Psychology South West

Introductory meeting

You can check things out with me in a half hour introductory meeting that is free of charge (or a full hour at a reduced rate). It is important to choose a counsellor or therapist with whom you feel comfortable and secure. We can talk about:

Why you have come

What may be distressing you and what has been going on over the weeks, months and years.

We may already start to make some sense of what has brought you to our meeting:

There may be ‘stuck’ or conflicting feelings, or repeating patterns that seem to be ‘self-maintaining’.

These patterns may connect with situations and relationships from the recent or more distant past.

We can see how I may be able to help, and how many sessions you may want.

You can decide in you own time whether to return for counselling or therapy sessions.

The path forward

One key aim in the first 2 – 3 sessions, will be for us to understand better what ‘drives’ the issues or problems you have come about. We will develop an understanding about what has been going on – what it all means. I may draw a diagram of this description, so we both have a copy. This ‘map’ can be a guide to further work together, telling us what to focus on so that you get what you need. For instance:

It may be important to find ways of coming to terms with loss and emotional pain. We may get to see why this has so far felt impossible, and help you to find a way through.

We may find that particular ways of thinking and acting keep your problems and distress going, or make them worse. You can be helped to find more helpful responses - to cope with stress, low mood or anxiety, and to regain energy and health.

If you are in emotional ‘conflict’ within yourself or with others around you, you can be helped to be more in harmony - mentally, emotionally and physically.

If you have experienced trauma or other disturbing situations that have caused problems for you, we can address their impact. Memories can be placed in the past.

You can be helped to find new ways of coping, to develop self-confidence and creativity, and to develop find new opportunities as you find your own way forward in life.

Psychologists, counsellors, and psychotherapists – who are they?

It is currently legal for anyone to claim that he or she ‘is’ one of these professionals even after only a basic course of training. However, there are, fortunately, just a few national organisations that validate, register and monitor properly trained practitioners. I recommend that you look out either for a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist who is Chartered to practise by the British Psychological Society, for a Counsellor registered with the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BABCP), or for a psychotherapist who registered with the BABCP or the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP).

I will be writing more here about these three professions and about psychiatry: What is similar and what is different between these approaches and trainings? How do they go about helping clients?