"Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.”
Brené Brown
FACE TO FACE
The traditional way of working and is preferable to many people as they feel more connected in the counsellor/ client relationship and physically coming to an outside, safe secure confidential environment can be beneficial. The room where face to face counselling takes place is within a quiet business area. The building is wheelchair accessible . My room has a clearance of 28” for chairs to enter. If your chair is larger than this it would be only be a few steps from the doorway to the sofa.
COUPLES COUNSELLING
Couples counselling offers a supportive and confidential space for partners to navigate the challenges that may arise in their relationship. Whether facing communication issues, trust issues, or grappling with major life transitions, I can facilitate open and constructive dialogue. Through evidence-based techniques and empathetic guidance, couples counseling aims to strengthen the emotional connection, foster understanding, and equip partners with tools to navigate the complexities of their relationship. It provides a collaborative opportunity for couples to explore their dynamics, enhance intimacy, and work towards building a resilient and fulfilling partnership.
CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE COUNSELLING
Children and young persons counselling provides a safe and supportive environment where children can express their thoughts and feelings, work through challenges, and develop coping strategies. This isn’t a place for adults to sign them into to “fix” the issues that adults perceive their child or young person to have. It is a place for the young person to be themselves and do and say whatever they want.
Child centred counselling allows the child/ young person to be in a place once they develop trust with the therapist to ‘just be’. It has to be developmentally appropriate: techniques and interventions are tailored to be age-appropriate and also a safe environment: a space has to be created where children feel safe and understood.
A variety of resources are used to enable this process to develop, among which include arts and crafts, darts, board games, cards, dominos, lego and lego figurines, soft toys, pebbles and fidget toys.
The fact that the therapist is not known to the child it can take a while to build up trust so it is important that parents/caregivers are aware of this process and not put pressure on the child to achieve ‘results’ from therapy. It may be the case that the results the child or young person will achieve from counselling maybe not viewed by the parent/caregiver. This can be frustrating for the person who is paying a lot of money for therapy for the child/young person.
ONLINE/PHONE COUNSELLING
The pandemic made the world more adaptable and as counsellors we increasingly found ourselves on the other end of a phone or laptop. This has many advantages for people, in that transport and distance aren’t obstacles to getting to appointments, people can search globally for therapists rather than just their locale which makes choosing the right person.
Things to consider when thinking about this style of counselling is how much privacy you can have at home as sometimes the issues you want to discuss are difficult with family around. Thinking about your internet connection and access to a digital device can also be a consideration. Give yourself time after the session to process the session before rejoining your family, working or making other calls.
OUTDOOR THERAPY
A risk assessment would be taken before we start our sessions on a particular route. You may be curious what would happen if we see familiar people. We would discuss this before embarking on outdoor therapy. Shoes that you are used to walking in is advisable and a waterproof/appropriate jacket to to take into account the weather may be required. Unless the weather is extreme or terrain dangerous, then the session will go ahead. I spend a lot of time outside in nature in all weathers and it helps me feel grounded and connected and less ‘ in my head’ and more ‘in the moment’, if this resonates with you please let me know and I’d love to meet you where the natural world reconnects us to the elemental forces!
We sit either face to face in a room or via a screen or phone. I will provide you a safe confidential space to bring forward whatever has brought you to this space.
It is normal to feel awkward and uncomfortable talking about personal things.
It can take a great deal of bravery to come forward to share what’s on your mind but it can be one of the most beneficial things you can do in your life as it can help you reevaluate life choices and ways of being and thinking and seeing what works for you and maybe what ways of being and doing are maybe not so beneficial for you. Please refer to the testimonials I’ve shared from some of my clients.
I will keep secure, anonymised notes, which you are free to view at anytime. I meet with a supervisor on a regular basis to anonymously discuss my work and make sure I’m working ethically and in the best interests of my clients.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/11-things-you-must-know-about-starting-therapy_b_12088830
Session lengths
You are in control of your therapy sessions. Some clients come for a single session to work through a dilemma, others are keen to have a structured idea of how long things will take.
Together, we can discuss how therapy will work for you. You are in charge.
There is no specific time frame for therapy, it's your journey.
Please note individual session length is 50 minutes.
Couples sessions are either 60 or 90minute, you choose which length you would prefer.
My preference would be to see a child or young person for a 30minute session initially as 50minutes can feel very long for them. For some young people this may be long enough and may continue at this length for a few weeks especially for children in the younger age bracket of 6-9 years.
Face to face sessions cost £54 per 50 min session
Online/ telephone sessions cost £50 per 50 min session .
Outdoor sessions cost £50 per 50 min session
Students and unemployed people cost £35 per 50 min session
Couples counselling sessions vary between 60 and 90 minute sessions depending on your requirements. 60 minutes costs £60 and 90mins £90.
CYP initial session (30mins) is £30 with further session cost £54 per 50 min session.
I also offer ‘bundle’ packages, where you can pay for 5 sessions upfront, scheduled for whenever suits you, in which you receive the 5th session 25% off.
Students: 5 sessions = £166
Zoom/Telephone: 5 sessions = £237
In person: 5 sessions = £254
Outdoor therapy: 5 sessions = £237
Couples 60 mins: 5 sessions = £285
Couples 90 mins: 5 sessions = £427
Payment is by BACS to following account
Account Number: 70580543
Sort Code: 608371
Account Name: Kirsty McCarroll
