Psychotherapy FAQs
Psychotherapy offers a confidential, non-judgemental, safe space for you to reflect on and explore your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. My role is to support you in this process by holding the safe space for you, by asking questions, and by offering reflections. In this way, we work collaboratively to reach deeper understandings that have the potential to transform your experience.
Psychotherapy is for everyone. It is incredibly beneficial for us to have a dedicated time and space in which to speak aloud and receive support in exploring the contents of our psyche, and in doing so to identify, understand, process, and integrate. That said, often people will seek out psychotherapy when some acute circumstance has arisen. That is fine also. These circumstances may include trauma, anxiety, depression, unhelpful or undesirable patterns in life, relationship breakdown, low confidence, or a feeling of lostness or stuckness in life.
Psychotherapy may feel different for everyone – there is no right or wrong way to feel. Psychotherapy represents a safe place to let your feelings out and share what’s on your mind or in your heart. That may or may not be challenging at first. When someone whose intention is to understand really listens to you, without judgement, it can be very powerful. Feeling heard, seen and understood can bring about emotion. As you get better acquainted with the process, you may find a sense of release, sanctuary, or empowerment in your sessions. I am here to help you process and cope with whatever comes up.
Primarily, the intention is for you to have the opportunity to explore through conversation the issue or concern you want to work on. I will support you with this, perhaps by asking questions or offering reflections. If appropriate, there may be specific tools (including sound) and exercises we can use to work through thoughts or feelings, or to better equip you to navigate circumstances in your life.
My role is to listen, ask questions, and to offer reflections about what you have shared. To collaborate with you in deepening understanding. In order for this to take place, the safety of the space is sacred. So I will not tell you what to do. This might feel difficult to begin with, but it is usually the case that engaging in this process makes navigating the circumstances in your life much more clear to you, and so you will find your direction in a much more deep and meaningful way.
A standard psychotherapeutic session with me lasts one hour. This is how most clients work with me. We may discuss longer sessions where it would be helpful. If we are using Sound Therapy alongside talking therapy (for example, if we are working through trauma), I may recommend 90 minute sessions; if we are doing an intensive couples process a session may be 4 to 6 hours; or if we are opting for a Personal Deep Healing Ceremony, a session can run up to 8 hours. Timing will always be agreed prior to the session.
I recommend regular attendance, ideally on a weekly basis for all we gain from that continuity. In some cases, you may wish for greater frequency. If once per week is not possible, we can look at sessions every second week. Sessions less frequent than that can have difficulty building movement.
Psychotherapy can be short or long term. Some people choose to come to work on one particular issue, while some people choose to use psychotherapy as part of their long-term self care plan and attend for years. The number of sessions you have will depend on your needs and preferences, the type of therapy we are engaging with, and the depth and complexity of the issues you want to work on. It is unusual for any course of therapy to last fewer than 6 sessions.
Yes, we can work online. I do however recommend working together in person if possible.
Booking in a first session is the best way to overcome the hurdle that some people feel in their journey to taking up therapy. In our first session, we will have the opportunity to meet; you will get a sense of how I work; you will be able to ask me any questions you might have; and I will invite you to speak about what brings you to therapy and maybe share something of the context and history of your experience. There won’t be any pressure to jump right in to anything you are not prepared for.
If you feel you would like to end your sessions, please let me know. I will invite you to discuss the decision and together we can consider how and when to stop. It is best not to stop suddenly – therapy can at times feel unsettling and it is worth considering whether this is something that would be beneficial to work through.
Yes. The legal limitation of this is where there is serious threat of danger. Additionally, as a psychotherapist, I have weekly sessions with a supervisor in which I may raise elements of client sessions. If I do so, it is always anonymous. Safety is the foundation of a therapeutic relationship: it is likely that you will want to share private matters, some of which you may have never shared with anyone else. I take seriously my role in helping you feel secure that what you share will not be shared elsewhere.
Relational Therapy FAQs
The first step is to simply get in touch with me via email or telephone. From there, we will arrange an initial conversation. This will give you the opportunity to find out more about me and how I work, and to share with me more about your circumstances, hopes, and dreams. This will help determine the path we take together.
Sessions will be structured in accordance with your circumstances.
For individuals and personal relationships, our work together may follow the format of a weekly session, or we may find that a more intensive approach – for example a 5 hour private process – will be more effective in creating breakthroughs and embedding new ways of relating.
If you are enquiring on behalf of an organisation, again we will devise a bespoke approach that best supports the needs of the organisation and the people within.
This is not unusual and your drive for growth or movement cannot be ignored. It is absolutely appropriate and constructive for only one party to attend relational therapy. Doing so will be supportive to the mental and emotional wellbeing of that individual, and it will also be supportive to the healthy functioning of the relationship. So if this is the case, please reach out.
No – not by any stretch. Every type of relationship can benefit from greater self awareness, mutual understanding, empathy, and communication. Relational therapy is of benefit to people in all types of relationship: romantic, familial, friendship, professional, and also self (attending as an individual).
Absolutely. The foundation of the way I work is in the creation of a safe space. As with all of the services I offer, you can feel perfectly assured of confidentiality and non-judgement. Nothing that you share will be disclosed or discussed away from our sessions. The only exception to this is that I am obliged to disclose to the appropriate agency if there is a serious threat. I work in accordance with the codes of ethics of the BACP.
Gong Meditation FAQs
My intention is to focus gently but powerfully on the benefits of the deep meditative state. Other instruments such as bowls, handpan drums, rattles, whistles and so on all offer very beautiful aural experiences but equally each sound is a fluctuation or disturbance. We are looking for focus – the state of Samadhi, or oneness with the object of meditation. Stillness, singularity, and total presence. So to bring the experience away from the ears and the mind, and deep into our body and spirit. Additionally, unlike these other tools, gongs uniquely offer extremely low frequencies, which work deeply.
Absolutely not. The term Gong Bath is a slight misnomer – technically we should refer to “gong meditation”. Gong baths can take place in water absolutely – but the vast majority do not. The term has come to refer to the idea of bathing in the sound of the gong. Our “Gong Baths” will be in the warm and dry, under blankets. So I suggest you wear loose, comfortable clothing.
Whatever you need to feel comfortable. I suggest:
- Something soft to lie on – a roll-out mattress, mat or sheep skin for example. The softer the better
- A pillow
- A blanket or duvet
- A bottle of water
- An eye mask if you like
- An optional cushion for under your feet and/or under your knees
- A journal if you wish.
We will be creating a very sacred space together. So I invite you to come in to the space with your presence, an open heart, and an open mind. That said, whatever you come with will be welcomed with warmth, care, and understanding. All that will be required of you is to create a comfortable space in which to lie down. If you wish you can spend time prior to the gong meditation exploring intentions, but then being prepared to let the intentions.
It’s best not to arrive with a fixed idea of how you might experience your gong meditation. It’s a deeply personal experience, best received by totally submitting to presence with the experience.
You will arrive, be welcomed into the circle. There will be the invitation to introduce yourself as we go around the circle. I will then talk a little about the process and offer some suggestions as to how you might be with the experience. There will then be a guided meditation of some kind, leaving you with the gong element. At the end, I will guide you back into the room, and the circle will open for optional sharing. We will then close the circle and the evening will conclude. It will be an evening of warmth, connection, and nourishment. If you have any concerns please get in touch.
Congratulations! Please get in touch before booking. Gong meditations can be deeply soothing and nourishing but I need some more information to determine the most suitable way for you to receive the gong meditation. It may not be as part of an open group.
If you have special sensory needs or if you feel that it’s likely something difficult may arise for you (for example, if you have a history of trauma), it may be advisable to work one-on-one for a few sessions before joining group gong meditations. If you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch.
Functional Movement Training FAQs
I can conduct functional movement training from a private space in Petersfield, online, or in your home (surcharge will apply).
You’ll need some water, and if you like a towel to lay on your yoga mat. You are welcome to use one of my yoga mats, but I would advise buying one to use between sessions.
Wear loose fitting or flexible clothing, so that you can move freely. I recommend you remove your shoes in order to train in your socks or barefoot.
Yes. No matter who you are. Any gender, any age, any ambition or intention. I have training and rich experience in many different modes of movement and training, so can draw on the approaches that will be most worthwhile for you. One-on-one personal training is such an incredibly worthwhile investment. The routines I create for you will be specifically tailored to your needs and goals, and working one-on-one gives us an opportunity to explore other factors which will support your progress. People also benefit from the commitment and accountability of this type of working relationship. You will feel better physically and psychologically from working with me.
Not at all. Every body is different – this is one of the things I love about what I do. I have trained competitive athletes, provided physical therapy to bedridden individuals, and everything in between. The benefits of the approaches that I use are for every body. We start from where you are now, and you will feel the difference.
Absolutely not. There will be no raised voices, grunting, gasping, or blowing of whistles. Safety and sustainability are of primary importance, so while our sessions will be challenging, you will not be required to do anything that you are not prepared for. And you will probably be surprised by the way in which they are challenging. We will work together, from where you are now, preparing you and making progress.
Give me a call. I’d like to hear what’s going on for you and help you find the way – even if for whatever reason it is not through functional movement training sessions with me.
If you have any questions, call me or drop me an email. I’d love to hear from you, and to find out more about what you are aiming to achieve. If you’d like to proceed with functional movement training sessions, we will get you booked in for a consultation. This is an essential first step, in which we will sit together and build a full and clear picture of your experience of your health past, present… and where you would like it to be in the future. This will form the basis of our work going forwards. In this first session, I will also give you a couple of movements to practice.
