FrequentlyAskedQuestions

Choosing a Therapist
Inchoosingatherapistitisimportanttofindsomeoneyoufeelyoucantrust,ratherthansomeone whoisanexpertinaparticularfield.Iwouldsuggestyoutalktoafewtherapistssothatyoucan maketherightchoiceforyou.

What will the therapist want to know?

Iwillwantsomeideaaboutthekindofissuesyouwishtotalkabout.Iwilltrytoestablishwhether thetypeoftherapyIofferisappropriateforyouatthistimeinyourlife.Ifitisnot,Imayreferyouto acolleaguemoresuitedtoyourneeds. Iwillalsoaskifyouarecurrentlytakinganymedication,andwhetheryouareseeingyourGPora HospitalConsultantforanything.ImayaskforaletterfromyourGPorConsultantifyouarebeing seenforaproblemthatisrelevanttothereasonwhyyouareseekingtherapy.

How many sessions will I need?

Eachpersonwillcometotherapywiththeirownindividuallifeexperiencesandresources,therefore, theamountoftimerequiredtoachieveanydesiredgoalwilldifferfrompersontoperson. Duringourfirstsession,wewilldiscusstogetherhowmanysessionswillberequiredinorderforyou toachieveyourgoal.Thisisnotafixedtermandmaychangedependingonourwork.Sessionscan beanythingbetween612hoursandwewillreviewyourprogresscontinuallythroughoutourtime together.

How often are sessions held?

Usually,sessionsareonceaweekorfortnightlyandarescheduledattheendeachtherapysession. Timebetweensessionsallowsyoutoadapttoseeingtheworlddifferentlyandtogiveyoutimeto begintonoticechanges.

What do you charge?

Ichargeastandardhourlyrateof40,paymentbeingdueateachsession. Dependingonyourdistanceoftravel,itmightbemorecosteffectiveforyoutohavea90minute sessionratherthanonehour;90minutesessionsareavailableuponrequest.

Is there a cancellation fee?

Forcancellations,aperiodof24hrsnoticeisrequired,otherwise,thesessionfeewillbepayable.IfI needtocanceloneofoursessionsIwillendeavourtogiveyouthesame,ifnotmore,notice.

Is it a totally confidential service?

Allsessionsincludingtelephoneconversationswillbeconductedinconfidence.Thisconfidencewill bemaintainedandappliedtoanyandallrecords,inaccordancewiththeDataProtectionAct.

Id be frightened of asking questions

Ifyouwerethinkingofbuyingacaryouwouldntdreamofnotaskingquestions.Yourmentaland emotionalhealthisevenmoreimportant.Themoreinformationyouhave,themorelikelyyouareto knowthatyouaremakingtherightchoice.

FrequentlyAskedQuestions
Im not sure what to ask
Ideallyrequestaninitialsessionwhenyoucanaskthetherapistvariousquestions.Youcantakea writtenlistofquestionswithyou,oryoucouldaskthequestionsoverthetelephone.Ifyoufindthat youarenothappywithanyoftheresponsesthenyouhaveeveryrighttosayyoudonotwishto proceed.Somequestionsuggestions: Whatareyourqualifications? Doyouhaveaqualifiedsupervisortodiscussyourworkwith? Whichprofessionalbodiesdoyoubelongto? Forhowmanyyearshaveyoubeenpractising? Howlongisasession?

What if Im still not sure?

Trustyourinstincts.Doyoufeelcomfortable?Doestheirwayofworkingsuityou?Wouldyouprefer amanorawoman?Doyouwanttoworkwithsomeoneyourownage,orolderoryounger?Isit importantforyoutofindsomeonefromasimilarcultureorsocialbackground?Doyoufeelsafewith them?Canyouimagineyourselftalkingtothemaboutpersonaldetails? Remember:thetherapeuticrelationshipisforyourbenefit.

How do I know if therapy is working or not?

Youmayliketokeepadiaryofyourthoughtsandfeelingssothatyoucanjudgeyourownprogress. Differentpeoplewillprogressatdifferentrates;sowilldifferenttherapists,soavoidcomparing yourselfwithotherpeople. Itisnotunusualtofeelworsebeforeyoufeelbetter.Thisneedstobediscussedwithyourtherapist sothatyoucanconsiderhowtohandledifficultfeelingsastheyarise.NLPTherapistshave,asa principle,adesiretoleavetheirclientinabetterorequalstatetotheonetheyarrivedin,soitisnot rightforyoutoleaveasessionfeelinghumiliated,unheardorused.

What is the difference between psychotherapy and counselling?

Counsellingandpsychotherapyarewaysofrespondingtoawiderangeofhumanneeds.Both counsellingandpsychotherapyprovideopportunitiesforthoseseekinghelptoworktowardsways oflivinginmoresatisfyingandresourcefulways.Bothofferasafe,nonjudgmentalenvironmentfor theclient. Thereismuchdebateintothedifferencesbetweenpsychotherapyandcounsellingandtheterms areoftenusedinterchangeably.However,moreoftenthannot,counsellingisgenerallyusedto denotearelativelybrieftreatmentthatisfocusedmostuponbehaviour.Itoftentargetsaparticular symptomorproblematicsituationandofferssuggestionsandadvicefordealingwithit. Psychotherapyontheotherhand,isgenerallyalongertermtreatmentwhichfocusesmoreon gaininginsightintophysicalandemotionalproblems.Itfocusesontheclientsthoughtprocesses andwayofbeingintheworldratherthanspecificproblems. Counsellingisusuallyseenasproblemoriented, whilepsychotherapyispersonoriented RJCorsini