can arrange an initial consultation, where I will gather a picture of where you are now and the initial issues that you may want to deal with.
Q. Where will these consultations be held?
A. In Sonning Common, which is between Henley-on-Thames and Reading RG4
Q. What happens during a session?
A. An individual session lasts for fifty minutes, group sessions are longer. We will talk about the issues that are concerning you. This might involve talking through things that have happened during the week and how you are feeling or thinking about them, or events that may have happened in the past or your hopes for the future. It will certainly include talking about any dreams that you may have had, as these can be very important. I will help to bring lasting meaning and understanding to your thoughts, feelings and your reaction to different circumstances.
Q. How often do the sessions take place?
<a., b=""> Usually once a week, although there may be unusual cirmcumstances which may suggest a higher frequency, at least in the short-term.
Q. When will I feel better?
A. Therapy is not a magic wand. At times it can be difficult and it may not give you the answer to all of your issues. But, like a pendulum, while it may swing from side to side, in a third axis it will be moving you forward all the time.
Q. How long does therapy take?
A. Until you are comfortable with where you are. Unless there are any unusual circumstances, the choice is yours.
Q. What is the difference between counselling and psychotherapy?
A. If you imagine a brick wall, Counselling is making a repair to the wall. Psychotherapy is knocking parts of it down and rebuilding it. Inevitably the latter is more thorough, but takes longer than the former.
'There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered', Nelson Mandela, 'A Long Walk to Freedom'</a.,>
