Counselling in Wiltshire
Also Offering Telephone Sessions.
Fees from £20 to £60 per session.
"May the golden thread of humanity connect all so that love and healing can be"
Hello, my name is Andy and thank you for taking time to look at my website. I work as a counsellor primarily offering face to face appointments in Corsham.
The image above of many people walking in a crowded street holds many different stories of humanity. It could be Bath, Chippenham, Corsham, Melksham or Trowbridge. It could be anywhere. It may be that some people feel part of a community with a sense of belonging. Yet some people may feel alone or even lost when surrounded by others.
For some people, therapy can offer a space, some time and a place away from the crowd to talk through any worries or fears or explore what they may need. Counselling can offer an opportunity to be heard and listened to without judgement.
Reaching out and seeking support can feel daunting particularly if you don't know what to expect. Taking the first step in finding some help may be the beginning of a new and healing journey. It may also help you find a different way to relate to yourself and others, and to find a different way of being in this world.
As part of my training to become a counsellor, I recall my own journey when initially seeking personal therapy and how hard it was to trust someone and tell them my story. From exploring some of my conscious and unconscious thoughts and feelings, I was able to integrate my sense of self and experienced personal growth.
People tend to seek counselling when something about their life needs to be more understood. This could be intrusive or repetitive negative thoughts about self and other. Reasons for seeking counselling might be about certain behaviours and beliefs that seem to be getting in the way of how someone wants to live their life. Some people may feel confused about traumatic events in their life or confused about certain challenges. It may be that such feelings as anger, fear, anxiety, guilt, hate or sadness are present, and the reasons may not be fully known or understood. Sometimes, people may have lived for years, even decades grappling with, coping, surviving and getting-on with life whilst such negative thoughts, behaviours, beliefs and feelings impact on the meaning and quality of daily life.
Attending and being-in counselling can be hard. It can take time and energy to understand what has happened and find self-awareness. Counselling will not take away or change what has happened. Counselling can be about taking time for yourself, perhaps for the first time in a long time or even the first time ever to find some new perspectives on your life.
Counselling is about reaching out and perhaps grappling with some unknown, something unconsciously held within, a new discovery about yourself and perhaps finding a new curiosity about your life.
As a qualified Humanistic and Integrative counsellor, if you choose to work with me I will value your uniqueness, listen to you and witness your story. Through counselling, you can find the way through the challenges you are currently facing by talking openly within a safe and confidential space.
Face to Face Counselling:
My Face to Face sessions currently take place in wonderful practice rooms in Corsham, which is within easy reach of surrounding areas including Bath, Melksham, Chippenham, Trowbridge.
Telephone Counselling
On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays I offer Face to Face counselling and on Mondays I offer Telephone counselling.
Although some people prefer Face to Face sessions, others choose to work via telephone.
Telephone counselling enables people from outside the Chippenham, Trowbridge, Corsham, Melksham and Bath areas to be able to access counselling with me without needing to travel long distances.
Scale of charges for Counselling Sessions:
People are currently facing lots of financial pressures due to the cost of living crisis.
For this reason, as a counsellor I have decided to offer a scale of charges and my hope is that this will enable people to continue to access support during these difficult and uncertain times.
My scale of charges ranges from £20 to £60 per session depending on individual financial circumstances.
From my counselling income, I donate to Refuge UK, the Samaritans and Young Minds.
Next Steps
What should I do next if I’m interested in having counselling?
Once you have read the information on my website and are interested in attending counselling with me, please email me (the email link is at the side of this page) and complete the referral. It is helpful if you can let me know if you would prefer face to face, phone or online sessions, or whether you do not have a preference. It is also helpful if you let me know if you have flexibility about when you can attend counselling and whether there are specific times you would not be able to attend.
After I have received your referral email, I will respond by email to you offering a date and time for an Initial Phone Call (free of charge) so we can discuss your needs further and the way I work. Please be aware my reply email, at times, can take between 2-4 weeks and this is due to the high demand for counselling.
During the Initial Phone Call, we may decide to work together and arrange a start date for your counselling. Alternatively, after the call, we may decide not to proceed with counselling. The purpose of the Initial Phone Call is to allow us to explore why you are seeking counselling and whether we feel how I work would meet your needs.
If we agree to work together, during your first counselling session, I will need to go through my policies and complete some paperwork with you, and we will need to sign a counselling contract/working agreement.
Counselling Options:
Single Session Therapy – up to 50 minutes:
The idea behind this option is to provide help in one session and that therapeutic support can take place when two people have a brief meeting. Rather than unpicking lots from the past or reflecting on several life challenges, with this option, it can be more useful to focus on a specific issue and arrive at some goals or steps forward by the end of the session.
Although this option is one session, it may be that people decide to seek further counselling afterwards or they may find that one session was all they needed.
This option can also be helpful for people who have not had counselling before and want to experience it for themselves without committing to one of the other options listed below.
Time Limited – up to 6 sessions (50 minutes per session):
This option is for people who may not have had counselling before and feel the boundary and safety of time (up to 6 sessions) is helpful to provide some containment.
With this option, exploring personal goals or steps forward will be discussed in the initial session, if this is something people want.
This option may be useful for people who have attended ‘Single Session Therapy’ and want to seek further support.
Time Limited – up to 25 sessions (50 minutes per session) :
People who choose this are likely to want more time explore the issues they are facing or challenges that are impacting on them but also want the security of working within a Time Limited way.
Personal goals or steps forward are explored initially if this is something people want.
Longer-Term:
When people choose longer-term counselling, it can provide greater space and time to explore personal meaning and understanding.
Some people may want time to look at their childhood and/or adult trauma.
Others may want to talk through feelings such as sadness, frustration, anger, or suicidal thoughts.
Some people may want to seek understanding about why they feel the way they do or to reflect on personal meanings or sense of self. People may be asking, ‘Who am I’ or ‘Who do I want to be’ and need some time and space for reflection.
Other people may want to ‘let out’ or externalise their internally held sense of pain, shame or other emotions.
Some people may want to reflect on past or current family relationships and seek some personal meaning, resolve or healing.
With longer-term work, in the initial session/s, time is spent on establishing an’ internal safe place’ before time is spent on exploring traumatic memories or painful emotions.
For this work, weekly sessions are needed and at times twice a week might be helpful.
Fortnightly – up to 50 minutes:
I generally offer weekly sessions, but some people have found that after several weekly sessions, changing to fortnightly has provided more space for personal reflection and/or integration of personal goals or steps forward.
Monthly Check-in – up to 50 minutes:
This option can be of benefit to people who have previously attended counselling or those who have never attended before. People who opt for a Monthly Check-in may want some time to explore ‘what’s on their mind’ and to affirm and re-affirm personal goals or steps forward.
