Long-term psychotherapy FAQs

What’s your fee?

Long-term therapy: £90 — sessions are weekly and last for 50 minutes.

I have a limited number of lower cost slots which become available from time to time.

I offer a complimentary phone call of up to 15 minutes ahead of arranging to meet for an initial session.

Please note: fees for intensives and one-off sessions differ. Please visit the relevant pages for information.

How often will we meet?

Sessions are weekly and held at a regular, agreed time. Once we’ve met for an initial session, we’ll find a time that works for both of us, which then becomes your ongoing slot.

In my experience, regular weekly therapy provides the containment and continuity needed for meaningful depth work. For this reason, I do not generally offer ad-hoc, fortnightly or irregular sessions.

I work with a clear therapeutic contract that sets out fees, holidays, notice periods and cancellation policies. We can discuss this together in the first session, and you’re very welcome to ask about my terms when you get in touch.

I’ve never had therapy before. How do I start?

Beginning therapy can feel like a huge step, and often brings both nerves and relief.

If you get in touch, we can arrange an initial exploratory session. This first meeting is a chance for us to talk about what’s bringing you to therapy, your current life, and some of your background. I’ll ask some questions to help me understand what may be happening for you and whether I believe I can offer appropriate support.

At the end of that session, we can think together about whether working together feels right. There is no obligation to continue beyond this initial meeting. If you’re unsure about committing to longer-term work, we can also discuss a short trial period.

What’s the difference between counselling and psychotherapy?

There’s no single, agreed definition, and the terms are sometimes used interchangeably.

Broadly speaking, counselling is often shorter-term and focused on specific issues or life events. Psychotherapy tends to involve longer-term, process-led work, allowing for a deeper exploration of patterns, relationships, and ways of being.

The vast majority of my work sits firmly in the psychotherapeutic tradition, while remaining responsive to each individual’s needs and circumstances.

How long will I need to come to therapy for?

There’s no fixed answer to this, and it’s not something that can be established before we’ve had time to explore your reasons for coming and to see how the work unfolds between us. Some people come with a specific focus, while others find that therapy opens into a deeper process that continues over a longer period of time.

We will talk openly about expectations from the outset, and I offer regular reviews to ensure the work remains appropriate, alive, and ethical. A trial period can be helpful if you feel unsure about a longer commitment.

What sort of things do people come to therapy with?

People come for many different reasons, and there’s no “right” reason to seek therapy.

I’ve worked with people experiencing anxiety, low mood, stress, relationship difficulties, loss of confidence, creative blocks, and a sense of disconnection or lack of direction. Some people come because life has become unmanageable; others because something feels missing or muted, and they want to understand themselves more fully.

If you’re unsure whether therapy is right for you, an initial session can help clarify that.

How do I know what sort of therapy I should have?

The world of therapy can feel confusing, full of acronyms and competing approaches.

I’m trained in integrative and transpersonal psychotherapy. This means I draw on different psychological perspectives rather than working from a single model, allowing the work to be shaped around you as an individual.

I believe it’s important to understand where you’ve come from — particularly early life experiences and relational patterns — while also holding a sense of what may be trying to emerge or be reclaimed. The transpersonal perspective invites attention to meaning, identity, inner authority and the layers of self beyond habitual roles or defences, without imposing beliefs or ideology.

You don’t need to know in advance what approach you want. Part of the work is discovering what supports you best.

How long until I’ll feel better? I heard that sometimes therapy makes you feel worse…

Psychotherapy is not a quick fix, and healing rarely happens in a straight line.

Many people experience relief simply through being able to speak openly and be met with care and understanding. I also aim to support clients in building inner resources that can help stabilise immediate distress.

However, deeper work can sometimes involve encountering difficult feelings or memories that have been held outside of awareness. This can feel unsettling at times, though it reflects material that already exists and is becoming conscious so it can be processed and integrated rather than remaining buried.

All of this happens at your pace. My role is not to push, but to support honest engagement while maintaining safety and integrity.

Is it confidential?

Yes, with a small number of standard exceptions.

I take my work to regular clinical supervision, which is itself a confidential space and a requirement of ethical practice. I take care to protect client anonymity in this process.

Confidentiality may also need to be broken if there is serious risk of harm to yourself or others. Wherever possible, I would seek to discuss this with you first. A final exception applies if disclosure is required by a court of law.

Why talk to a therapist and not a friend? Friends know me better…

Friends can be deeply supportive, but they are part of your life and have their own perspectives, needs and emotional investments.

Therapy offers a confidential, boundaried space that exists solely for you. A therapist is trained to listen carefully, work ethically with emotional complexity, and remain present without judgement or agenda. Unlike in friendships, you do not need to protect the other person, manage their reactions, or worry about burdening them.

The therapeutic relationship provides a different kind of safety — one that allows difficult or unspoken material to emerge and be explored.

What about all the childhood stuff?

Early life experiences shape how we understand ourselves, others and the world. This includes how safe we feel in relationships, how we relate to our own needs, and what we believe is possible or permissible for us.

Some lucky people have “good enough” early experiences and develop resilience and flexibility. Many others have histories marked by misattunement, neglect, or subtle forms of silencing that aren’t always recognised as trauma.

Exploring early patterns isn’t about blame, but about understanding how adaptations that once helped us survive may now limit us. This work requires trust and care, and we will only go there when it feels appropriate and sufficiently safe.

What are your qualifications?

I am a clinically registered psychotherapist. I completed five years of postgraduate training at CCPE in London on a BACP- and UKCP-accredited course, including over 900 teaching hours, 650+ clinical hours, and extensive personal therapy.

I’ve since completed a two-year diploma in Advanced Psychotherapy at CCPE and have been a member of the teaching staff there since 2021. I’m registered with UKCP (UK Council for Psychotherapy) and adhere to their ethical code, alongside regular supervision and ongoing professional development.

I also hold a BA in English Literature from the University of Warwick and have postgraduate training in publishing from Columbia University in New York.