Frequently asked questions

The consultation is a regular 50-minute session held online via Zoom. It’s a no-obligation opportunity to share what’s bringing you to therapy, ask any questions you have, and get a sense of how I work.

I’ll ask about your current situation and relevant history, but it’s entirely up to you how much you share at this stage. I know meeting a therapist for the first time can feel daunting, and there’s no pressure to go anywhere you’re not ready to go.

Sessions are 50 minutes (a standard therapeutic hour) and take place weekly at a regular time. Consistency matters in this kind of work — the rhythm of weekly sessions helps create the safety and depth that allows real change to happen.

It depends on what you’re bringing. Short-term therapy (typically six to twelve sessions) focuses on a specific difficulty and finding ways to manage it. Longer-term work goes deeper, looking at the underlying patterns and ways of relating that often drive current difficulties.

The work I do is generally longer-term in nature. Most people I see come for several months or more, though we’ll review things as we go and you’re always free to end when it feels right.

In my experience, yes — for most people. I work online only, and I’ve found it to be genuinely effective, including for body-based approaches like EMDR and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. Working with the body doesn’t require us to be in the same room.

Many clients find being in their own space actually supports the work. The main things you need are a private space where you can speak freely and a reasonable screen (laptop or desktop rather than phone, especially for EMDR).

It can feel overwhelming trying to navigate the different approaches when you’re looking for a therapist. The honest answer is that research consistently shows the most important factor in successful therapy is the relationship between client and therapist — not the specific method.

My approach is integrative, which means I draw on a range of methods depending on what’s most useful for the person I’m working with. If you’d like to know more about how I work specifically, feel free to get in touch.

As an accredited member of the UKCP, I follow their code of ethics which doesn’t permit the use of client testimonials in advertising. I don’t ask clients for testimonials and don’t feature them on this site. If you have questions about how I work, I’m happy to answer them directly.

Psychotherapy training is generally twice the length of counselling training (four years versus two), and psychotherapists are trained to work at greater depth and with more complex presentations. That said, experience, empathy and the quality of the relationship matter enormously — a highly experienced counsellor may well be more effective than a newly qualified psychotherapist.

IThe titles “counsellor” and “psychotherapist” are not protected in the UK, which means anyone can use them. The best way to check is to look for registration with either the BACP (for counsellors) or UKCP (for psychotherapists). Both are accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) and require members to meet training standards and abide by a code of ethics.

I’m an accredited member of the UKCP. Don’t hesitate to ask any therapist you’re considering about their qualifications and experience — it’s a reasonable and important question.

Psychotherapy training is generally twice the length of counselling training (four years versus two), and psychotherapists are trained to work at greater depth and with more complex presentations. That said, experience, empathy and the quality of the relationship matter enormously — a highly experienced counsellor may well be more effective than a newly qualified psychotherapist. How do I know if a therapist is properly qualified? +