Help & FAQs
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How does talking therapy help?
Talking therapy allows you to think and talk through, how you are feeling. Your therapist is trained to help you understand why you think the way that you do. They will not provide outright advice but will help you explore your options. Most people attend therapy because they have a problem and a practioner may provide coping strategies to help you address the immediate problem.
What is the difference between counselling and psychotherapy?
Counselling is usually solution focused. A counsellor may provide psycho-education and practical solutions to a specific problem. It usually occurs for a short period of time. It is great for helping you with immediate difficulties such as anxiety, a relationship breakup or problems at work.
Psychotherapy is usually longer in duration (a year or more), can address specific problem(s) and uncover the root cause of problematic behaviour and intrusive thoughts.. This is especially useful for a reoccurring problem or where periods of counselling, are no longer providing relief from a mental health concern.
What happens in a counselling session?
This is dependent on your therapist’s orientation (modality), some therapists will focus on:
Strategically changing the way you think, speak and behave-Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Examining childhood experiences, how they frame the way you interpret the world around you and subconsciously impact the way you act now-Psychodynamic
Providing a nurturing environment to promote personal growth-Person Centred
There are other modalities and dependent on a therapists expertise and training they could include art, narration, drama and mindfulness practices. A practioner can only make suggestions and should never ask you to do something that you are uncomfortable with. You are expected to talk and reflect on your thoughts and behaviour. The degree to which a therapist will listen and interpret (share their observations and thought process) will vary. Some people may find it difficult to engage with a therapist who sits back and provides minimal feedback whilst others can find more directive therapists, overbearing or intrusive. At the beginning feel free to ask as many questions as you like about a therapists modality and do basic research on what it is like.
How long is it?
Each counselling session lasts 50 minutes.
How much is it?
Psychotherapy/counselling sessions are £85. We aim to make therapy as accessible as possible, therefore we reserve a limited number of discounted spaces when possible. If you are under 25years old or earning less than £30,000 p/a and cannot afford our services- sign up to our discounted space waitlist. Simply email us with subject heading “wait list” and the amount you can afford to pay. We are committed to paying all our practioners a wage that allows them to do the important work that they do and maintain their own wellbeing. If what you can afford is less than £50 we will not be able to add you to our waitlist but, we will email low cost counselling options.
How long will counselling last?
This is assessed case by case and will vary depending on duration of abuse, how long ago the period of abuse occurred, current coping strategies and severity of the sexual acts. If you are a survivor who has had therapy before and are just feeling triggered, you may wish to have a course 12-20 sessions. If you have a reoccurring problem you may wish to consider psychotherapeutic counselling or psychotherapy- this can last several years, for as long as you need.
Where will therapy take place?
Our services happen online using a secure virtual therapy room and over the phone. Depending on your location and adequate network coverage you may have your session via an alternative platform such as zoom or What’s App. In these instances calls or video call will be encrypted or protected by a password log in. All practioners will conduct therapy from a private and confidential space irrespective if it is online or over the phone.
Is what I say confidential?
Everything you say in a session will be kept in the strictest confidence. Confidentiality will be broken where there is deemed to be a serious risk to yourself or others, drug trafficking or terrorism.
What can I expect from counselling?
The first point of contact is a free introductory call where a member of the team will assess your suitability for our services. When you are ready , you will be booked in for an initial assessment with one of our practioners. An invoice will be sent by email and upon receipt of payment your appointment will be booked in. If you have a request to make any information accessible, please call us on +447448054661. You will usually receive confirmation email which, outlines your appointment date, time and access link for online therapy. At the end of the assessment you will be given a counselling agreement. Please note, if you do not feel your assessor is a good fit you can request another free consultation with any of our practioners. When you are happy to proceed you will be given a regular time and date for therapy.
Is a wellbeing call suitable for me?
This service is not a replacement for therapy but a check in for former clients who wish to receive additional support post therapy. If you have never had therapy before you can use this as a one off checks in to discover what counselling is like before committing to regular therapy. If you book in for this session and are deemed unsuitable a practioner will explore other options and signpost you to a more suitable source of support. You will be given a full refund which will be processed in 10 working days. If it is agreed that you require counselling the fee will be applied as credit for your first session. All practioners are bound by professional guidelines regarding nonmaleficence, which means to do no harm. Please be assured if a practioner recommends an alternative service or organisation, they do so with your overall wellbeing in mind.
What if I am in crisis and need emotional support now?
We understand this may be a very hard time for you. We would encourage you to contact a specialist crisis help line.
- Call 116 123 to talk to Samaritans, or email: jo@samaritans.org for a reply within 24 hours
- Text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line, or text "YM" if you're under 19
- Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) 5pm-midnight 365 days a year 0800 585858 or chat by visiting https://www.thecalmzone.net
- If you're under 19, you can also call 0800 1111 to talk to Childline. The number will not appear on your phone bill.
- You can call helpline by dialling 111 or ask your GP for an urgent appointment.
- If you are feeling suicidal you can go to A&E who will help keep you safe until you can be seen by a crisis team. This can take some time so, if they are open, we encourage you to contact your GP also.