I am a qualified and BACP Accredited Counsellor/Psychotherapist, working at The Hope Street Centre in Sandbach, South Cheshire. I work with a wide range of problems and issues, some of which are listed opposite:

What is involved?
Therapy sessions normally take place once a week and last an hour. The therapy work starts right from the beginning of the first session - I will invite you to talk about the problems or issues you would like to work on, and the results you would like to get. From then on we explore together how to achieve the results you want, in whichever way seems most helpful to you - sometimes using imagery or dreams, sometimes by exploring feelings, sometimes changing limiting beliefs, and often through simply talking.

What is the difference between counselling and psychotherapy?
Whereas most people have an idea what counseling means, many are much less clear about psychotherapy. In fact there is disagreement between practitioners about this - some saying there is no difference, and others insisting that there is.

There is considerable overlap between counselling and psychotherapy, both in the issues that can be addressed and the methods used. In general psychotherapy tends to address more deep-seated problems which may have roots in very early childhood experiences. Psychotherapy tends to take longer, and a commitment to regular sessions becomes important. The training of a psychotherapist can be longer that that of a counsellor, and a psychotherapist will normally have been to therapy themselves for several years.

Because I can cover both ends of the spectrum, you do not have to worry about making the choice - we can simply work at whichever level is best for you at the time, and this can vary from session to session.

What approaches and theoretical models do you use?
My training is in person-centred and psychosynthesis. In common with most therapists, I have continued to explore different models and techniques, being open to any approach that can be helpful to my clients. My therapeutic approach is therefore best described as integrative, using techniques, models and theory from psychosynthesis, person centred counselling, psychodynamic psychotherapy, life coaching, Transactional Analysis (TA), self psychology, cognitive behavioural therapy and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). My psychosynthesis training enables me to work using techniques such as visualisation, relaxation, guided imagery and dreamwork.

How long does it take?
This is not an easy question to answer, as it depends on the nature of the problem, the type of change you are looking to achieve, and your own readiness to make the necessary steps.

As a guide, clients find that a certain amount of emotional relief can be obtained by talking through a problem in one or two sessions, a single issue problem that has arisen fairly recently may be resolved in five or ten sessions, whereas a problem which is complex or has persisted for years may take many months to resolve.

How do I access the service?
There is no need for a doctor's referral - you can make an appointment directly with me, and if at all possible I will aim to offer you an appointment within a week. This depends on how flexible you are able to be about timings - my evening appointment times are limited and tend to be quite full, whereas I ususally have daytime slots available.

• addictions
• anger management
• anxiety
• bereavement
• burnout and breakdown
• bullying
• compulsions
• communication difficulties
• creative blocks
• crises
• depression
• eating disorders
• family problems
• fear
• mid-life crisis
• obsessions
• panic attacks
• personality disorders
• phobias
• relationship problems
• self harm
• sexuality issues
• sleeping problems
• stress
• suicidal feelings
• traumas and PTSD
• work and career issues

This is by no means a complete list - if you have an issue that is not listed here, it doesn't mean that it can't be helped by counselling or psychotherapy. Please call me to discuss it confidentially.

Contact Details
The ideal way of contacting me is by telephone, either on my mobile phone (07870 129659) or at The Hope Street Centre (01270 764003). When I am working you may get my answering service - please leave a message and I will reply as soon as I can. You are welcome to try contacting me by email ( ), but in common with most businesses I find myself plagued by vast quantities of unsolicited emails (spam), which makes it easy to miss the genuine messages - so please keep trying if you don't get an immediate answer. For letters, please write to me at The Hope Street Centre, 10 Hope Street, Sandbach, Cheshire, CW11 1BA.

Sessions and Fees for Counselling and Psychotherapy
Sessions last one hour and take place weekly, but other arrangements are possible. If my diary permits I aim to offer you a regular slot on the same day and time each week, which is the most effective way of working. My charges are £50 for a single session of 1 hour, or £220 for five sessions (paid in advance).

Sessions and Fees for Life Coaching
My charges are £50 for a single session of 1 hour, or £220 for five sessions (paid in advance). For life coaching you can choose whether to come to The Hope Street Centre for coaching sessions, or to have sessions by telephone. A typical programme of life coaching would last for 12 sessions.