Your questions, answered

There are all sorts of issues and problems you can bring to counselling — problems that affect your emotional and physical wellbeing. If problems lie outside our area of expertise, we will signpost you to the appropriate service.

Initial telephone consultation. This gives time for your counsellor to consider the concern or issue you want to potentially bring to therapy, and how best to support you. It is also a great opportunity for you to ask any questions you might have about your counsellor or about counselling in general. We will then book your first assessment session.

First assessment session. During our first assessment we will discuss in more detail what has prompted you to make contact, the issue as you see it, and any past or current background you are willing to share at this point. Your counsellor will talk through how best to approach your concerns, shaped in consultation with you over the coming sessions. You will have a chance to ask any questions about how our service works or voice any concerns.

Subsequent sessions. You will be free to talk about your situation and you will be listened to carefully. Your counsellor will seek to gain as deep an understanding of you as possible, and will ask questions designed to therapeutically enhance your thinking, your emotions, your behaviour and your way of relating to others. Generally speaking, therapists do not tell people what to do with their lives — rather, they assist clients to make their own decisions and find the courage and conviction to act upon them. We will regularly review our work together and assess progress.

We abide by and adhere to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Ethical Framework. As part of that framework, we practise clearly defined confidentiality with all of our clients. This means you can speak to your counsellor knowing that your friends, family and work colleagues will not be told what you have said in a session — and neither will your counsellor's friends, family or work colleagues.

There are three exceptions to this: disclosures involving the Terrorism Act; disclosures of yourself as being a danger to yourself or others; and disclosures which require your counsellor to act within their duty of care under the Children Act. Even in such cases, your counsellor will not break confidentiality without discussing the matter with you first. All BACP-registered counsellors need to be in regular supervision, and some material may at times be discussed with a counselling supervisor in an anonymous form, partly to ensure you receive the best professional support possible.

Yes. What suits you best will be discussed. Some people do not prefer face-to-face counselling, for a variety of reasons, so online or telephone counselling provides a preferable alternative.

An initial telephone consultation is 15 minutes. A no-fee, no-commitment assessment session lasts 45 minutes. Each normal session lasts 50 minutes from the starting time that has been booked.

The frequency of sessions is variable and dependent on your needs. We would discuss this in the regular reviews of our work. The overall length of time you will be in therapy depends upon the nature, severity and extent of your problems and the issues we are addressing, and is also determined by how long you want to take. Some people achieve the results they want in just a few weeks; others may take months or even years. It is important that we go at the pace that suits you.

You can pay by cash at the beginning of each session, or by direct transfer to our business account. We would provide you with the sort code and account number before you begin your sessions; you can pay via telephone or internet banking, or by going into your branch.

Please contact the service as soon as possible if you can't make a session. This will allow your appointment to be rescheduled at a time which suits you. If you cancel within 24 hours of the appointment, 50% of the session fee will be charged; within 12 hours, 75% will be charged; and if you don't attend your appointment, 100% of the session fee will be charged.

There is a range of valid reasons for cancelling an appointment. In order to be consistent with all clients, cancellation fees will only be waived in the event of a medical emergency requiring urgent professional treatment, a death in the family, or a natural disaster. If you are running late, please contact the service — regardless of when you arrive, your session will still finish at the booked time.

Yes. You can book an appointment for any day of the week — morning, afternoon and right into the evening. Depending on availability, you may be able to get a same-day booking. Every effort will be made to accommodate a time that suits you and your circumstances.

This all depends on your individual needs — no person is the same. This can be discussed in your initial telephone consultation, to decide how counselling would benefit you the most.

Yes. You can refer anyone you think will benefit from counselling, but they must be prepared to make their own commitment to attend their sessions.