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Private Individual Counselling.
What if a single idea, offered by someone you learned to trust, could help to transform your life?
Individual counselling with Dean Richardson MNCS(Accredited Registrant) in Portsmouth is non-religious, therapeutic process for a single person wishing to deal with stuff that’s getting in the way of a better life.
Anything from anxiety, depression, phobias, confidence, work issues, relationship problems and many more issues are candidates for counselling.
Counselling is a partnership that can help you identify, address and then work through problems, supporting you in putting problems to rest; and all without going through the process alone.
Taking up private counselling means that you don’t need to be referred to a counsellor by the NHS or your GP. You can make your own appointment.
You also won’t have to go on a GP or NHS waiting list to see a counsellor, and you are not limited to a strict maximum number of (often) six sessions. Neither are you restricted to one particular form of counselling (there are different types) – which may or may not help you – the choice being made on your behalf by what’s available on the NHS .
By going private your GP will also not be told of your counselling; it remains totally confidential.
About Dean Richardson MNCS(Accredited Registrant).
- Practising since 1999.
- Fully qualified & accredited by the National Counselling Society.
- Diploma in Psychodynamic individuals’ counselling (2003).
- Integrates a Cognitive Behavioural Approach (CBA) where helpful.
- Minimum 30 hours annual additional professional development.
- Indemnity Insurance.
- DBS (CRB) Certified.
How Counselling Helps.
When you have issues on your mind, and you either cannot talk with friends or family – or friends and family are unable to help sufficiently – private counselling helps an individual address difficulties and distresses. Sometimes it’s impossible to explain to a family member or a friend why you feel down, or anxious (a typical question from famiy and friends is: “… but why are you feeling like this” as if knowing the answering will help fix the problem) – but to a therapist you don’t have to explain yourself.
Counselling can help by supporting you in many ways:-
- Helping you work through a difficult life issue (health, losses, work stresses, past traumas and so on).
- Assisting you weigh up options or goals.
- Talking through making a difficult choice.
- Talking through past experiences which need to be put to rest (eg issues/trauma from growing up).
Sometimes, people come into counselling not fully understanding why. We can talk about that too.
Sometimes, just learning that someone is on your side is enough to begin counselling.
Working with Dean Richardson.
We initially meet to discuss your needs from counselling … and to have a think about what counselling might help you. This is called the “assessment” session.
If we agree that counselling could be helpful, and we think that we can work with each other, we will arrange subsequent sessions. Sometimes brief/focal counselling (a fixed number of sessions) is agreed suitable, sometimes working until the issues are worked through is a better choice.
Then we talk.
You will lead the sessions (with the counselling helping at the beginning of the work). Whatever you want to talk about is OK. The counsellor will listen, be inquisitive and curious to help understand aspects of the problems that, perhaps, you had not considered before. The counsellor may sometimes offer thoughts and interpretations about what might be happening for you … giving you another perspective that is intended to help you understand the issues. Sometimes, looking forward into the future will be discussed; how will things be when the issues are resolved and put away. Sometimes the therapist will work with your emotions, sometimes the therapist will work with your patterns of thinking. All of this is aimed to help you find your own ways that work for you in putting the problems to bed, leaving you unburned/less burned than when you came to therapy.
All sessions are fifty minutes, are held weekly on the same day and time and same location.
Responsibilities within Individual’s Counselling.
What is expected of the Therapist?
- Ensuring the safety of both the therapist and client (eg a quiet, confidential room that will not be disturbed, that the session time begins and ends on time).
- To take an ethical stance on all matters, to follow the Ethical Framework for their Professional Membership Body, and to ensure his best practice for the client at all times.
- To ensure that the client can discuss his/her subjects in safety - albeit not necessarily always in comfort (i.e. discussing trauma will be uncomfortable to begin with) - but ensuring the client can stop at any time they wish to.
- To listen without communicating judgement or prejudice.
- To try and use the client's own language to discuss matters where possible (i.e. if the client doesn't speak in 'emotions' but instead talks about 'behaviour', then the therapist speaking exclusively in terms of 'emotions' may not be very helpful).
- To recognise and work with social, sexual, ability and cultural differences (that the therapist is not giving advice from his position ("What I would do is..."), but is being effective in helping the client find his/her own resolutions and/or management of problems).
- To be earnest on assisting the client out of therapy either when the client is ready to leave, or by helping the client recognise that the therapy may have been concluded (i.e. not keeping a person in therapy beyond a legitimate need & not ousting a client before he/she is ready to leave).
What is expected of the Client?
- Initially, the client needs simply to being willing to give the therapy a try - even if sceptical or unsure of the therapist's approach.
- To bear in mind that counselling is not done to him/her as a client, that he/she will not be cured by the therapist's approach alone. He/she is an active participant in the therapy (albeit this may not be possible at the start - and sometimes not during - due to emotional states).
- To ensuring that he/she tells the truth in all matters but also to be aware that he/she can decline to discuss anything uncomfortable.
- To take responsibility for bringing up concerns or dissatisfaction about the therapist with the therapist (e.g. the therapist's conduct, something he said, something he does etc.). All therapists appreciate that this may take courage ... but as the therapist has the best of intentions, and whilst his experience may often tip him off to a client being disturbed by something he does or says, he may not always be aware of any deep or hidden irritation on behalf the client.
- When the client/therapist agree an exercise between sessions is appropriate, to be willing to find the time to address the exercise, or be willing to discuss matters if the exercise was not completed (or, say, not completed to the client's satisfaction).
- Be willing to bring up ending counselling when he/she feels that time is approaching.
What Individual Counselling isn’t suitable for.
Skype Counselling.
Individuals looking to work with Dean, but live too far away to travel weekly to Portsmouth, may find Dean’s Skype Personal Counselling Service useful (read more…)
- Counselling is not an advice service. The therapist cannot give you solutions based upon his own experience, judgement or from a reference manual.
- The therapist cannot take action on your behalf (e.g. writing to a government agency, or writing a complaint to a company on your behalf).
- Counselling isn’t a social meeting – although it can appear as though it is a social relationship.
- Counselling is not held anywhere public (eg a cafe, library). Some therapists will offer home-visits.
- Counselling is usually not helpful to someone who is sent (e.g. by parent, court, family member). As counselling is a confidential collaboration, it is of little help if you don’t want to take part.
- Individual counselling cannot help change a third party. Sometimes people wish to come and talk about their problems with another person, sometimes wanting solutions for that other person to be changed. The only person we can work with to change in individual therapy is you.
What do to next…
If you are interested in individuals’ counselling with Dean in Portsmouth or online via Video Counselling, contact Dean Richardson today to enquiry about an initial one-off appointment.