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I am currently available in Penarth on

• Tuesdays 10am-9pm
• Wednesdays 10am - 9pm
• Thursdays 5pm-9pm 

I am available in Troedyrhiw, in  Merthyr

• Thursdays 10am-2pm (all dependent on existing client work).
• Troedyrhiw has full wheel chair access

• I take a respectful and curious stance. I will want to work with you to support you in gaining an understanding of what is not working and what needs to be different. 
• I have 19 years experience in working with couples and individuals who come with relationship struggles. LGBTQ+ clients are welcome, in addition to clients considering a formal commitment like a marriage or mortgage for example. 
• Often clients come at a point of change in their lives, and even positive changes are stressful. This can impact the person or couple in many ways. I am here to help you work through this.
• Loss in all forms is also sadly inevitable. We can and will lose important people, through bereavement or the end of a relationship. A great deal of my clients are coping with 'living deaths' where the person they love has decided to stop all contact with them. Other losses might include anything from confidence, to your sex drive, to employment, and I am ready to listen and look at ways you might cope better.
• Some clients will come for a single session, others can come for up to a year. I will always consider my role, a bit like a driving instructor - and ask myself,
• 'how long before this client will not need to come to counselling?'
• The quality of your life is determined by how well you relate. The most significant relationship any of us will ever have - is with ourselves. This will set the tone for all of your other relationships.

What can you expect from me?

• Complete honesty
• Total confidentiality and anonymity outside of sessions
• Solid commitment to our sessions and the work
• A hard working, experienced Counsellor
• Genuineness - 'what you see is what you get'
• A high level of qualification, accreditation and a dedication to self reflection, personal growth, accountability, and continued professional development
• Continued professional membership and clinical supervision
• Professional insurance and a safe place to be heard

Before the first session I like to try and arrange a free 15 minute phone call. This allows you to share a little bit more about what you are coping with and need from me. It also means that you can hear my voice, ask any questions, and decide if you would like to attend a first session. 

If we both agree to do that, we would meet for that first appointment of 60 minutes, and at the end of that session, I encourage a frank discussion about how that session felt for both of us, and if we both want to proceed in continued sessions. 

Subsequent sessions are always 60 minutes in length and I usually suggest we work in short blocks to keep the work focussed on what you decide you need. We will review our progress regularly, and again I hope for a relationship where you are able to be open about your experiences with me, and the direction and next steps you want to take. 

I will ask you to complete both a contract and a simple form so that I can capture some basic information (with your full consent). If you need an alternative counsellor, or other kind of support, I am always ready to make you an appropriate referral.