FAQs

Home » FAQs

This page contains a list of frequently asked questions about me, my practice, and about counselling and psychotherapy.

FAQs about me

How do I know counselling or psychotherapy with you is for me?
I offer a free, introductory phone consultation during which we will discuss the concerns you are bringing, and look into whether therapy is the best route for you.

Are you the right therapist for me?
I’m not going to be the right therapist for everyone. Therapy requires you to talk about things that make you rather uncomfortable, therefore  it is essential that you feel that I am supportive and understanding. I encourage you to listen in to your feelings in the introductory session, then go away and reflect on how it felt for you, so that you can decide whether I am the right therapist for you. Although I consider myself to be an open, warm, caring, and supportive guy, human beings don’t all get on or are necessarily able to see each other’s point of view. Therefore, there needs to be a degree of psychological ‘fit’. If we feel after meeting that we’re not right for each other, I’m very happy to refer you on to other good therapists whose work I know well.

I may need to tell you things I am embarrassed about or ashamed about, how do I know you will keep my confidence?
I am a trained and accredited Psychotherapist, registered with the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP). The requirements of BACP are that I maintain client confidentiality at all times, apart from when there is an issue of serious harm to yourself or another person. In this, very rare, instance, I will inform you that I need to break our contract of confidentiality.

Do you work with children and young people?
Yes. I have over 10 years experience of working in therapuetic contexts with children and young people. I am ACCESS NI checked by the PSNI/Social Services and can provide you with an up-to-date original enhanced disclosure certificate if you wish to make an appointment for your child.

Do you work with couples?
Yes – I provide relationship counselling to couples, including same-sex couples.

Will you work with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people?
I am an Accredited Sexual Minority Therapist and I have significant experience of working with LGBT clients.

How often will we meet?
I would like to see you weekly if possible, at least in the beginning. If your schedule is such that this is difficult, or finance is a problem, then we may move to fortnightly.

How long is each session?
Each session usually lasts for 1 hour.

How many sessions would we have?
I recommend that all clients have a minimum of 6 sessions.  The 6th session is used to review progress, decide between us what is needed and recontract, if necessary, for whatever time period we agree on.

How much does it cost?
Individual counselling and psychotherapy sessions cost £35 per meeting.  For couples, the cost is £50 per session.  Please contact me by email or phone for details of my fees for other services.

Where do you work?
I work at various locations throughout the Greater Belfast area.

What kind of counselling do you do?
I offer counselling/psychotherapy on a one-to-one basis, and with couples, groups or family contexts.  I use a range of approaches, including person-centred, psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioural, and integrative, which will be discussed at your initial session.

Can I refer myself?
All my services are offered on a self-referral basis, except for children and young people who need to be referred by a parent/guardian.

Can I make an appointment for someone else?
No. It is important that clients make the voluntary personal choice to attend. For young people, under the age of 18 years, referrals are only accepted with the permission of a parent/guardian.

Questions about counselling/psychotherapy

What is Counselling?
Counselling offers an opportunity to consider issues that concern you, in confidence.  It is a therapeutic approach that seeks to help you to explore and understand current difficulties and to make choices in your life.  Counselling aims to help individuals take responsibility for their own decisions, become more aware of their personal resources, more skilled at coping with difficulties and thus more self reliant.

Why might I need counselling?
People use counselling for a range of reasons. Often they bring issues that friends, family or colleagues are not best able to help with and when thinking/talking with someone outside their immediate network may be useful. It can be difficult to define what issues people bring to counselling – broad ‘headings’ include: self-esteem problems; depression; relationship difficulties; problems around eating; unhealthy coping mechanisms; anxiety and stress around personal or academic issues; loss and so on. Sometimes people talk about their identity, concers or fears about sex, problems they are having with fitting in, etc. It is important to remember that it is not necessary to have an “issue” or “problem” to attend counselling. In fact, many people use counselling for personal development reasons.

How does counselling work?
Counselling can enable you to make sense of events or experiences and explore options for change by providing a specific opportunity where you will be accepted and respected. Working with a counsellor differs from, for example, seeing a GP or other professional, who you can expect to advise, instruct or direct you.  In counselling much time is spent helping you to understand how you experience life. Through reflecting, clarifying, and elaborating you can gain a clearer awareness of who you are and what you do; if you have a clearer understanding of yourself and your patterns, you can live a more choiceful, realistic and satisfying life, taking responsibility for your feelings and behaviour. Counselling helps raise your awareness to patterns, themes and feelings that recur from your early days that may be impacting on your present. Counselling can help you to focus on and understand more clearly the issues that concern you. By respecting your values, choices and lifestyle, a counsellor can work together with you towards making choices or changes that you feel are right for you.

What is BACP and why is it important?
BACP is the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy, and IACP is the Irish equivalent. I am an Accredited psychological therapist with BACP who ensure that I am  appropriately qualified and experienced, and adhere to a Code of Ethics that protects the public from harm.

Will I become dependent on a counsellor?
No. My approach encourages clients to take control of their own lives. You may choose to rely on the counsellor for a bit, but you will not be encouraged to become dependent. Counsellors aim to make the client independent of them; the aim is for you to become self-motivated and empowered.