What time commitment is involved?
Following a 20 minute telephone consultation, we will agree a weekly 50 minute face to face session. The duration of therapy can be short, medium, or long-term. You would not have instant physical results after one gym session, which is also true for emotional and mental health. Therapy requires commitment to change, and continuity is important even if attending feels difficult.
The therapeutic process is different for each person, and it will depend upon what issues are presented. The following questions are helpful to ask when contemplating the length of therapy; How long has this problem been affecting me? How deeply entrenched am I in negative thinking, bad habits or poor coping skills? How many aspects of my life is this negatively impacting such as work, relationships, health, etc?
We will explore and review the therapeutic process together as required in order to assess whether your needs are being met, and to carry out adjustments and/or establish new goals for the process.
- Short-term / brief therapy (between 4-12 sessions): This type of therapy may have a specific focus (i.e. one specific element in your life), and is appropriate for situational problems such as stress management, conflicts at work, communication, relationship issues, parenting, etc, or emotional difficulties such as occasional anxiety and depression, significant loss and bereavement.
- Medium-term therapy (15-30 sessions )
- Long-term therapy (12 months +): helps with long-standing emotional difficulties, as it is unrealistic to expect 4 - 12 sessions to have a significant impact. This will enable you to explore and understand what triggers distress, and to learn to manage it.
You may feel some relief after the first few sessions, however therapy may take some time to be beneficial, and sometimes you may feel worse before you feel better. Just as the difficulties most likely did not begin yesterday, processing and working through takes time. With that said, therapy does not have to be 'long term' to be effective.
The therapeutic process is different for each person, and it will depend upon what issues are presented. The following questions are helpful to ask when contemplating the length of therapy; How long has this problem been affecting me? How deeply entrenched am I in negative thinking, bad habits or poor coping skills? How many aspects of my life is this negatively impacting such as work, relationships, health, etc?
We will explore and review the therapeutic process together as required in order to assess whether your needs are being met, and to carry out adjustments and/or establish new goals for the process.
- Short-term / brief therapy (between 4-12 sessions): This type of therapy may have a specific focus (i.e. one specific element in your life), and is appropriate for situational problems such as stress management, conflicts at work, communication, relationship issues, parenting, etc, or emotional difficulties such as occasional anxiety and depression, significant loss and bereavement.
- Medium-term therapy (15-30 sessions )
- Long-term therapy (12 months +): helps with long-standing emotional difficulties, as it is unrealistic to expect 4 - 12 sessions to have a significant impact. This will enable you to explore and understand what triggers distress, and to learn to manage it.
You may feel some relief after the first few sessions, however therapy may take some time to be beneficial, and sometimes you may feel worse before you feel better. Just as the difficulties most likely did not begin yesterday, processing and working through takes time. With that said, therapy does not have to be 'long term' to be effective.
What is the role of my therapist in the process?
Your therapist will provide a confidential and safe space for you to be open to express your thoughts and feelings and work towards resolving issues. The therapist will listen as you discuss your concerns and experiences, try to understand you from your point of view, explore alternative points of view with you, help you make connections between different experiences, and clarify the interconnections between your immediate concerns and the complexities of your personality and history.
What is my role in the therapy process?
The therapeutic process requires input from both therapist and client; however the more actively engaged you are as a participant, the greater the benefit. Therapy goals will be established at the start of the process in order to provide a framework that progress can be measured against. It is important for you to express your feelings and thoughts openly during therapy sessions to ensure the process is consistently meeting your needs. The work you do outside of the therapy room is just as important; you will process what was discussed in the session, and will need to be open to changing some patterns of thought and/or behaviour in your life. I may assign reading material or tasks to assist you with your goals between sessions. It is not unusual to have 'light bulb' moments when you gain insight into certain issues
Can I talk to you about anything?
Yes, you may discuss any issues that are negatively affecting you and your life. I work with a wide range of presenting problems and a wide range of individuals of different age, gender, culture, background and religion. Often you might worry the things you are experiencing seem 'silly' or 'weird', however therapy is a safe and non-judgemental space. It is important to me that you feel comfortable enough to share your experiences, and this is a big factor in the success of the therapy. Infrequently, I may suggest referring certain issues to a specialist provider if this is beyond my capacity.
When will I know I have completed therapy?
You will know because you will have reached the goals that you set at the start of treatment. Sometimes therapeutic goals may change or you may add different goals once others are achieved. You will be satisfied that you do not need to come back when you have adequately resolved what you came in for.
Will anyone else know about the sessions?
Not unless you wish to tell them. Attendance does not go onto your GP or medical records.
Key words: Counselling Manchester - Hypnotherapy Manchester - Counselling Central Manchester
