I offer a range of service to suit different client needs. For some meeting face to face may not feel sufficiently safe for health reasons or there may be issues of accessibility due to physical or time restrictions. For others it may be that it feels more comfortable to begin counselling from their own familiar space. There can be a number of advantages and disadvantages to the different ways of working and we can be flexible in mixing the type of sessions you wish to have, diary availability allowing.
I offer a free 30 minute initial appointment by phone or zoom. During this time we can discuss what you wish to bring to counselling and if you think you would like to work with me.
Face to Face
I have a counselling room at my home in Lucker, Northumberland. This is a spacious ground floor room which can be accessed directly from the garden.
Walk & Talk
This is essentially a counselling session outdoors. It allows the benefits of being in the physical presence of another but with the added bonus of fresh air, access to nature and exercise. Being in the outdoors can stimulate thoughts and ideas and physical activity can sometimes aid with the processing of emotions as they arise. There is less opportunity for eye contact but for some this may feel less stressful than being face to face and it may make opening up and talking easier.
Minimal fitness is required as we will be walking at your pace and we can stop and sit at intervals if you wish. You will have to make a judgement for yourself about any health reasons why this might not be appropriate for you and ensure that you wear appropriate clothing and footwear. We can choose a route and location that is mutually suitable for us both. We will also have to decide what actions we will take if weather is unsuitable or if we were to meet anyone that either of us knew.
Zoom
Counselling by Zoom is something that has become a lot more common in recent times and it can prove valuable in being able to provide support that would otherwise not be available. It can also mean that counselling is accessible to those who are at a geographical distance or who have personal circumstances or disabilities that would make physical access difficult. There can however be issues around technical difficulties and issues of privacy and confidentiality. If opting for Zoom counselling you will have to ensure that your devices and email are secure and that you are going to be able to have private and uninterrupted space at the time of sessions.
Phone
Phone counselling can be made available to those who may have technical difficulties with accessing Zoom or who are more comfortable with telephone contact.
I can provide email counselling for those who perhaps don’t feel ready for direct contact with a counsellor but who feel able to express themselves more comfortably through writing. Writing can be a very therapeutic way of working through emotions. The same boundaries and conditions would apply as for usual sessions in that I would reply on a weekly basis and my response would be based on spending an hour considering and writing my response to you. For this reason they are charged at the same rate as live sessions.
If you wish this form of counselling then this could be negotiated via email rather than phone. It may be that after establishing a relationship by email it could progress to a more direct form of counselling but this would be by client choice. Again, it would be necessary for you to ensure that you were using a secure and encrypted email platform and that no-one else had access to your device and/or email account.
Silent Counselling
I am a certified Silent Counselling practitioner. This is a form of energy release therapy which can be particularly effective for addressing fears, ‘stuck’ emotional states and past traumas. It can be a stand alone therapy, or used as part of a client’s counselling journey for addressing specific issues. Please see the separate Silent Counselling page for more details.