What To Expect

Introducing my Approach: Life is busy for most people, and often in a good way. But this can mean there is no real time to make changes in some areas, or to resolve issues that could help us propel further - The old adage about being to busy chopping wood to sharpen the axe. Spending some dedicated time on desired progress is the work I do. And I find it immensely satisfying. What is better than discovering that untapped resource with someone and seeing them fly with it? A lot of what feels like adverse elements in our template comes from a survival instinct somewhere along the line. It can be identified and, where appropriate, released or transformed. You may have gathered that such elements are deep, and therefore the benefit is that they are likely to affect more areas of your life than initially thought. If this resonates with any part of you, I really hope you decide to work with me, or with anyone else you feel comfortable with, to make gains for yourself. Here, I'd like to take the opportunity to share how I work. I hope it helps to answer any questions you may have. You can also drop me a mail with any further questions, or to talk on the phone about what you would like to explore. If there is something more you'd like added here, do let me know. This can all go towards supporting you, and helping you gauge how you feel about us working together.

 

Confidentiality: For our work together to be as effective and fast as possible, I will ask you to consider being completely open and honest during our sessions. This can help ensure we get to the heart of the matter quickly. To serve that, as with any professional practice, our sessions are strictly confidential. I offer a non-judgemental space with a focus on your needs, and have done so consistently for many years with people from a wide variety of backgrounds. Sometimes, there is a need to be more circumspect in the approach to honesty. This can be where a survival mechanism needs a different approach. Thiscan often happen and we can work with that too. We will have an individualised approach that suits you. Whatever the approach, confidentiality and a non-judgemenal space will continue to be maintained. 

 

Flexibility with Approach: Having worked successfully with a range of effective approaches, and with a varied clientbase, I find it compelling to tailor sessions to suit individual needs. It means we can respond to what works for you as well as changes that occur between sessions. It also allows us to mould to approaches that work best with what surfaces. We always still aim to get the best results. So the sessions may vary, but overall we cover background, current status, mood and change desired.

 

Initial Consultation: The initial consultation session lasts 75-90 mins. It is charged at a higher rate because it is longer than others, and this is when we go through how you are experiencing life and the exact change(s) you want to achieve. If there are things you instinctively know you want to explore, we note these. If need be, I also explain approaches you may want to know more about. We will make a plan for our work together, but this plan remains open for review throughout. I have learned that a deeper change often means something on the plan is no longer an issue. New things may also come up. The plan will be a guide and gentle reminder for us and, also serves our review at the end of our sessions. 

 

Ongoing sessions: Each session lasts 50 minutes. We spend a few minutes discussing your experience since the previous session. Each session aims for some change, so you may want to talk through these. Sometimes the underlying issue is completely forgotten. Sometimes the past comes up. Sometimes the desire for a new unexpected change may surface. Or everything may seem just as planned. This is a collaborative process and the more we are in touch with the status of the work, the better. We deal with what is there, and aim to move forward during every session.

 

Dealing with the past: Coaching, whilst always aiming to move forward, may be confronted with the past during individual sessions. Some of our present is built on the past. We keep evolving and the past can have positive effects, but there can also be negative ones. Some of the past can remain stuck, often leading to compulsive responses or habits. This can inhibit you achieving maximum success in your goals. Where there is a block associated with the issue we are exploring, we will aim to gain some resolution gently, often with surprising results, but only if that is what you feel comfortable with. If you do not want to work with the past, we can work on other things that can support your desired outcome, e.g. perspectives work. You cannot change your past, but you can change the effect it has on you today. 

 

Ethics: Coaching often dovetails with what is known as humanistic psychotherapy. As discussed above, we may encounter some of your past. However, if an issue surfaces that I believe benefits from a specialist, I will discuss this with you. Because your best interests are my ethical responsibility, I do not put my income stream above your wellbeing. I am a responsible professional and a Graduate Member of the British Psychological Society (MBPsS). I am also a psychotherapist in training, with a highly respected UKCP accredited organisation, and will adhere to professional guidelines in our work. 

 

Changes to Appointments: Please note that appointments missed, cancelled or re-arranged with less than 24 hours’ notice will be charged the full appointment fee. This respects both our time and commitment.