Frequently asked questions

The consultation is a brief conversation, by phone or video, for both of us to get a sense of whether we are a good fit. You can describe what you are looking for and ask any questions, and I can be honest about whether I am the right person to help. There is no obligation on either side. If we decide to go ahead, I will send you a link to book your first full session.

After we have spoken, either on the 15-minute call or by email, I will send you a link to book your first appointment. Sessions can be arranged in person in Essex or online.

Sessions last fifty minutes. This is the standard length for individual psychological therapy, sometimes called the “therapeutic hour.” It provides enough time to do meaningful work while keeping the session focused.

It depends on what you are working on. For most common difficulties such as anxiety, depression and PTSD, national guidelines typically suggest somewhere between 12 and 24 sessions. Some people need fewer; others, particularly those with longer-standing or more complex difficulties, may benefit from more. This is something we discuss together based on how the work is going, rather than setting a fixed number at the start.

The first session is an assessment. We will spend the time mapping out a history of what brought you to therapy, how the difficulty developed, and what is keeping it going now. By the end of the session, we will have a shared understanding of the problem and an outline of how we plan to work on it together.

I am a HCPC registered Practitioner Psychologist (Clinical Psychologist) and a BABCP accredited cognitive behavioural therapist. I hold a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from University College London and have seventeen years of NHS experience. Full details are on the About page.

Clinical Psychologist is a protected title regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council. The training is a three-year doctorate that covers a breadth of therapeutic models, not just one, alongside assessment, formulation, and research. That breadth means therapy can be matched to the person and the problem, rather than offering the same approach regardless. It is particularly useful when the picture is not straightforward or when previous therapy has not quite worked.

There is no perfect moment. A useful starting point is whether the difficulty is getting in the way of your daily life, your relationships, or your ability to do the things that matter to you, and whether you feel willing to look at it and try something different. You do not need to have everything figured out before you begin. That is what the work is for.

I do not give formal diagnoses. Diagnosis is the role of GPs and psychiatrists. What I do is build a detailed understanding of your difficulty, how it works and what keeps it going, which is often more useful for guiding therapy than a diagnostic label on its own. If a referral for diagnostic assessment would be helpful, I can discuss how to arrange that.

If you need to cancel or rearrange, please give at least forty-eight hours’ notice. Sessions cancelled with less notice, or missed without notice, are charged at the full fee because the time has been held for you. Full details are on the Fees page.