About half of the people who come to see me have never had an experience of counselling before; and are feeling very worried and anxious about what will happen.

I have set up this page to offer some information about your first contact and visit with me.

I hope that it will offer you some reassurance.

The first thing I would like to say is that millions of people access counselling every year so please don't be shy or worried. If you have a problem it is a positive thing to seek help. You have already taken the first step by visiting this website. The next step is to contact me.

People generally contact me by telephone or by email.

What will happen when I telephone?

When you telephone we will have a brief chat and arrange for you to come on a day, and at a time that suits you.

I will ask for your email address. I will then send you a confirmation email plus some more information that you may like to read before the appointment.

 If you don't have an email address, don't worry. We can simply confirm the appointment, then and there over the phone.  

When you ring; if you happen to get the answerphone do leave me a message. It's private and I always get back to people as soon as I possibly can.

When you leave a message, its really helpful if you can state the best time for me to call you back, and, whether its ok for me to leave a message on your phone. I am always discreet if I leave a message.

What will happen after I email?

If you prefer, you can email me by filling out the form on The Contact page on this website, or simply emailing the address you see towards the top left of this screen.

When I receive your email, I will respond as soon as possible by telephone. We can have a brief chat to arrange a time for your first visit and I will then email you the confirmation.

Occassionally people don't put a phone number in their email to me. I will still reply by email and we can communicate in that way to arrange your first visit.

What will happen on my first visit?

Our first meeting is a free session and lasts just 30 minutes. We can have a chat and you can tell me what is worrying you.

There is no right or wrong thing for you to say, or how to be; simply tell me what is troubling you and we can take it from there. I may ask you a few questions to help you feel at ease.

At the end of the 30 minutes I will ask you if you would like to book another session. If you are happy with this, I will book you into my diary for our next, formal, session which is 50 minutes.

People usually book sessions for once a week. However at the beggining of counselling and if you are feeling very upset, you may want to come more often than this, for a while, until you feel ready to come weekly.

I do not book blocks of sessions ahead of time. This is because counselling is an individual process and everyone moves at their own pace.

I hope this has been helpful and reassured you. There is also much more information throughout this website and on the Counselling FAQs page.

If you still have any questions or concerns about counselling please get in touch by email or by telephone and I will be happy to answer your queries.