Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if I need therapy?
There is no threshold you need to cross before therapy becomes appropriate. You do not need to be in crisis. Many people come to therapy because something feels stuck, because patterns keep repeating, because they are functioning well on the surface but privately struggling, or simply because they want to understand themselves more deeply. If you are asking yourself whether therapy might help, that curiosity is usually worth following. A good starting point is the free initial consultation I offer, where we can talk through what is on your mind and whether therapy would be useful.
Is everything I say in therapy confidential?
Yes. Confidentiality is fundamental to therapeutic work, and I take it very seriously. What you share in sessions stays between us. I will not contact your GP, employer, or anyone else without your explicit consent. The only exception to this is if I believe there is an imminent risk of serious harm to you or to someone else, in which case I have an ethical and legal duty to act. I would always aim to discuss this with you first. Beyond that, everything we talk about is held in the strictest confidence.
How frequently do I need to come?
My preference and my suggestion is to start with weekly sessions. Then if appropriate, a move to fortnightly sessions. However, I am very happy to talk through your preferences within the context of how I can best meet your therapeutic needs.
What is your cancellation policy?
Therapy provides the most benefits through regular attendance and giving plenty of notice if you can’t come. If we arrange regular sessions, I won’t offer your space to anyone else. If you cancel at short notice or don’t attend, I will expect you to pay for the session. If you do have to cancel, and I have an available session in the same week, we can rearrange without an additional charge. To avoid a charge, I need 48 hours’ notice of cancellation. You can do this by email, text, or phone call.
What’s the difference between individual therapy and couples therapy for relationship issues?
Individual therapy gives you space to explore your own patterns, attachment style, and the personal history that shapes how you relate to others. It is useful if you want to understand why certain dynamics keep recurring in your relationships, or if there are things you need to work through on your own before or alongside couples work. Couples therapy brings partners together to work on the relationship itself: the dynamics between them, and the communication patterns. Sometimes clients begin in individual therapy and move into couples work later, or do both concurrently.
If I want to stop therapy early on, how does that work?
You are never locked in. Therapy works best when it feels like a choice, not an obligation. If at any point you feel that the therapy is not working for you, or that you have got what you need, I would encourage you to bring that into the session so we can discuss it openly. Sometimes the desire to leave therapy is itself worth exploring, as it can reflect patterns that show up elsewhere in your life. But equally, it may simply mean that this is the right time to stop. I would usually suggest that we have at least one ending session together rather than stopping abruptly, so that we can reflect on the work we have done and close things properly.
What happens in a first therapy session?
The first session is an opportunity for us to meet and begin to understand what has brought you to therapy. I will ask about your current difficulties, a little about your background, and what you are hoping to get from the work. You are also welcome to ask me anything about how I work. There is no pressure to disclose more than you are comfortable with. The first session is as much about you getting a sense of whether this feels like the right fit as it is about me understanding your needs. Many people feel nervous before a first session, and that is completely normal.
How many sessions do I need?
The simplest answer to that is as many as you find useful. For some people, it can be 6 to 12 sessions; for others, months or years. Open-ended or long-term therapy allows for a detailed exploration of your life and the history that has shaped it. For some people though, short-term work is more suitable. In those circumstances I offer a therapy contract of 6–12 sessions, with the option to review how the therapy is helping, then to extend if necessary. If we continue our work together, we’ll regularly review the therapeutic work, then re-contract and extend for as long as you feel therapy is useful for you.
How do I know you are the right therapist for me?
I always suggest to new clients that we have a free, brief initial consultation by Zoom before we meet. This will give me a clearer sense of the difficulties you’d like to work on. You can also get a clearer sense of who I am and how I work.
Do you offer online/video sessions?
Yes, I offer both in-person sessions in Central London (W1T) and online sessions via secure video platform. Online sessions can be equally as effective as in-person work, particularly for long distances and in on-going therapy. We can discuss which format works best for your circumstances and preferences in our initial consultation.
I keep choosing the same type of person and it never works out. Why does this happen?
This is one of the most common things people bring to therapy, and it is rarely a coincidence. We are often drawn to partners who feel psychologically familiar, not because they are good for us, but because they activate emotional patterns that were established early in life. If your earliest experiences of love involved inconsistency, emotional unavailability, or the need to earn affection, those dynamics can feel like home, even when they cause pain. Therapy can help you to recognise these patterns, understand where they come from, and begin to make different choices from a position of self-awareness rather than unconscious repetition.
I struggle with trust and vulnerability in relationships. Can therapy help?
Yes. Difficulty with trust and vulnerability is often rooted in earlier experiences where being open or dependent on someone led to disappointment, rejection, or harm. Over time, the defences you built to protect yourself, such as emotional guardedness, avoidance of closeness, or a need to remain in control, can become obstacles to the intimacy you actually want. Therapy provides a relationship in which it is safe to explore these patterns. The therapeutic relationship itself often becomes the place where trust is gradually rebuilt, not through reassurance, but through the lived experience of being met with consistency, honesty, and genuine understanding.