In my opinion, there isn’t a person that would not benefit from talking to someone, processing the difficult feelings and learning more positive ways of coping. If you are unsure if this is the right time, I suggest asking yourself the following questions:

• Is there anything that is stopping you from living a fulfilling life (e.g. painful memories, unwanted habits, symptoms, relationships)?
• Are you feeling stuck in the same patterns and unsure on how to make a change?
• Are you looking for a safe space to work on your wellbeing?

If you answered YES to any of these, you could benefit from including therapy in your journey.

In the first consultation, we will chat about the reasons you may be seeking support at this stage. Don’t worry, we will not go into the depths of your experiences - it will just be an opportunity for us to get to know each other, and see if I am the right person to meet you in your journey.

I will tell you about how we may work together and what therapy may be like for you. This will be an excellent time for you to ask any questions that you have about the process and I will be happy to answer.

It is very hard to tell how many sessions one may need - some people have 6 sessions, some people have 60! It truly depends on your unique journey, and I will meet you where you are. I offer both short term and long term therapy - we may agree on a number of sessions if you would like a few, or we may settle on a longer pace with a review each 5 sessions. If you would like to finish therapy, please give me 2 sessions notice, so we can allow time and space for closure.

Please note that the counselling and therapy provided by me is not an emergency service. If you need to speak to someone right now, here are some helplines you may find useful.

• To talk about anything that is upsetting you, you can contact Samaritans 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can call 116 123 (free from any phone), email jo@samaritans.org.
• National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK. Offers a supportive listening service to anyone with thoughts of suicide. You can call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK on 0800 689 5652 (open 24/7).
• The Mix. If you're under 25, you can call The Mix on 0808 808 4994 (Sunday-Friday 2pm–11pm), request support by email using this form on The Mix website or use their crisis text messenger service.
• If you're a student, you can look on the Nightline website to see if your university or college offers a night-time listening service. Nightline phone operators are all students too.
• If you identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, you can call Switchboard on 0300 330 0630 (10am–10pm every day), email chris@switchboard.lgbt or use their webchat service. Phone operators all identify as LGBT+.