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The information here will be updated shortly. Thank you. |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I've not done this before - should I be frightened or nervous?
A: It's completely natural to feel apprehensive. As one client said 'the idea of telling my past to a complete stranger is terrifying'. Firstly, remember that you will be going at your own pace. I'm not here to criticise or lay blame. I'm just interested in what's been happening as information so we can start to sort out whatever it is you are bringing to the session. I am sensitive to how you may be feeling - please picture me as the understanding ally you haven't yet met rather than the stranger with a wagging finger!
Q: Will I become someone else - or will I HAVE to become someone else?
A: No. I believe that the process of therapy is always about the client becoming MORE of yourself. However this might sound like the opposite of what you want - "does that mean if I'm depressed it will make me more depressed?" - so I would say therapy will encourage and develop the positive parts of your personality. Sometimes a client will say - "I don't know WHY I feel better, but I know I do. Now I have more choice about stuff."
Q: How often should I have therapy?
A: The norm is once a week. Sometimes at the start a client will want to have two sessions a week, to get through the main issues more quickly. This can always be discussed at the initial session. Sessions are usually the 'therapeutic hour' - 50 minutes, after which we wrap up the session and make the next appt. Other times are negotiable.
Q: If I've been keeping myself going by being depressed, or binge-eating or whatever, will therapy take away my crutch?
A: The point about my being 'client-centred' is that I go at YOUR pace. I do not seek to take away anything that has kept you going. Instead I seek to build up your healthy self through what I call PTI - Positive Therapeutic Impressions - and these in time will give you the support you need - so your less-helpful 'crutches' will naturally fall away.
Q: What do you mean by being a 'real' person in the room?
A: For example, you may be talking through a painful memory - but with a smile on your face, because that's the only 'acceptable' way most people can hear a difficult story. But since I'm a real person in the room, what I'm picking up is how painful it actually was. So I might say "I know you're smiling, but I feel really upset, or sad, or a bit angry by what you're saying". In this way, by my being REAL, with proper feelings and responses, you can become free to express the real feelings, rather than having to be 'acceptable'.
Q: What does BACP Accredited actually mean?
A: I am an Accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychtherapy. To gain this I had to have 450 hours training and 450 hours minimum client contact (in fact I had a lot more by the time I took my accreditation). I abide by the Standard of Ethics for members, including that I have 1.5 hours a month personal Supervision. If you want to find out more, please just ask me |
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The information here will be updated shortly. Thank you. |
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