Journey of You see anyone over the age of 18 years old.  Although autism and ADHD are my specialism, I also love working with a variety of neurotypes and issues.  Throughout my training and after qualifying I worked with parents and carers.  I’ve provided support around abuse, loneliness, low self-confidence, low self-esteem, relationship problems, sense of self, trauma, and many more areas of difficulties.

No, although I do also accept referrals from other services and therapist / counsellors, you can self-refer to Journey of You.  

Journey of You recognise that each client is individual and their needs will be different.  As such sessions can be weekly, fortnightly, three-weekly, monthly or even ad-hoc. The most frequently booked session length is 60 minutes. However, I also offer 30 and 90 minute sessions. Different clients have different processing times and offering different session lengths is one of the ways I honour that.  

This varies on the type of difficulty or problem you are facing. Some people prefer to work with an open contract, whereas other people prefer to work with a fixed number of sessions followed by a review. In all cases, every few months the client and I will review the therapeutic process together. This helps to assess whether the client’s needs are being met and, this will also help, if required, to carry out the necessary adjustments and / or establish new goals for the process.

I know the cost can sometimes be a barrier to therapy. I operate a trust-based scale for my fees based on income level of clients or the person(s) who are paying for therapy.  This allows me make therapy accessible to as many people as possible, while honouring myself.  I offer sessions at 30, 60, and 90 minutes in length. My hourly rate is:

• £55 for those with an income of £25k and below.
• £65 for those with an income between £25k and £50k.
• £75 for those with an income of £50k and over. 

Not currently, but I hope to explore doing so in the future.  For now, I accept clients from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. 

Short answer no. Therapists adhere to a strict confidentiality policy as specified by the British Association of Counselling, and Psychotherapy (BACP). I will not disclose to anyone that you are attending therapy. However, you may ask me to refer you a service or write a letter disclosing the fact you attend therapy. In these instances, I will but only with your consent.  

I will offer to introduce myself or ask if you want to introduce yourself first. After introductions I’ll explain a little bit about the way I work, checking throughout to see if you have any questions but you are welcome to stop me to ask question or clarify anything at any point. Then, I’ll ask you to talk about what’s the reason you’re wanting therapy, what you’re hoping to get from and a few other questions like that.  Once we’ve both asked all our questions you can either go away and have a think if you’d like to start therapy with me or we can get an appointment booked in. 

After greeting each other we’ll go over some boundaries for the sessions, we may have touched on them in the initial consultation.  Once that’s done, I’ll ask if you have anything you want to talk about this session.  You don’t have to know the answers straight away and it’s ok if you’re not sure yet, I can help you work that out.  You can ask me anything you want to know about how things will work in each session and what is expected of you.

I’m not here to tell you what to talk about, but I will help you to work out what it is that you’d like to focus on. It doesn’t matter if it takes a while to get there. You might find things about your childhood come up in conversation, or your relationships with friends and family. Alternatively, you might have a specific issue you want to talk about, like anxiety, bereavement or addiction.

Silence is ok too. At times you won’t be able to think of anything to say and that’s ok. There’s no need to feel awkward. Take your time and eventually the conversation will flow naturally again.

Therapy can be hard sometimes, because you’re talking through things that are difficult and it can bring up a lot of emotions. It’s important to remember to be kind to yourself and know that it’s ok if you struggle.  Making notes during or just after each session can help you remember what you’ve leaned and reflect on the things brought up in the session.  Also writing things down you want to talk about in session can be useful. Don’t forget that not every session will feel as helpful as others, and that’s ok. 

It’s only natural to feel worried and nervous about coming to therapy. You are meeting a stranger to talk about your feelings, I would be nervous too.  To help ease some of the worry and nerves I offer a free 30-minute initial consultation to meet for the first time.  We also move at your own pace and talk about things you are comfortable talking about. 

The aim of therapy is to help you draw on your inner resources and find your solutions.  I believe clients are the experts in their life, as they are the ones living their life and know the ins and outs. I will work with you on your therapy journey by giving you information and suggestions on occasions if this is appropriate, but I will not tell you what to do.

Although support from friends and family can be invaluable, it’s sometimes useful to speak to someone neutral, who has no other involvement in your life.

Sometimes the way the therapist works doesn’t suit you, you may not feel comfortable talking to them for whatever reason, or you just don’t like the sound of their voice.  It happens.  You can either let me know you won’t be coming for sessions any more, either during a session or via text/email, or stop booking appointment.  Sometimes a client and a therapist don't “fit” together well.  I would much prefer you to be with a therapist you feel comfortable with, than stay with me if you weren’t getting what you need from sessions with me.

There have been many different approaches of counselling and psychotherapy to be developed over the years, which are known in the profession as ‘modalities’.  I initially trained as a Person-Centered counsellor, and later completed training to become a trauma therapist.  This means I believe everyone has the capacity for personal growth and healing, given the right conditions.  However, there is evidence that states the relationship between you and your therapist, is more important than the modality used.

There are several professional counselling bodies counsellors can choose to be a member of.  I have chosen to be a member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapists (BACP). I adhere to the BACP ethical framework and codes of practice.