What does therapy involve?

CBT is a collaborative process where we work together to identify the thoughts, behaviours and feelings that are maintaining the difficulties you are experiencing. Together we then work through appropriate techniques and strategies to help you challenge or overcome them. The first session involves an assessment where we look to understand your presenting problems and establish your goals for therapy.

It will also be important for you to practice these techniques and strategies in between the sessions so you can consolidate any learning and apply what has been discussed in the session to real life situations.

It is recommended that sessions take place on a regular basis such as weekly in order to maintain engagement and beneficial outcomes.

How is therapy delivered?

Therapy is delivered one-to-one and would typically be delivered face-to-face. However, in the current circumstances of COVID-19 all sessions will be delivered remotely via zoom.

How long will a session last?

Therapy sessions will usually last 1 hour. However, in some cases sessions may need to be longer, although this would be discussed prior to the session.

How long will therapy last?

The length of therapy will differ depending on your goals and the problems you are experiencing. CBT is a brief therapy and therapy length can be discussed during assessment, an average is 8-12 weeks.

Are the sessions confidential?

As a therapist I adhere to the British Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Pschotherapies’ Standard of Conduct, Performance and Ethics. Therefore all information discussed within the session will be kept confidential and stored securely according to GDPR guidelines. Limitations to this arise if I have concerns that either you or someone else may be at risk of harm. In these cases confidentiality may not be possible although we would normally discuss this first.

Additionally, I receive supervision on a regular basis in which I discuss my client work to maintain best practice. Although client details will be anonymised during these discussions.

What if I want to cancel a session?

If you need to cancel a session I ask that you provide at least 24 hours’ notice. It is understandable that sometimes things happen unexpectedly although missing numerous sessions can impact the effectiveness of therapy. If you miss 2 sessions we will discuss whether this is a suitable time for you to be engaging in therapy. Commitment to therapy and cancellations will be discussed further during the first session.