Online Counselling based in Edinburgh, Scotland
Frequently asked questions
It is natural to get confused with all those words related to mental health.
Counselling, psychotherapy, therapy, counsellor, mental health professional, psychotherapist, and therapist- all are often used to describe the same thing.
They do bear a slight difference in meaning, mainly based on each professional's approach or modality. But I don't want to add to the confusion by expanding on that.
I use them interchangeably to simply mean talking therapy to the improvement of wellbeing and personal growth.
Counselling/counsellor is more common to this meaning, even though a bit of an unfortunate term as 'counselling' implies giving advice.
Myself, and most counsellors, are not giving advice. Our main concern is to empower you in your autonomy. We do, however, offer perspectives, gentle guidance, and suggestions.
The main goal is for you to explore with a professional, what is happening within and outside of you so that you can make positive changes in your life.
An ethical counsellor is a professional who: went through excessive training under a reputable organisation's guidance (like the BACP), studied the various therapeutic approaches in psychology, went thought placement, and is committed to undertake supervision and further training with the latest developments in the field.
A counsellor/therapist is trained to explore your inner world, feelings and thoughts so you can develop a better understanding of yourself and others. A counsellor is equipped with tools and techniques that help people cope better and make long lasting changes.
A counsellor cannot make diagnosis, prescribe medication or give direct advice.
How long counselling lasts will vary from person to person and depend on the depth of the issues each client wants to explore. For some people a few sessions help to bring their problems into focus, and they feel ready to move forward; other issues may require more of an open-ended approach.
I tend to work on an open-ended basis with my clients and take a structured and 'deep approach' with them to tackle their concerns.
However, I also work with clients who want a specific number of sessions (usually no less than six / 6 to 10 sessions) whom for various reasons (financial or time-limited for example) cannot or do not wish to have long-term counselling.
I encourage my clients to keep an open communication around the duration and termination of our work together. Throughout working together, we will have regular assessments to monitor progress toward your initial aims and, when the time comes, to prepare for a proper ending.
I'm an advocate for finding a 'good fit' when it comes to psychotherapy.
This is why I always offer an initial appointment at a lower fee.
During the initial appointment, which typically lasts around 30-40 minutes, we get the chance to explore whether I'm the right counsellor for you and might cover some logistical things (such as booking process, payments, holidays etc). The goal is to make an informed decision.
The topics covered in this appointment are usually about what brings you to therapy now. Also, I have a set of questions on your background and past therapeutic experiences.
This is to get an idea of your preferences and determine whether my competence/experience is appropriate to the topics you want to work on.
During this appointment, I also explain the way I work with my clients and I answer your questions.
There is no obligation to continue with me and I won't ask you to commit on the spot. I'll give you some time to reflect on the appointment and get back to me with your decision.
I understand that waiting too long after deciding to start counselling can feel disheartening. For this reason, after you first reach out to me, I aim to respond within one day with my availability and offer an initial appointment within a week.
It's completely natural to feel nervous before meeting someone for the first time.
In my experience, after a few minutes, most people feel at ease. In essence, it's a meeting to meet each other and a space to express your wants and needs. I'll have some questions to guide the process too.
Some people find it helpful to make some notes beforehand, for example, about what made them seek therapy now or about their experience/preferences from previous counselling.
But you don't have to 'prepare', you can just show up and it'll go naturally from there.
Everything that is said within the counselling room is private - this is one of the main ways counselling differs from talking to a friend or relative. Once you are comfortable with the format of the sessions and the safe space they provide, trust will be cultivated to speak in confidence.
Please note that in situations where you or others are at significant risk, I may be required to break confidentiality. This is very rare though, and the situations where this might be necessary are explained in our working agreement.
Usually I am asked this question by people who are nervous about entering into counselling. This anxiety is understandable, but a key aspect of therapy is that you feel free to talk about any issues that are important to you. Having someone else with you who can be connected to those issues makes this opening-up more difficult. For this reason, I see clients alone unless they are accompanied by an interpreter.
Online therapy has seen an increase in popularity the last few years; especially since 2020 onwards. Research shows that online sessions can be as effective as in-person sessions. So it's not a question of 'which is better' but it comes down to individual preference and convenience for each client. Online counselling can be especially beneficial to people who, for example, suffer from social anxiety, lead very busy lives, or have difficulty traveling for various reasons.
You can expect a response from me via email, within a day. If it's been two days and you have no response, please check your spam folder and if my response is not there please send your message again. In my response, I usually offer my availability and an initial appointment to meet each other, without further obligation. I'll suggest day/time for it and if you agree to have it I'll guide you through the booking process. Alternatively, if I cannot take new clients in the moment or there is an availability issue, I might suggest to you colleagues of mine who might be a better match to your needs.
For the initial appointment expectations, please look above at the question ''Why have an Initial appointment''. In the first couple of sessions, I might still have some background questions for you and then we'll usually work on your therapeutic aims and outcomes.
After this, there is a structure to our sessions, which I'll explain in our first meetings, usually continuing the work where we left it in the previous session or based on the reflections/exercises during the time between sessions. However, my clients are always free to bring whatever is concerning them, even if it derives from the previous or main topic for a bit. Remember this is your time but also have to be mindful of the natural processes of avoidance/resistance to some topics. This will become more clear during the actual sessions.
It's very understandable to have questions around the logistical part of counselling and psychotherapy.
What is the cost of counselling sessions? What happens when I'm on holiday? Do you get holidays? What will time and day of sessions be? It's duration and frequency? What happens if I get sick or have to miss a session?
All valid questions!
For this reason, I conducted a document called 'counselling agreement' or 'counselling contract' where most of theses questions (and more that might come up down the line) are answered. It explains the parameters of our work together. This will be send to you after our initial appointment and before our first session.
Get in touch
If you have any questions about online counselling or to arrange an initial appointment without further obligation, please feel free to contact me.
An initial appointment will allow us to discuss what brings you to therapy and whether I am the right therapist for you.
I aim to reply within 24 hours. In the meantime, please feel free to visit my FAQs section.
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