Individual counselling sessions: I provide counselling sessions in a warm and welcoming therapy practice in Highbury, Islington. Contact with families begins with the offer of an initial phonecall with a young person’s parents/carers, which can last up to 30 minutes. The purpose of this phonecall is to exchange information about reasons for seeking counselling, background information, and for parents to ask any initial questions about me and my therapeutic approach. By the end of this discussion, we will have decided together whether an assessment session with the young person would be helpful.

An assessment session is always the first face to face contact between myself and the family, and lasts for approximately 90 minutes. Following this, it is usually helpful to commit to between 4-6 sessions of extended assessment, and I then hold a review meeting with both young person and parents as appropriate. We use this session to check that we are working together in a way that feels helpful and supportive to the young person and family. Counselling sessions then continue for as long as is felt to be necessary, and this varies greatly between different young people.

Therapeutic parental support sessions: these can be offered in addition to sessions for the young person, or in some cases instead of seeing the young person individually. Again, this can be discussed and decided on at various stages of the therapeutic process, depending on individual need.

Older adolescents/young adults: for some young people who are 16 years and older, there may be less involvement from parents/carers in this process, depending on the wishes and needs of the young person.

Consultation: I have lengthy experience in consulting to staff groups working with children and young people in primary and secondary schools, where there may be mental health related challenges to a young person reaching their full potential at school. I have also worked in schools in a variety of different therapeutic roles.

Supervision: through my CAMHS work, I have worked for many years in role as clinical supervisor to individual clinicians and groups of staff.

Fees:

Initial introductory phonecall (aprox 30 minutes): free of charge

Assessment session (aprox 90 minutes): £120

Individual/parent sessions (50 minutes): £80

Cancelled sessions will be charged for, unless there is the possibility of re-scheduling. Holiday weeks will be negotiated individually.