FAQ’s

Here are some of the most Frequently Asked Questions about the types of Psychotherapy I offer both online and in-person. If you have any further questions do not hesitate to contact me.

Individual Psychotherapy

All sessions are £65, except for your introductory session which is £85

All sessions are 60 minutes

You can pay by bank transfer, or here on the site you can use Paypal or pay by card. When we meet,  we can work out our own arrangement.

As I work in private practice, you have freedom of choice!  I can usually offer you an appointment within days.
I offer a convenient location not far from Plymouth city centre; many people also attend online.

Do you have a waiting room?
No, so please do not arrive early or bring anyone else with you! There is parking nearby, however.

Individual psychotherapy is a unique form of relationship, unlike any other form of treatment, and it needs certain conditions to be effective. One of these is regular sessions. In the first stages of our work together, weekly sessions will be needed. Once you have done the all-important preliminary work, and you are busy applying all your learning in real life, then you may want to change to fortnightly sessions.

When possibly this is preferable as continuity is very useful. However if you work shifts or travel for work, or your university or your employer keeps changing your hours, we will find times that work for you if at all possible.

I do not work weekends. Most of my appointments are 9.30-5 Monday-Friday. If it is completely impossible for you to attend during the day, some evening sessions are available but there is a limited supply.

Like most psychotherapists, I charge the full fee for missed sessions, whatever your reason for not attending. This can sound strict, but it is necessary. I have committed that time for you so if you don’t come, there is nothing else I can do with it.  If you need to cancel a session,

I require 5 days notice or the full fee is due.  If you need to cancel at short notice, or you forget to come,  I will offer you a replacement session in the same week if this is possible. If you have to cancel because of a rare emergency, I will be understanding.

You can take planned breaks from your psychotherapy whenever you wish. This is a topic we need to discuss together, so please let me know near the beginning of a session, and not right at the end, if you are thinking of taking a break.

After you have experienced an initial session with a practitioner, you will have an impression of how you felt during the session, and whether they understood your difficulties and could see you for who you really are.  You don’t need to “like” the therapist or feel you have things in common with them, but you need to feel they “get” you and also that you can trust their professional competence.  You need to feel this person is warm and accessible enough for you to be able to develop trust over time.

It is worth checking that the practitioner is registered, for example with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy), the Health Professions Council, and other organisations who accredit psychotherapists who have completed their full professional trainings, and keep them on a UK register subject to meeting ethical and membership requirements each and every year. I am a practitioner member of UKCP.

You can also ask how long a practitioner has been in practice, if they have experience of working with the issues you are bringing, and what types of training they have undergone. Don’t be afraid to ask these questions, or any other questions that are important to you.

This is an opportunity to experience what it might be like to work with me and how psychotherapy works. You can tell me a bit about yourself, and ask me any questions. In the background, I will consider your situation carefully, and how I might be able to help. Psychotherapy is a commitment for both of us, and you need to feel confident that you want to go ahead and you feel ready. It is important that we can agree on some achievable outcomes.

I have trained in Humanistic and Integrative counselling and psychotherapy, and Core Process and Group Analytic psychotherapy. As I am now very experienced, I do not tend to stick within one model or framework but I meet you as an individual, and I consider carefully what approach will work best for you in your current phase of life. It is definitely not one size fits all, and the therapeutic relationship we co-create will be unique.

You can end at any time you wish. My preference is that we discuss this together in a session and move towards a planned ending date so we can complete the work together. You will always be welcome to return should anything crop up in your life.

It is the job of a psychotherapist to welcome you with acceptance and regard you as an esteemed equal human being. There is no place for judgement and I will welcome and respect who you are and want to get to know you.

I have grown up as a white British woman.  Yes, there will be differences between us. I am eager to learn of your experience and how I can come to understand you.

depression/ anxiety/ abuse/ confusion about who I am and what I want/ feeling unhappy and I don’t know why/ grief and bereavement/ I need to figure out how to make my relationship work better/going through a divorce or life change/ discovering I or my  partner or children are gay/cross-dressing/having an affair/ I have discovered I have a personality disorder/ I had short term therapy in the health system and it didn’t work

YES.

YES, I work with everyone. If you are a young person below the age of 16 then I will probably need to arrange the sessions through your parent or guardian, but your work is confidential to you.

Confidentiality is the bedrock of psychotherapy.  I am not at liberty to discuss your material or reveal your identity to anyone. Where there are complex issues around legal cases, safeguarding, sensitive information, informing your GP etc, we need to discuss these in person.

Just let me know if this is happening for you and I will do what I can to help you relax.

No, I work with everyone, and I enjoy the richness of diversity; I have probably worked with every issue and type of person!

There is no standard, agreed definition of the difference between the two! If you are new to personal growth and development, counselling can be incredibly helpful. Psychotherapists have a longer training, and they are expected to undergo many years of psychotherapy in the same model(s) that they are offering. A psychotherapist holds the bigger picture of your life, past and present, and focuses on your potential as a person, not just your current difficulties, and this includes all kinds of developmental, mental, emotional, psychospiritual and psychological aspects of your mind and your life. Psychotherapy can be more actively responsive, and counselling can be more reflective.

A psychotherapist has training in developmental psychology and in mental health, and is required to work in mental health as part of their training process. There is also a category of “therapeutic counselling” which is closer to psychotherapy. In practice, different practitioners, whether they be counsellors or psychotherapists, offer a great variety styles of work, and you need to find someone that you resonate with. There is no one who is right for everyone.

Psychotherapy is, in my view, a fundamental tool in enabling you to develop self awareness and understanding so you make positive and constructive choices in your life.  When you have sufficient grounding in this, then therapeutic coaching can help you focus on specific issues  as they come up

Many people feel uncomfortable about starting sessions online and this is understandable This is something that we need to discuss in person, as it affects you according to the current global situation. Please enquire if you are seeking face to face sessions. Read this article about how to enjoy your sessions online if this is an option for you.

Please discuss this with me; if you have concerns about this, there is no need to meet in person, as online sessions work really well. Whatever your thoughts and experience, you are welcome.

Couples Therapy

£80 per 90 minute session

You can attend an individual session so you don’t forfeit the fee, or re-book.

This is worked out between the three of us, as generally you will need time between sessions to put your new learning into action in relationship with each other. Usually, this is fortnightly in the early stages of the work.

There is no definite answer but you need to allow at least 6 months to two years if you are determined to make your relationship work.

This may be possible, for example you might want to alternate joint and individual sessions. We would need to discuss this in detail, including any confidentiality issues.

You can, and it will become apparent during the sessions whether both of you have the capacity and the willingness to make this work.  However it is difficult for me to work with you if you each have a different agenda, for example one of you wants to stay and the other wants to leave. All I can do in this situation is help you see clearly what your choices are, and help you use good communication skills to get the best possible results with each other.

You are most welcome to come to work on your relationship. You will benefit from understanding each other in new ways, gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics between you, learn what developmental phase your relationship is in, and learn new ways to communicate with one another and get your needs met.

It may be supportive for you to come for individual work to help you get through this incredibly stressful time. If communication between you has completely broken down, then mediation would be more useful than joint psychotherapy.

Do you have an additional question? Feel free to ask it here.