About Counselling

We all experience times when life can be stressful and feel overwhelming. You may have lost sight of who you are or are struggling to make sense of your feelings and emotions. Counselling offers the opportunity to seek support outside of family or friends to explore and understand yourself better.

You can start to explore your world and begin to gain a better understanding of that world and your part in it. I work with you in a compassionate way so you will feel respected, listened to and understood without judgement. Counselling sessions are confidential, so you can talk about things you might not feel comfortable discussing with anyone else.

Once you have made contact with me, I will send you an information pack to complete and return. This is for you to provide your personal and medical details and reasons for seeking counselling. As soon as I receive this back I will invite you for a first appointment, known as an assessment session. 

 This session lasts up to 50 minutes. A number of things will be covered such as confidentiality and session timings. Your sessions will take place on the same day and time each week, unless agreed otherwise. During this time I will also ask you questions that will help me understand a little about you and your life before exploring more in following sessions. This session may feel different to following sessions with more questions and laying the foundation for how we will work together. Together we can identify what you hope to gain from counselling. 

Q.: What type of counselling do you provide and which is best for me?

A.: Forward Counselling offers two types short term and long term.

Short term: This is a good step for people who do not want to make a long commitment or have a particular issue to work with such as a relationship difficulty. It is usually from 6-16 weeks. 

Long term: This allows the client time and space to gradually develop insight into the cause of their concerns. Clients continue in therapy as long as they want.

Q.:Will the counsellor give me advice?

A.: As your counsellor I am not there to give you advice, tell you what to do or judge you in any way. The aim of counselling is to help you come to your own decision(s), only you know how you feel. The counsellor might reflect and sum up what they understand you have been saying so that they can help you to form your own decisions or way forward.

Q.: What does a counsellor do?

A.: The largest part of what a counsellor does is listening. Counsellors will always let the work proceed at the client’s pace. They make sure clients have clarified the problem areas in their own terms and helps them decide what steps they want to take next.

Q.: What can I talk about?

A. You can talk about anything that is on your mind, however large or small. You might find yourself saying things you had not expected. Your counsellor will always help you explore your circumstances.

Q. What if miss a scheduled appointment?

A. Should you need to cancel, please contact by telephone on 07464 410772 or email admin@racheld.org  as early as possible. Less than 24 hours’ notice will incur the session fee.