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You don’t need to reach breaking point first. People often come because they’re tired of overthinking, struggling to switch off, putting themselves last, feeling unlike themselves, or repeating patterns they understand but can’t seem to change.
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That’s absolutely fine. You don’t need a neat explanation, a diagnosis or a list of goals. Part of the first few sessions can simply be making sense of what’s been going on.
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No — and it’s one of the most common things people apologise for in a first email. Quietly running on empty for years can do real damage, and it tends not to announce itself, because you keep managing. You don’t need a bigger problem to deserve an hour.
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This is one of the questions I hear most, usually with some frustration attached. Understanding where a pattern came from isn’t always the same as being free of it — it was learnt long before it was ever explained, and explanations don’t always reach the place it lives. That gap, between knowing and doing, is a lot of what this work is actually for.
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That’s a completely normal place to start. Some people arrive with something specific; others simply know they’re tired of feeling the way they do. Both are fine. We can work out together what would make it useful, and revisit that as we go.
The questions people usually ask before starting therapy.
Thinking about starting
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Mostly listening and getting to know you. I’ll ask what’s brought you and what you’re hoping for, and you can tell me as much or as little as you want to. I’ll explain how I work and go through the practical side — confidentiality, cancellations, how we’d review things. There’s usually a hot drink. You don’t have to arrive with it all worked out, and nothing gets decided that day.
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That depends on what you’re hoping for. Some clients work with me for 8–12 sessions on something specific. Others stay longer to work on deeper patterns. There’s no rush; we’ll talk about it as we go and we will review progress and goals regularly.
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Individual sessions are usually weekly. It isn’t a rule, but the work tends to gain traction that way — a fortnight is long enough that a good deal of each session goes on catching up. Couples sessions are weekly or fortnightly. If weekly genuinely isn’t possible, say so and we’ll talk about it honestly rather than pretending it makes no difference.
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We’ll go where the work takes us. TA does pay attention to early patterns, but I won’t push you somewhere you’re not ready to go. What we explore is always your call.
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No. You set the pace and you decide what we look at. Nothing gets forced open, and “I don’t want to go into that today” is a complete sentence that needs no explanation. If you’re worried about what might surface once you start, which is a more common worry than people admit, that’s worth saying out loud early, and we can build the work around it.
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Then you cry, or you sit with it until the words come, and neither is a problem. There are tissues and nobody minds if you use them. Long pauses are fine. You’re not being assessed on how well you do this.
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Please tell me — knowing what didn’t land last time is genuinely useful. So much of whether therapy works comes down to fit: the relationship between us matters more than the model I work in, and that’s worth taking seriously from the start.
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Yes. What you bring stays between us, and I keep brief, securely stored notes. There are a small number of limits, which I’ll explain properly before we begin: I discuss my work regularly with a clinical supervisor, which is a professional requirement and how I make sure you’re getting good care — your identity isn’t shared. And there are rare circumstances where I may have to pass something on, such as a serious risk to your safety or someone else’s, or where the law requires it. Wherever possible I’d talk to you about that first.
What therapy with me is actually like
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Yes. Couples therapy isn’t only for relationships in crisis. Sometimes the relationship is still loving and committed, but the closeness, playfulness or sense of being a team has faded. You may be getting through daily life well enough, but feel more like flatmates than partners. Therapy can give you space to understand what has changed between you and what keeps getting in the way of connection.
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No. Some couples come knowing they want to stay together; others feel much less certain. You don’t need to have made that decision before starting. My role isn’t to tell you whether to stay or leave, but to help you slow things down, understand what is happening between you and make space for more honest conversations about what each of you wants.
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That’s common. It doesn’t have to be a problem, I’d rather have one of you reluctantly curious than two of you pretending. Come and try a session.
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This is a very common pattern. The more one person tries to talk, seek reassurance or resolve things, the more the other may feel overwhelmed and pull away. That distance can then make the first person try even harder to reconnect. In Imago Relationship Therapy, we slow this cycle down so both of you have more chance to feel heard without the conversation escalating or shutting down.
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I can’t tell you that from a website, and I won’t promise you an outcome. Some couples come knowing they want to stay together; others genuinely aren’t sure. You don’t need to have made that decision before coming. The first step can simply be understanding what’s happening between you more clearly.
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It varies. Some couples come for a focused piece of work over 8–12 sessions. Others stay longer, particularly when working through betrayal or significant rebuilding. We’ll talk about what feels right as we go.
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Yes, and it’s a significant part of my couples work. I won’t take sides and I’m not there to prosecute anyone — the work only helps if you both feel safe enough to be in the room. Whether you’re trying to rebuild, or trying to work out whether you want to, there’s more on my affair recovery page.
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No. I’ll be honest with both of you, kindly, but I’m not here to prosecute anyone or make you feel worse than you do. The work only helps if you both feel safe enough to be in the room.
Couples therapy
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Individual sessions are charged at £55 per 50 minute session. Couples sessions are charged at £75 per 60 minute session and £110 per 90 minute session. I ask that payment is made via bank transfer prior to each session.
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Email me at hello@thepsychotherapyplace.co.uk or use the contact form, and let me know roughly when you’re free. For individuals, the first step is a free 15-minute call: a chance to say a little about what’s brought you, ask me anything, and get a sense of whether I feel like the right person. There’s nothing to prepare and no decision to make at the end of it. For couples, we’d book an initial session, where I’ll hear from each of you about what’s brought you and what you’re hoping for. If we go ahead, we’ll agree next steps at a pace that suits you.
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In person therapy sessions are held in a dedicated, comfortable room in Nantwich, with parking. I’ll send the full address and directions when we book your first session. For individuals I also offer online sessions via Google Meet across the UK.
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Yes, by video, anywhere in the UK, for individuals. Some people mix the two — in person when they can, online when work or childcare makes it easier. In my experience online work is every bit as real as being in the room; it just asks for a private space and a door you can close.
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Just let me know as early as you can. Sessions cancelled with less than 48 hours’ notice are charged, which is less about the money than about your time being held for you. If something unavoidable happens, tell me and we’ll sort it out.
Fees & practicalities
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Yes, I am a registered trainee member of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), which ensures high professional standards and ethical practice, Imago UK and the UK Association for Transactional Analysis (UKATA).
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I am completing a Level 7 Postgraduate Diploma in Integrative Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy, and completed my clinical placement with Mind (150 hours), a leading UK mental health charity. I’m also undertaking specialist clinical training in Imago Relationship Therapy, hold a Certificate in Online and Telephone Counselling, and have an MBA. Alongside the professional training, I bring real-world experience and a down-to-earth approach — a space that’s both qualified and human.
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It means I’m in the final stage of a long psychotherapy training — a Level 7 diploma, which is master’s level — and I’m registered with UKCP as a trainee member while I work towards full registration. In practice: I see clients independently, I’m insured, I’m bound by UKCP’s code of ethics, and I take my work to a clinical supervisor regularly. That last point is worth knowing, because at my stage of training I’m supervised more closely than a fully registered therapist is required to be. It’s also why my fee is £55 rather than what it will be once I’m qualified. If you’d prefer to work with someone who already holds full registration, that’s a perfectly reasonable preference and I’m happy to point you towards colleagues.
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Two reasons. UKCP’s code of ethics doesn’t allow client testimonials in advertising, so that’s the rule I work under. But there’s a better reason than the rule: asking someone who has trusted me with a hard year of their life to write something public about it puts them in a position where saying no is difficult. They’d probably say yes, and that’s exactly the problem. So you’ll have to decide about me another way — by how I write, by what I think therapy is for, and by fifteen minutes on the phone.