There are 4 steps up to the entrance of the Southchurch room, once inside it is all on one level with plenty of space. Our Leigh On Sea room has a small step through the door. If access is a problem please call me, I am happy to meet you outside and help you with the steps. However, if steps are a barrier then I may be able to arrange to meet elsewhere. Please contact me to discuss this.

There is plenty of free parking around the premises and a bus stop nearby.

Many people come to their first session not knowing what is wrong but knowing they need to make some changes in their lives. We explore what is going on for you in the sessions and work out what changes you’d like to make. Or perhaps it’s about working on accepting differences and understanding yourself better. Maybe you are feeling overwhelmed and need to lay everything out and make sense of how you are feeling.

We can explore this in our sessions, I will support you to work out what you want from therapy and check in regularly that you are finding therapy useful. You don’t have to have all the answers in your first session. Sometimes people think they do know what they want from therapy but when we start talking and understanding a situation, what they want changes. All of this is OK, I work with you to see how therapy can help.

Absolutely, therapy is great for this. A quiet place of your own to sort through the overwhelm and work out what is happening.

Yes, I do not diagnose. We can talk about identity, those lost feelings and look at things that might help. I love supporting clients to get to know themselves and their needs, wants and hopes. I want you to find yourself again.

Therapy can offer a quiet, confidential space to talk about these things without judgement or without having to worry about hurting anybody’s feelings or worrying family. We can talk about all of the things that your family and friends find hard or taboo.

In the first session we will discuss how we will work together and there is an agreement to sign so that you are clear on confidentiality and safeguarding. We can work out if we are a good fit. We will also look at when, where and how often the sessions will be. Then we will spend some time exploring why you reached out or, if you aren’t sure, we will talk about what is going on for you in life at the moment. The first session is about understanding how therapy with me might work and building a relationship so that you can trust me with your feelings. There is no rush to disclose everything in the first session and I always go at your pace.

Counselling is all about how you are feeling and the relationship between you and your counsellor. The session is confidential and having another person in the room would disrupt that process. Understandably you may be nervous the first time you come. Having a friend bring you along or pick you up might be a good idea but your friend won’t be able to come into the session with you and we don’t have a waiting room so they will have to wait in the car or in a local café. If you are very nervous about the session please call me and I’ll see if there is anything I can do to help.

This is a common worry as sometimes we are not used to talking about ourselves or are worried others won’t understand if we reveal too much of ourselves. I will never judge you and I try to create a warm, supportive place so that you feel able to share. I will never push you to talk if you don’t want to. The pace is yours, so if you need quiet to process then we can be quiet together or if it all spills out in a rush we can unpick that over the session too. I will gently support you to speak up and be yourself in our sessions.

As I offer person-centred therapy the number of sessions is open ended and up to you. We will have regular reviews to see how things are going and keep the therapy relevant to your needs. We can work towards an ending together in good time.

The sessions are 50 minutes long. If you arrive late, we cannot make the time up at the end as the next person may be waiting so please arrive on time. Sessions are usually once a week but if you want to see me more frequently we can discuss that in your first session. Most of my clients leave at least a few days between sessions to process the emotions that may have surfaced.

Therapy is a mixture of talking and quiet to allow thinking time. Sometimes I use cards, stones or other things to help you explain what is happening. I do not offer advice, although we can think things through together, change always comes from within. You can practice new ideas with me, as it sometimes helps to say things out loud.

If you feel comfortable to talk to me, if you feel that I understand your world and that you can share difficult feelings with me, then we are a good fit. If you feel that I listen and understand your goals and values, but that you could also stand a gentle challenge from me, that’s another good sign we fit as it means you will grow and learn about yourself in the sessions. This is something we talk about in the introductory phone call and again in the first session. If you don’t feel we are a good fit that is fine and I’d be happy to help you find somebody who is a better fit.

I understand that sometimes life gets in the way and if you have to cancel try to give me 24 hours notice, in which case no charges apply. Cancellation later than 24 hours mean the fee is still due.

I have extra training to offer online therapy or telephone therapy. You need to be in a confidential space, on your own, where you won’t be interrupted, with a good internet connection. Most people use a laptop or computer as this has a larger screen, but some use phones. I will send you a link to either Zoom or Teams or WhatsApp. If you struggle with technology I will talk you through it. The sessions are still 50 minutes long unless we agree otherwise. If we lose connection and can’t get it back, we either finish the session on the phone or try again another day. All of this is decided before therapy starts. The content of the therapy is exactly the same so I always suggest clients allow themselves a few minutes decompression before they go back to their world.

If you are in distress between sessions please contact your GP or the Samaritans on 116 123 free phone number. I do not offer emergency cover. Please contact me to ask any questions about your sessions, make a booking or change any arrangements, either call, text or WhatsApp me on 07548 859 351 and I will get back to you as soon as I am able.

Person Centred Counselling is sometimes also called client centred counselling. It is a humanistic approach. This means that the sessions are completely led by you as the client. I believe that you are the expert on your life so I won’t offer advice, give you homework or tell you what I think you should do. I will work to understand your experience from your perspective, I will offer non-judgemental support and will hold you in positive regard while we work together to find a way forward. This helps build a trustworthy relationship in which you can feel free and supported to disclose whatever is troubling you. You have control over the content and the pace of our sessions and I will be alongside you.

If you would like more details of this modality please have a look at this link:

What is person-centred counselling?