What to expect when we work together
If you are new to therapy, it can be difficult to know what to expect. The following information is designed to make things a little clearer.
If you have any questions or simply want to know more then please get in touch.
Initial consultation
To help you decide whether I could be helpful to you I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation. This call gives us a brief chance to talk about what you are hoping to get out of therapy and what help might be right. It gives you the chance to ask me any questions and check I am the right person to help you or your family. You may be entitled to free therapy support through the NHS and this call gives us the chance to explore whether that might be helpful. If I think that another therapist with different specialist skills may be better placed to help you then I may be able to offer some support in identifying someone.
What happens next
If we decide that we are a good fit to work together then we will schedule an appointment where we will complete an assessment. This will be an opportunity for you to describe the difficulties that you are facing but I will also ask about other parts of your life such as your family and friends, how you spend your time and your hopes for the future. There is no fixed way that we will do this and it may be that some things feel too difficult to initially talk about and we can return to these at a later point.
At the end of the assessment, we will formulate a joint understanding of the difficulties you or your family are facing. We will then agree whether further therapy sessions with me will be helpful in moving towards your goals for therapy, and discuss next steps. If we feel that a therapist with different specialist skills would be necessary then I can offer some support in identifying an appropriate clinician.
Sometimes this assessment process will take two sessions. Families may choose to have different people present for each of these appointments.
In-person or online
Therapy sessions look different based on who I am meeting and what they would like help with. Often in my work with children and families I work more creatively using drawing, games, toys and play to build a relationship and explore difficulties.
Face-to-face appointments take place from my therapy room in Crouch End, North London. I also offer individual appointments online via Zoom, so you can receive support from the comfort of your own home.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The session fee is £120 for a 60 minute appointment.
Payment can be made by bank transfer. I ask that payment is made within 48 hours of the appointment and further appointments may not be offered if fees are unpaid.
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I am registered with and can receive payment through a number of insurance companies including BUPA, AXA, AVIVA and Vitality. If you wish to pay using private health insurance then please discuss this at the consultation phone call.
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I ask for 48 hours notice prior to an appointment if it is no longer convenient. If this is given there will be no charge for the missed appointment. If less notice is given then you may still be charged for the appointment.
This notice period is of working hours, for example to cancel an appointment at 9am on Tuesday, notice should be given before 9am the Friday before.
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Therapy sessions are usually weekly to begin with. However, as progress is made the frequency often reduces to fortnightly and sometimes monthly in order to give time for changes to be consolidated.
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The number of therapy sessions a person or family may need depends on many different factors. However, the majority of people I work with engage in around 20 sessions and see significant improvement in that time.
When we agree to work together we will agree on an initial number of sessions, often 6 or 10 after which time we would discuss and review how things are going. This review can be a chance to try something different. We will then usually agree a further block of sessions, following which there would be a further review.
However, I also understand that therapy is a significant financial commitment. If there are financial constraints on the number of therapy sessions we can have, we can think together about how to ensure these are as useful as possible.