FAQs
The reason people consider seeing a psychologist varies. The best starting point is to ask why you want to explore therapy and what you hope to get out of it. Understanding what you hope to achieve in treatment is essential to the success of the relationship between us and whether I can meet those expectations.
Some people see a psychologist when they experience a crisis, while others seek help for less specific problems. Most people visit a psychologist when their issues affect their functioning and prohibit them from living meaningfully. Many situations place us in crisis, for example, the death of a loved one, breakup in relationships, job loss, financial pressures, assault, and parenting. Less specific problems people experience include feeling low or anxious, difficulties at work, adjusting to new environments or living arrangements, eating, alcohol and substances and so forth. Therefore, one of the main reasons for going to therapy is to stabilise your life; from here, we move on to growing and improving your overall functioning.
The advice I give when people ask how to decide on a psychologist, I suggest they consider the following about the psychologist and whom they would feel most comfortable with:
- the gender of the psychologist
- the age of the psychologist
- the type of training they received
- the psychologist's past work experience (usually available on their website or LinkedIn profile)
- their specific areas of interest
- whether you prefer someone from a similar culture and background to you
- whether their hours of work would meet your needs
- distance from where you work or live unless you do therapy online.
There are various schools of thought within psychology. I practice from an integrated approach and select the process based on the time you will be in therapy and your goals.
The study of human thought, behaviour, development, personality, emotion, motivation, and more are covered by the large and varied areas of psychology.
Psychotherapy can be helpful to those with and without recognised mental illness. It is used to treat a variety of emotional, behavioural, and mental health issues, such as anxiety, stress or recovering from stressful situations, low self-esteem, the after-effects of abuse, mood swings, unhealthy coping mechanisms, significant changes in life, difficulty forming or maintaining relationships, sexual problems, dealing with the loss of a loved one or a relationship and so forth.
According to psychology, the long-term effects of the life events you go through or observe frequently leave you feeling insecure, helpless, or exposed.
Instead of offering a diagnosis, my key priorities are compassionate listening and creating a secure environment for you to process your experience and gain insight.
Talking helps us focus on what has happened rather than what is wrong with us. We look at how you can process and express your emotions in a secure and encouraging relationship. You can discover new coping mechanisms and better understand your issues through counselling.
Our sessions are 50 minutes long. If you would like to do homework outside of our sessions, I can prepare this for you within reason. We can review the task during the following session, or you can work independently.
I see you weekly, and we will have a standing appointment on the same day and time every week. With longer-term clients, we move to bi-weekly or monthly maintenance sessions.
The length of therapy depends on why you sought therapy and your therapy goals. Treatment is most productive when incorporated into your lifestyle for approximately 12-16 sessions, most typically delivered once weekly for 50 minutes each. For most, that turns out to be about 3-4 months of once-weekly sessions.
Frequently, individuals I work with tell me they are uncertain of what they will speak about when starting therapy and are incredibly nervous about coming to treatment.
The first session is unique for everyone. Some individuals arrive and start talking immediately and need to get what they have to say off their shoulders. Where individuals find it more stressful to talk openly, I am gentle and adept at directing the conversation through questions. I am skilled at making people feel at ease. Most often, clients note how quickly sessions go.
Please write about why you felt you needed to see me. Identifying what you want to improve in your life or functioning is also helpful.
During our first session, we will discuss your reasons for coming to therapy and your expectations. We will get to know one another and whether you feel comfortable working with me. You can ask me about treatment and our therapeutic relationship during this first session.
One of the most essential parts of psychology is confidentiality.
There are a few instances where confidentiality is not required, however, and relate to situations where controlled disclosures of confidentiality are permitted. There are four general circumstances where secrecy is not required:
- The client poses a serious risk of harm to herself or others.
- A billing circumstance necessitates a permitted disclosure.
- Information sharing is essential to coordinate client care between various providers (NHS, surgeries, GPs, schools etc.)
- Information sharing is necessary to treat the customer There are instances where I am compelled by law to violate confidentiality.
The following circumstances usually oblige me to violate confidentiality and seek outside help.
- If you have a detailed suicide plan for a future attempt
- Plan to harm a third party
- If you place any child at risk of harm
- Have previously committed child abuse
- If you, as a person under the age of 18, are experiencing child abuse
- Have plans to commit an act of terrorism
- Intends or is in the process of drug trafficking or money laundering
- If the court subpoenas my files
If I am required to breach confidentiality, I will first discuss this with you to get your consent. However, there are some occasions when I legally must disclose without your consent (for example, terrorism or where it may compromise a police investigation).