How much does counselling cost?

The first initial 20 minutes of the first session is free. If we feel I am the right counsellor for you the remaining 30 minutes of the first session is charged at £35 (individuals, couples and families).
My individual session cost is £45 for adults or young people for online or walk and talk therapy (can be arranged by request). I do offer discounts for block bookings of more than 4 sessions at £40 per session. I also work with student counsellors at a reduced rate of £30 per session.

Couples sessions are offered on a joint basis, charged at £60 per 50 min session or £75 per 90 min session. Occasionally it may be appropriate to see couples separately and I would then charge my 1-1 rate as above for the 50 min session.

Families (up to 3 family members via Zoom) are charged at £65 per 50 min session or £80 per 90 min session. If it's appropriate to see individual family members/couples from within the family the rates would be charged at the according individual or couple rate as above.

Block booking rates for more than 4 sessions are also available for couples and family work – please contact me for further details.

When is payment due?

Payment is due 24 hours before the session to secure the session. If payment is not made 24 hours beforehand, the session will not take place. Payment can be made via Paypal or bank transfer.

What if you have to cancel?

If a session is cancelled over 24 hours beforehand, no payment is needed and the session can be rearranged although it is important to consider the issue of commitment to the counselling process. It's hoped that the trust built between us will ensure there will be an undertaking to participate regularly with the counselling sessions – if they are helpful to the you.

If the session is cancelled within the 24 hours (payment having been made) there will be no reimbursement of the money to you unless there are exceptional circumstances. This is because I will have allocated the session time to you, probably prepared for the session, completed the Zoom admin re the session etc...

Is there flexibility with appointments?

As I'm working privately, with time allocated for different tasks, I am able to flex my schedule each week more than a larger organisation may be able to. Having worked in charities with rigid appointment schedules I couldn't flex to the needs of couples/families who needed time to try out new interventions, new ways of being together.

On a weekly programme this can be almost impossible! I can offer that flexibility of fortnightly and sometimes monthly sessions so you can go away and enjoy your time together without feeling under pressure!

For individuals I find weekly, sometimes fortnightly appointments work well but I can fit around shifts/work schedules which change.

What is counselling?

Counselling is not advice giving. Counselling is where you will have a safe, confidential space to talk about anything which is causing you concern. You will be heard and valued without judgement. Counselling can help in that I am a genuine, concerned other person who isn't in your support network.

You won't feel as though you are burdening me like you might if you are to share with a loved one. My sole purpose as a counsellor is to help you so that you can talk freely and together we can look at your view of your concerns. We can then see if there may be other ways to look at your difficulties, other ways to approach them and whether any change is possible to help you going forward in life.

How does family/couples counselling work?

Family counselling usually focuses on improving communication and strengthening the sense of connection in your relationship. We look at how you can begin to understand each other more healthily. It can also be about how a family supports each other through something which is happening within the family unit such as a bereavement or change of family e.g. a new step-parent moving in etc...

Online there are limitations.

Online working is only appropriate for relationship counselling where the participants are able to control their intense emotions. Because I'm not actually in the space with you, if conflict arises, I need to have some confidence you are able to defuse it yourselves as I may struggle to be heard over raised voices. If you feel you are experiencing high expressed emotion within your relationship, online working is not appropriate for you. You would be better to wait until face to face couples/family work becomes more common again or to seek one to one counselling to look at your concerns.

I'd encourage you to look at sources of help close to where you live.

Is there an option to have walk and talk therapy?

Yes (Covid regulations allowing), this can be a healthy way for people to process their feelings. This is especially helpful for people who like to be outdoors and enjoy walking. It usually has to be in a relatively quiet area to ensure privacy for the session, so it's important to consider any mobility issues beforehand.

There are however, some things for us to consider together in advance of the therapy. Firstly, do you feel that some of your difficulties could be exaggerated by working outdoors, could you be triggered by something? Are your feelings so intense that you may struggle to regulate them when talking about them? If either of the above apply to you then talking therapy may not be right for you.

If you still feel it sounds like the right choice for you the following need to be considered:

• The therapy will take place in close proximity to where you live (especially so re Covid 19 restrictions) and so you might bump into people you know and how would you want to deal with that at the time?
• As it will involve physical activity, it's important for you to consider your physical health and suitability for walking outdoors. Also, to ensure you have the correct clothing and equipment for the seasonal weather at the time.
• We would have to consider together the type of issues you are dealing with and how those issues may affect you – prior to working outside. Highly emotive issues such as working through trauma would probably be inappropriate for walking therapy.

We would need a first session via an online platform such as Zoom to look at our working agreement together and to give me a chance to learn a little about what is happening for you and for me to obtain safeguarding information.

Initially I can only offer this within the Wilmslow area due to Covid restrictions but as limitations are relaxed this service can be offered further afield. If I have to travel, there will be an extra charge to cover travel and time costs which will be dependent upon where the therapy takes place.
Please contact me if you feel this therapy may be of benefit to you.

Does Lindow Counselling offer supervision for counsellors or other healthcare professionals?

I am a qualified clinical supervisor, using the Hawkins and Shohet seven eyed model of clinical supervision. I supervised trainee counsellors and qualified counsellors when I was managing a counselling service in a primary school for a national charity.

I can offer my supervision skills for individual or group supervision for healthcare professionals and I'd especially welcome any counsellors who currently work with companion animal loss who are looking for supervision by someone who also specializes in this field of work.

If you are interested in what I can offer within my supervision practice please contact me and we can discuss how I could help you.