It is not easy to take that first step and come to counselling. Many people think that it is a sign of weakness and this prevents them from getting the help they need to get their lives back on track. In contrast, we see ‘coming for counselling’ as a sign of strength! It shows a self-awareness that things are not right and are particularly difficult to tackle on your own.

The first step is to make an appointment. The initial meeting is about two hours long as your counselor will want to understand your problem fully and will want to assess your suitability for treatment. You will be asked about your family history, education, medical history amongst other things. In this way we can make sure that you get the best help possible. We offer a range of therapeutic approaches such as person-centred therapy (this is an exploratory approach), solution focused (this approach is more about problem solving), cognitive behavior therapy (this looks at how your thoughts and feelings are working in patterns and cycles) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (this is a special treatment for sufferers of trauma) and trauma focused cognitive behavior therapy (another treatment option for trauma).

Typical problems that we encounter on a regular basis include depression, stress, anxiety, bereavement, relationship difficulties, identity issues, phobia, health related anxiety, OCD, post-traumatic stress disorder and many others.

Once your counsellor has conducted the initial assessment, she will discuss with you what the best approach will be. This will be fully explained to you. You will then be asked to arrange to come for counselling on a regular basis (usually once a week) for an hour. The number of sessions required depends on your type of problem and your level of engagement with the process, but your counsellor will give you a rough guide at assessment.

Your counsellor is bound by a code of confidentiality and ethics published by the British Psychological Society and by the code of conduct by the Health Professions Council.

For more information about our services and details about EMDR, please visit our website www.chtc.co.uk or email any enquiries to info@chtc.co.uk

Referrals
To make a referral please ring our office mobile: 07501 251681. You will be asked to leave a message and one of our counselors will telephone you back.