Every client’s situation is unique and it’s impossible to give a conclusive answer! Some clients take a few sessions to resolve their most pressing issues, while others are happy to maintain a longer-term counselling relationship (over months or years) with consistent checking-in, to maintain their progress.

If you have any concerns about the length of therapy or your progress towards your goals, please do bring them up in your sessions.

Once a week is ideal, especially at the beginning of therapy, in order to consolidate learning and maintain momentum.

Later on, sessions can be spaced out so you’ll have time to practice skills in between sessions.

Please don’t let the fee prevent you from getting the support you need.

I offer discounted packages and a concession rate for students and people who are struggling financially.

Please contact me if you are facing financial difficulties but want to attend therapy. We can try to work something out, or I can refer you to other services that meet your needs.

Consider coming for individual therapy first, to focus on your own growth and healing and to sort out your feelings about your relationship. We can also discuss how to broach the subject to your partner.

Attending individual therapy is especially important if there are already issues in your relationship that make communication and compromise difficult.

Providing gentle encouragement is a good place to start. Try to ask about what’s holding them back — are they embarrassed, afraid, or confused? Do they associate mental healthcare with shame? Is there anything you can do to reassure them and destigmatise the process?

Generally, therapy works better when the client is willing and motivated. Threats and ultimatums (e.g. “go to therapy or we have to break up”) may seem effective, but have limited usefulness if the client is not invested in the process.

If you have attended therapy and found it helpful, one of the best ways you can encourage your loved ones to try it is to show by example. If you can model emotional regulation skills or improved communication techniques — and it’s clear that therapy has improved your life — that may inspire them to give therapy a try.

Gottman Method couples therapy is an evidence-based approach that works by teaching clients skills to understand each other better, improve communication, and manage conflict more effectively.

You can read more about the research basis for Gottman Method couples therapy here at the Gottman Institute.

Here’s a great video from MedCircle on YouTube covering:

• what it means to “process” a traumatic memory

• why some traumatic memories get “stuck” without being processed

• how EMDR works

• what bilateral stimulation looks like

• how EMDR can help you heal from trauma

ACT (usually pronounced like the word “act”) is an approach that focuses on living a meaningful life guided by values. Together, we’ll explore what matters to you and figure out how you can stay true to your values, no matter your circumstances.

One major difference from cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is that ACT does not seek to “reason” with negative thoughts or feelings. In ACT, we embrace difficult feelings and accept that they will pop up now and then — but we don’t have to let them control our lives.

You can read more about ACT here at Verywell Mind.

Schemas are patterns, or “lifetraps”, that usually form in childhood and continue to affect our lives into adulthood.

In schema therapy, we’ll identify patterns of behaviour (e.g. always prioritising other people’s needs; being afraid of letting other people into your inner world; feeling unsatisfied and unfulfilled no matter how outwardly ‘successful’ you are) that are negatively impacting your life.

We’ll explore how and when you received messages like “other people’s needs are more important that mine”, “I can’t trust anyone”, or “I’m not good enough”.

We’ll work on unlearning these unhelpful messages and developing more empowering, healthier patterns to improve your life.

You can read more about schema therapy here at the Schema Therapy Society.