You should expect one or a series of confidential, professional appointments of up to an hour in length in a suitable private setting.

• Service provided when you wish to make changes in your life
• An opportunity to make sense of your individual circumstances
• Contact with a therapist who helps identify the choices for change
• Support for the individual during their process of change
• The end result leaving you better equipped to cope for the future.

They usually work face-to-face employing a range of techniques to suit your circumstances. However, with the advent of the Internet some therapists may use a mixture of telephone, email and video conferencing.

Different therapies have different styles. For instance, in cognitive behavioural and sex therapy there will be ‘homework’ to do. In bereavement therapy, there would be a lot of emphasis on supporting you through some difficult emotions. A psychodynamic counsellor would look at your past while another type of therapist might focus solely on your life in the present-day. Some therapies concentrate on the future.

Others focus on your thinking style and changes in behaviour. There are big distinctions between therapy where you do most of the talking and those which involve much more of a dialogue. But don’t worry, whichever approach is adopted you should be able to make the changes you are looking for. The first appointment, sometimes called an assessment session, is an opportunity to explore issues that could affect the relationship between you and the counsellor/psychotherapist as well as your personal needs for counselling.

Practitioners:

Sharon Marshall

Kate Wiggs