About Counselling

What is counselling?

Counselling falls under the umbrella of ‘Talking Therapies’ and provides a safe, confidential, none-judgemental space to explore your thoughts, feelings, problems and life events. Counselling is two people, working together, towards a therapeutic aim or goal. At Feeling Out Loud I offer an integrated approach consisting of humanistic, psychoanalytic, and behavioural theoretical modalities.

Counselling isn’t advice giving, so I won’t tell you what to do or make decisions for you. I will encourage you to explore your own thoughts and feelings, helping you discover the roots of your perspectives. Some people use sessions to explore specific difficulties or experience, whereas others want a space to understanding themselves, their feelings and responses. Within the therapeutic relationship, people can discuss past experiences, current life challenges or even explore situations they might experience in future – it’s entirely up to the person seeking the support.

Often counselling helps people connect with their wants and needs more clearly. Sometimes people use it to make changes in their life, and others just want a better understanding of who they are. Counselling can help develop a deeper sense of self-awareness.

Counselling is – and should be – a voluntary, collaborative process between the counsellor and the person seeking support. It’s important to feel ready to engage with counselling because you’re in charge of what you talk about. It shouldn’t be forced upon you.

How counselling feels is different from person to person. It focuses on the needs of the person seeking the counselling, tailored to their specific requirements.

What’s the role of a counsellor?

Autonomy is one of the foundations of counselling and this is why I won’t give you advice. My role in is to foster an environment focused on you, using my care and expertise to help facilitate the therapeutic space and process, as so you can truly hear yourself, your needs, building self-trust.

You are never expected to talk about things you don’t want to, but it can feel challenging as my role is to help bring focus, to help you explore deeper elements of yourself. However, you remain in charge of the process and we work together at a pace that’s right for you. Some people feel ready to talk about everything straight away but if you want to go slower, build up the relationship first, before talking about more sensitive experiences or feelings; that’s okay too. I’m here to walk alongside you, at whatever speed you feel comfortable at.

The therapeutic relationship feels friendly and safe, but it’s different to a friendship. You are not there to offer support to me and that’s why boundaries and contracting are important aspects of counselling. This helps ensure safety and it keeps the focus on you. Sometimes, I may share elements about themselves, life or experiences, but only if I feel it will support you and the therapeutic process.

What to expect

No two counselling sessions look the same and every counsellor has their own unique way of working but there are some general similarities you may encounter.

Here’s what to expect at Feeling Out Loud:

Timing: Sessions are 50 minutes long and this is known as a therapeutic hour.

How it takes place: I offer mostly remote sessions that take place over a secure video online platform. I can offer telephone sessions too. In Liverpool, I can offer face to face sessions. If you would like to arrange a face to face sessions, please contact me so I can hire a therapeutic room.

Before / during your first session:

I receive enquiry or referral: Once I receive a referral, I reach out to gather further details and complete an initial assessment. I may receive a referrals from organisations, employers, GPs or enquiries directly from people seeking support.

Initial assessment: I will contact you by email, provide some basic information about and a form for you to complete. This is so I can establishes the type of support you’re seeking and ensures I’m best placed to provide it. This may include safety information relating risk assessment.

When I receive this information back from you, I will arrange a time for you and I to speak.

Initial introduction call: Accessing counselling for the first time can feel daunting and I feel a brief introduction call can really help ease nerves. During this call you can ask me any questions you may have and we can discuss the logistics of our work together. I may also provide signposting information if relevant.

We will discuss dates, times and payments of sessions.

Contracting: We should agree the terms of how I will provide my services and what to expect from our time working together. At Feeling Out Loud there are two contract; a business contract covering topics such as cost, cancellation, GDPR, safeguarding etc. This is available in the policy section of this website and gives opportunity for you to read, digest and agree to business terms before entering any therapeutic work with me. It also give opportunity for you to think of any questions you might want to ask me.

The second takes place at the beginning of our first session and we negotiate how we will work together.

Throughout our work together:

Making further arrangements: if you wish to book your sessions, you can make these arrangement with me directly in session or via email.

Reviewing: We may spend some time reviewing our work together, to reflect on how feel your sessions are going and establish any changing needs you have. Sometime the focus of the changes, as sessions progress.

Risk assessing: At times, I may deem it necessary to complete risk assessments with you, to ensure your safety and uphold their personal duty of care to you and others, such safeguarding.

End of session: I will spend some time at the end of a session summarise what you’ve discussed and checking you are safe. Discussing further arrangement for subsequent sessions may take place here too.

Finishing your work together: Most people know when they’re ready to finish counselling and this is something you can let me know, so we can plan for the ending of our work together.

Is counselling right for me?

Counselling can be helpful in many ways for many people. It’s an opportunity to set aside time, to invest into yourself and explore your thoughts, feelings, and problems. You can speak about most thing in counselling including your behaviours and reactions, relationship breakdowns, family issues, work problems, your childhood, and bereavements – just to name a few topics. You can also speak about deep feelings such as self-esteem, anxiety, self-image, identity, guilt, confidence, or depression – again, just to name a few topics. If you feel like you might benefit from counselling but you’re not sure what you want to talk about, that’s okay – enquire and we can explore it together.

I’ve sometimes heard people say they thought counselling was only to discuss major life events or intense feelings. Although it can be helpful in such situations, it’s not the only use for counselling. Counselling can be used proactively to make sense of feelings or experiences before they grow further. People come to counselling to talk about happy life experiences and feelings too.

Only you will know if you’re ready for counselling, but this check list might help you decide.

You may be ready for counselling if:

• You feel ready to talk openly about your feelings and experiences.
• You’re able to emotionally commit to counselling, feeling safe enough to explore difficult emotions and experiences.
• You’re able to logistically commit to counselling; attend sessions at the same time and day each week, or at a frequency decided between you and the counsellor.
• You’re able to pay for your sessions. Please note: if you are unable to fund private sessions, you may still be able to access counselling for free via the NHS; waiting lists may apply.

Is counselling right for everyone?

Although many people may benefit from counselling, it isn’t always recommended in specific circumstances. Counselling may not be recommended in the following instances:

• You need crisis or emergency support: Counselling is not crisis support. Counselling often involves discussing difficult feelings and experiences and a person needs to be in an emotionally safe enough place to do this. If you need crisis support, you can find a support page in the menu bar.
• Those in a domestically abusive situation: Counselling is confidential. Accessing support remotely may put you at risk if another person living with you overheard or found details, such as web history, emails etc. Therefore, online counselling is not recommended in these instances, and it is advisable you access support from specialist services.
• Engaged with mental health team: The counselling support may not be appropriate for people who are already receiving treatment from another mental health service or who have a severe or enduring mental health problem, including individuals struggling with eating disorders or personality disorders.

This includes those accessing mental health services such as Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Assertive outreach teams (AOTs), Community mental health teams (CMHTs), Early intervention for psychosis teams (EIPTs), eating disorder services, Perinatal services, Rehabilitation, recovery and crisis teams. This is because other services may operate differently or follow particular care plans which are better suited for the individual. Additionally, these treatments may need to be completed prior to the individual seeking further support.

As such I cannot accept referrals from anyone receiving help from mental health service, until they have completed their current treatment and been signed off from that service. I may be confirmation from mental health service providers they deem it safe for counselling to take place.

• If your main support need is drugs, alcohol, substance misuse or gambling issues: Counselling can bring up difficult emotions and ensure you have received appropriate support for before accessing counselling can help keep you safe.

Action on Addiction – Action on Addiction brings help, hope and freedom to those living with addiction and those living with people who suffer problems of addiction.

T: 0300 330 0659

E: admin@actiononaddiction.org.uk

W: http://www.actiononaddiction.org.uk

If you are working with another counsellor: It is recommended you only work with one counsellor at a time.

Serious health conditions triggered by stressful situations or the use of technology: This is to ensure support is on hand, should need first aid.

I are currently only accepting direct referrals from those aged 18 and over. If you are seeking support for someone aged under 18, please contact us to discuss.

Is counselling confidential?

Most information exchanged between you and I will be treated as confidential, excluding limits outlined below.

Confidentiality may be broken:

Legal requirements: When required to do so by law. There are several laws impacting confidentiality, meaning counsellor’s must share information if the client discusses it in session. This includes:

• Drugs Trafficking
• Money Laundering
• Acts of terrorism
• To uphold safeguarding responsibilities. Our safeguarding policy is available on this website.

Harm to self or others: If there is significant risk to yourself or others. Where possible, I would make every reasonable effort to discuss this with you first, as so you can be involved in the process, where the law permits me to do so.

Court subpoena: Counsellors and their notes can be subpoenaed by court. I keep brief written records of sessions, held in line with GDPR. You can find my GDPR statement in policy section of this website.

Supervision: I discuss client work with a supervisor, who abides by a similar code of ethics I do. I do this in a way where your identify is not disclosed unless there is legal or safeguarding reason necessary for me to do so. This is standard practice to ensure quality of work.