Counselling and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)

Talking therapies are a natural and normal way of helping yourself to overcome the difficulties you are facing in your life.

What is Counselling?

Counselling is an empowering conversation between two people with the focus purely on the needs of one, the client.

For some counselling is an opportunity to offload their everyday stresses and troubles in a neutral space with an objective, non-judgmental listener, the counsellor.

For others, counselling is more goal-centric and future-focused where you have a specific problem that you want to address and work towards finding a resolution for.

Counselling gives a specific time and space to focus on your needs and to prioritise your hopes for yourself. Without this time to pause and reflect you can get stuck in autopilot mode, not fully engaged, present and proactive in your own life.

My role as the counsellor is to bring all my knowledge and experience to the session, helping you feel better and more positive about yourself, your life, and your relationships.

The Benefits of Counselling

  • Discover what you want instead of feeling how you do

  • Turn problems into opportunities for growth and personal development

  • Life becomes easier and simpler to manage

  • Dealing with problems so they don’t linger and play on your mind

  • Have more self-belief in yourself to make the right decision for you

  • Feel a great weight lifted off your shoulders

  • Improve communication in expressing your wants and needs to others

  • Feel positive and happier to be around

  • Increase self-worth and you deserve good things to happen to you

  • Stop self-destructive behaviours and create healthier habits

Reaching out for support is a healthy and normal way of helping yourself.

What is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)?

Change your thoughts, change your life.

CBT is a talking therapy that can help you manage your problems by changing the way you think and behave. It is backed by research, evidence and proven to help reduce anxiety, depression, bad habits, and more.

It focuses on highlighting how your thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes about yourself and the world around you determines how you feel and act.

CBT stops the unhelpful thinking styles you automatically fall into and teaches new ways of self-talk that supports you towards how you would prefer to be.

CBT is focused on current problems and doesn’t attempt to resolve past issues.

CBT is a proactive and goal-oriented approach that does require putting in some time between sessions to practice the new skills you will learn to create new helpful thinking habits.

The Benefits of CBT

  • Quieten the inner critic and create more positive self-talk and outlook

  • Stop automatically reacting to situations and become more objective and rational in coping

  • Helps break problems into smaller, more manageable parts.

  • Your thoughts and beliefs come into alignment with your best hopes for yourself

  • Breakthrough limiting beliefs that keep you stuck or self-sabotaging your best efforts

  • Stop catastrophising and keep things in realistic proportion

  • Let go of outmoded and outdated ways of thinking, creating new healthier thinking habits

  • Find clarity of thought

  • Stop your mind time travelling and be more in the present moment fully engaged in what’s happening around you

  • Stop worrying and find clarity of mind

TESTIMONIALS:

"My overthinking and worry got out of hand and now I'm feeling like a weight has been lifted. I am looking forward to our next session." - Help with Anxiety

“I’ve stopped worrying that something disastrous is going to happen all the time and it’s made room for me to focus and be more proactive. I’ve grown in confidence so much and enjoying my life much more.” - Help with Anxiety

“Angela is the most optimistic, calm and easy going person I know. I don’t recognise the person I used to be when I first started sessions compared to who I am now.” - Help with Low-Self-Esteem

“I didn’t realise how stressed I was until you highlighted it for me. I’m now talking to family and friends and getting the support I need.” - Help with Chronic Stress

“I wasn’t realty sure what counselling was about but it has been really useful to talk in-depth about our relationship with a third party.”- Relationship Help

“Angela really got me, she really understood me and where I was coming from. It helped a lot to talk about things and put everything in perspective.” - Help with Depression

“Thank you for caring so much about our relationship.” - Relationship Help

“If it wasn’t for you I would have had a melt down by now. I don’t think I would have coped otherwise. Thank you for helping me get through it and being there for me.” - Help with Overwhelm and Burnout

“You’ve really helped me get back on track. Thank you for your support.” - Help with Self-Confidence

“I have to admit I was a little skeptical about coming for counselling but I soon realised that it wasn’t anything to be scared about. You helped me feel relaxed and it was much easier than I thought to talk about things.” - Help with Depression

“I found the sessions really useful. They helped me to clear my head and get rid of a lot of stuff that was in there. I feel a lot calmer and happier.” - Help with Generalised Anxiety

“I don’t think I could have managed without your support. I now understand what’s going on in my life and what’s causing me so much so stress. It’s made such a big difference becoming more aware and I’ve started to make small changes so that I can manage things better.” - Help with Chronic Stress and Overwhelm

“I was scared of making a wrong decision and talking to you helped me to think about things more calmly. I wouldn’t have coped as well as I did without your support. Thank you.” - Help with Anxiety

“Since coming to see you I have become more calm and relaxed. My husband has even noticed! I’m starting to recognise when my thoughts become negative and I can now replace them with more helpful ones.” - Help with Negative Thinking

“My partner asks what I talk about in these sessions but I don’t want them to know about it yet. It’s something just for me. I’ve never talked to anyone else in this depth before and it’s really helping. I’m back with my partner now and we’re working through things together.” - Relationship Help

FAQs

  • Both Counselling and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy cost £55/session.

    I work session by session so you are not tied into more sessions than you need in helping you feel better.

  • Yes, I am a fully qualified counsellor and hypnotherapist. I also keep expanding my psychology knowledge with regular Continued Proffesional Development courses.

    With 20 years experience helping people and 10 years running a busy private practice as counsellor and coach.

    I am an accredited Pysochotherapeutic Counsellor with The National Counselling Society.

  • This question is hard to answer as each session is unique to the client and the situation that has brought them to therapy.

    How much you say is up to you. It is your time and there is no right or wrong way to ‘do counselling’. We will go at whatever pace works for you. I will listen intently and without judgement to what you say.

    Generally, we work together to understand what the problems are and explore what you would like instead. I will ask questions to help bring about greater clarity as people know what they don't want - anxiety, panic, anger, depression etc. - but don't always know what they do want. Part of therapy is to figure this out and work towards it.

    Towards the end of the session I will ask if would you like to book another appointment and I will leave that for you to decide. If you say ‘yes’ we will look at our dairies to find a suitable time for both of us. If you say ‘no’ I will respect your choice and not push you to change your mind.

  • Sessions are normally 50 minutes for individual sessions and 60minutes for couples.

  • Most clients come once a week, though that’s not set in stone. Some clients prefer fortnightly appointments.

    I would recommend no more than two weeks between sessions in the beginning as it can feel like we are staring afresh each time and can hinder progress.

  • Everyone is different, just as each situation is, therefore it’s impossible to say how many sessions you might need.

    Most clients achieve their therapy goals in 4-8 sessions. However, a longer-term approach may be more appropriate depending on the complexity or how long standing the situation has been..

  • Yes. I do understand that circumstances may be out of your control so please contact me.

    Cancellation Policy:

    Appointments are created and held specifically for you. I continue to work on your behalf in between sessions by preparing, designing resources, and researching how best to serve you during our sessions.

    This policy is in place as compensation for my time and ongoing commitment to helping you reach your best hopes of feeling better.

    * 0-24 hours notice of cancellation - Full fee
    * Unable to attend without notification - Full fee + £15 admin fee.

  • In-person sessions - These are paid at the end of the session. I have a card reader for card payments, or if you prefer I except cash payments.

    Video call sessions - I will send you an invoice at the end of the session via e-mail which has a link to let you pay online securely or via BACs. I would be grateful if you could settle within 24 hours of receiving the invoice.

  • Simply, yes. At the end of each session I will ask you 'Will it be helpful to book another session?' and you can decide from there.

  • The content of all sessions is confidential, except in the following circumstances:

    • Where your consent is given for confidence to be broken.

    • Where I am compelled to break confidentiality by a court of law.

    • Where information disclosed during the session is of such concern that confidentiality cannot reasonably be expected to be maintained, i.e terrorism, crime, or if I have reason to believe that there is a risk of serious harm to yourself, others or any child protection/ safeguarding issues. In which case, I reserve the right to contact the appropriate authorities. I would keep you informed prior to disclosure unless I consider that the urgency of the situation requires immediate action to safeguard the physical safety of yourself or others.

    *Please note that I do not take any notes or hold any records about you. The only information I hold is your full name, phone number and e-mail address which are not shared with a third party.

  • I work with adults over 18years old.

    I work with men and women.

    I work with LGBTQ community.

    Different nationalities who can speak English.

  • If someone's life is at risk because they have seriously injured themselves or taken an overdose, call 999.

    If you do not feel you can keep yourself, or someone else safe from immediate risk of harm, call 999.

    If you feel unable to cope, are worried about your own mental health or someone you care for, help is available.

    • Contact NHS 111 online service or call 111 if you need urgent care but it’s not life-threatening.

    • For someone to talk to now please ring the Samaritans on 116 123.

    Ask for an urgent GP appointment if:

    • You need help urgently for your mental health, but it's not an emergency.

    • You're not sure what to do

    • A GP can advise you about helpful treatments and also help you access mental health services.


“Seeing people change their lives for the better is the best part of being a counsellor”

 * Hi, my office will be closed between Tuesday 24th December till Thursday 2nd January when I will  reply to enquiries. Wishing you well for Christmas and the New Year