I only work with individuals, aged 18 or over, in my private practice. I don’t work with couples, families, or children. If you are looking for this support please visit the BACP Directory or Counselling Directory.

It’s important that you get on with the person you are working with so you can be completely honest. Qualifications and experience are important but it’s also whether you think you can talk openly with me and feel that I understand you.

I have over 17 years experience working as a counsellor and psychotherapist, I am Accredited with the BACP and work to strict professional and ethical standards. You can find out what ‘accredited’ means here.

I am friendly and try to make our relationship as ‘normal’ as possible. I do talk! I don’t just sit and listen because I like to ask questions and find out as much as possible about you. 

It really depends on what you are trying to achieve, and how you feel on the day. I always say its like a client brings in a jigsaw of what is going on for them and together we try to put it together one piece at a time.

Each session lasts 50 minutes.

It’s also ok if you just want to talk and download your over-thinking mind and I will listen and offer you space and understanding. At other times you might be up for doing something more concrete like exploring your patterns or working on reframing thinking. We decide together what will help you the most on the day.

Find out more about how counselling works, what therapists do and what happens in a therapy session here.

Face to Face Sessions are £60 (50 minutes) and are based in a private therapy room in Ramsbottom town centre.

Telephone Sessions are £55 (50 minutes) from the comfort of your own home/workplace or any environment that suits you, so you can be based anywhere in the UK.

Payment - I will send you an invoice before our session which will include details on how to make payment. For the first appointment you will need to pay at the time of booking to secure the appointment and subsequent counselling sessions should be paid for before or on the day of appointment.

Your first appointment is time to talk about:

• What is bringing you to counselling

• What you hope to achieve

• Allows me time to assess if I am the right person to help you

• Allows you time to decide if I am the right person for you

If you bring a problem that I think would suit a more specialised counsellor or service I will direct you to finding the correct source of support so that you get the best outcome possible.

The session isn’t free because it is a full 50-minute session and most people find it’s useful, even if we decide not to continue to another session together.

There is no straightforward answer to this. Some people come for a few sessions, other people come for months or years. It depends on what you need to work on and what we find out as we work together.

I offer short term (6-12 sessions) and long term (open ended) counselling. Whichever you decide I encourage you, in the first instance, to commit to working together for an initial period of 6 weeks before realistically evaluating the effectiveness of therapy. This is to allow time to build our relationship and gives time for me to have a clear understanding of what you are bringing to therapy and how I might help you. 

Regular sessions are 50 minutes and are usually weekly on the same day/time however this can be negotiated if required/appropriate. If you would prefer a longer appointment pro rata charges will apply.

Sometimes, it might be that you want a one-off session or we only need a few sessions, there is no obligation but 6 is usually a minimum to begin with.

I have a 48-hour cancellation policy so if you cancel before this there will be no charge to cancel or rearrange your appointment.

If you need to cancel or change your appointment with less than 48 hours notice I will have to charge for the session. This is because I have saved a space for you in my diary and I can’t offer it to anyone else at short notice.