About therapy

Yes, though there are certain ethical and legal limits to this which I explain further during an initial consultation. I am supervised by another psychotherapist where I talk about anonymised details of my psychotherapy work. These supervision discussions are confidential themselves.

This varies from person to person and depends on what you are looking to get from therapy. Some people benefit from a few months of focussed work on a specific issue, but others find more value from longer-term therapy to exlore things at depth. In the initial session we can discuss whether a limited number of sessions, or an open-ended arrangement suits you best. We will also check in regularly along the way to review how the work is going, making sure you always have an active say in whether and how we continue.

People seek therapy for a range of reasons, from wanting to build a life that feels more meaningful and satisfying to needing help with an acute crisis. Therapy can be relevant and helpful across the full width of that spectrum. It may seem counter-intuitive to come to therapy if you are functioning, but sometimes this cloaks difficult feelings below the surface. If managing daily life is taking more out of you than is immediately visible, having a dedicated space to explore why can help.

I won't ask you to do any preparation or homework between sessions. If you do want ways to prepare or to extend therapeutic work outside sessions, we can discuss ideas on how to do this. Where there is a particular topic that you want to learn more about I am happy to suggest books, videos or podcasts as a starting point for your research.

I keep an eye on the clock and make sure we have enough time to let things settle before the end of the session. If something important comes up just before the end we can note it, and come back to it at the beginning of the next session. In the initial session of therapy we will talk about what the rest of your day looks like, so we can calibrate the depth and intensity of the work accordingly.

Yes, absolutely. Many people use AI alongside therapy for between session support, further reflection and research. You are welcome to share insights you may have had from AI or any concerns you have over using it. If you would like to use it to complement your therapy we can discuss ways to do this.

I use it for generic research into psychotherapy theory and best practice. I've also used it in constructing this website. Nothing you share with me would ever be put into AI. I ensure AI is switched off in online meetings.

Counselling and psychotherapy are closely related and often overlap substantially in practise. Counselling is generally focussed more on specific issues such as a major decision or life transition, where with psychotherapy the scope is usually broader and deal with deeper, longer-term issues and patterns. My training covers both, and we can choose together where to focus the work.

Historically psychologists and psychiatrists have focussed more on medical diagnoses and diagnostic testing, whereas a psychotherapist's approach is built on the relationship with the client as a whole person. Today, many psychologists and psychiatrists are now moving towards a more holistic, relational approach as well. The main practical distinction is that a formal mental health diagnosis (e.g. PTSD) is carried out by a psychologist or psychiatrist, and only psychiatrists can prescribe medication. Psychotherapists are trained to work with people who already have a diagnosis, as well as those who do not.