After the initial consultation further correspondence with take place over email. For the purpose of personal boundaries, we ask that we keep email as the form of contact before therapy is in action, this is to not overwhelm both parties and so that there is a trail of information that can be referred back to if needed.

The first session will be assessment. This isn’t as scary as it sounds. As a therapist I need to get to know my client. So the assessment is simply that, my asking questions, getting to know you. I may ask questions that you might not see the connection between them and why you have come to therapy however there is always a link /a method to my madness, I ask that you trust the process, any relevance usually becomes clear pretty quickly. Assessment itself doesn’t stop at the first session, it can be a gradual process, just as getting to know anyone- it takes time. Feel free to bring any questions, concerns, anxieties, fears, goals to the first session as this is of course all useful information.

Time limited therapy is when the therapist and client agree upon a number of sessions. This number of sessions will be agreed upon depending on the presenting issues and then a date for the end of therapy will be put in place early on, so we stick to this time frame. This can be adjusted as we go through the process if necessary for the client. Time limited also refers to the addressing of a specific issue. For example, it could be the loss of a job, bereavement or possibly a relationship breakdown. The issue will be addressed within the time constraints and be the focus of our therapy together.

Yes, our sessions are confidential and what is said is between us only. However, there are times where confidentiality can be broken. If there is a risk indicated, then I have a duty of care to my client. This means that if it was to appear that my client could be at risk to themselves or to others then confidentiality could be broken to prevent this. If confidentiality was needing to be broken for any reason, then it would be discussed at length between us before hand, you will always be aware that this is going to happen. There are also a few other aspects that would lead to the breaking confidentiality, this includes any disclosure around terrorism, female genital mutilation or a child at risk.

As a therapist it is very common for notes to be taken (sometimes in session) and for therapist to hold client files, these are data protected, held confidentially and stored in a secure place so only the therapist has access to them. Notes are stored for up to 7 years after therapy has ended and then will be destroyed accordingly. I have a trusted colleague who is my appointee in case anything was to happen to me who has knowledge of how to find my client files in order for these to be destroyed on my behalf, this person will also contact my clients to inform them of my inability to continue therapy (this person’s details are included in my contract that is signed at the beginning of therapy, so all clients are aware of this process).

As a psychosexual therapist I am trained not only to work with general therapeutic issues such as depression and anxiety, but I have spent time specialising in the field of sex, including sexual medicine, sexual health, sexuality, gender, relationships, couples, sexual dysfunction and much more. My work is a culmination of knowledge that I have gained across the board and I apply this to aspects of life that are surrounded by sex. I believe that sex is a very large part of being human and it tends to be underrated. Our sex lives, our libidos even drive us to not only want to procreate but to also achieve in life. Sexuality issues spill out into our daily lives regardless of how much we decide to dismiss this area. Sex is also a huge cause of shame in many individuals and I believe the shame we carry can actually be quite debilitating. General therapist and counsellors are not (for the most part) given insight into this area and many therapist shy aware from addressing this area due to not wanting to bring sex into the therapy room in case they are unable to contain what comes from addressing such a subject, I am trained to address this area.

Attendance of therapy is something I address often in practice. Some clients will feel they have made a lot of progress in a short period of time and decide to skip/miss sessions or delay them due to feeling currently in a good place. Now although I understand this position, I also understand the benefit of using that good place to continue/ solidify the current feeling and that therapy is not only for when we are at breaking point. I think of therapy in relation to taking antibiotics- we go to the Dr due to not feeling well, we start taking antibiotics and slowly after a few days we start to feel better. At this stage, do we decide to stop taking the antibiotics?! No!, We continue taking them even when we start to feel better as we know that stopping could mean we will end up unwell again due to not finishing the course adequately. This is the same as the therapy process. We continue therapy in when in a good space to keep well, to make sure we are as functional as we possibly can be.