Counselling and psychotherapy are, very basically, talking things through about yourself with a trained professional counsellor and/or psychotherapist. The difference between counselling and psychotherapy is arguable, but counselling tends to be 'lighter' and shorter term; psychotherapy, being longer term, tends to explore deeper issues, and can take place once, twice or three times a week (I offer once or twice a week).

There are any number of reasons why you may have decided you'd like some therapy.

You may be feeling depressed or experiencing a sense of low self-esteem. You may be finding that old feelings about yourself from your childhood/past are getting stirred up by what's happening in your life right now. You may be struggling to see much hope in the future. You may not even know what is wrong; you just know that you don't feel right.

Such feelings can be extremely lonely. They can occur in any of us at any time, but particularly at times of change and/or loss (leaving home, going to University, new job, new relationship, pregnancy, new parenthood, bereavement, redundancy, retirement and, of course, Covid). These feelings can be difficult to share with friends or a partner, and can put a strain on your existing relationships.

The idea of talking to someone about personal or painful feelings may feel daunting. However, the fact that you are reading this suggests that there is a part of you that is hoping things can change. An initial consultation would give us a chance to think about your needs, allow you to raise any concerns, and help us think about what would be most helpful for you.