Counselling

Counselling is a process of self-discovery that has a beginning, middle and ending. In the beginning, we talk about what brings you to counselling and the changes you would like to make in your life. You can also ask about me and get a feel for whether I am the right type of counsellor for you.

​

You may not be clear about what is troubling you at first, but talking confidentially to a trained counsellor can be immensely relieving and helpful. Some of my areas of experience and interest include loss, bereavement, loneliness, depression, despair, anger, anxiety, obsessions, stuckness, addictions, relationship difficulties, parenting and life stage changes.

​

Additional issues raised by some young people and children include bullying, self-worth, family breakdown, domestic violence, neglect, anger, anxiety, friendship issues and school pressures.

​

As we work together, I will not be giving you advice or telling you what to do, but rather supporting you to work things out in your own way. I believe that each of my clients has a unique inner world and language that requires a unique type of counselling. As an Integrative Counsellor, I am trained to draw on many different ways of working to tailor a unique approach for each of my clients.

​

These ways of working are mostly "humanistic" and include Person-Centred counselling, which means I will be listening carefully to your thoughts and feelings; Gestalt counselling, where awareness of what is happening in your body in the "here and now" is important; Transactional Analysis and Attachment Theory, which are mostly about your patterns of relating to other people; and Existential counselling, which focusses on the human condition.

 

In addition, I help young people and children to explore their feelings, express themselves and grow in confidence by using creative play like drawing, sand trays, hand puppets and storytelling.

​

Everyone is different, so I do not offer a fixed number of counselling sessions. Instead, we can talk together about where you are in your process as we move towards a safe and natural ending to your counselling.

​

Each session lasts for up to fifty minutes and takes place in Banbury, usually once a week on a Saturday at the same time.

 

I work in a COVID-19 secure and comfortable practice room with free parking and toilet facilities near Banbury town centre (OX16); at Banbury Therapy Centre (69 Oxford Road, Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX16 2AJ); remotely (via the telephone); or virtually (using video conferencing such as Zoom/MS Teams).

 

There is a fixed fee of £55 payable at the end of each session.