Counselling offers a safe, confidential space for you to talk to someone about the thoughts and feelings which you are experiencing as a result of your loss. Whatever those feelings are, we will explore them in a kind, compassionate way. The aim is to help you make sense of those feelings and make sense of the loss. If you are angry about the loss, we will look at that. If you feel relief about the loss, we will look at that. Whatever the combination of feelings that you bring, that combination is unique to you, and we will work on it collaboratively, with kindness and compassion.

I don’t believe that grief is something to be fixed, it is something that we learn to live with over time. It can be enormously painful and testing for us. In time we learn to live life without that person, or pet. But that doesn’t mean we forget them, we carry them with us in our hearts and in our minds always.

One theory about grief which I find quite helpful is the Tonkins model. It asks you to imagine your grief as a ball inside in a jar, where the jar signifies your life. To start with, when your grief is most acute, the ball fills the whole jar and it dominates your life. Over time, though, while the ball of grief stays the same size, your jar grows and you start rebuilding your life around the grief. I think this is a helpful way to look at it because sometimes bereaved people feel a pressure to “move on” or “go back to normal” following a bereavement. In essence, they are feeling that the ball of grief should get smaller and smaller over time until it is almost nothing. With this model, the grief persists, just as your memories and feelings for the person who’s gone persist. You find a way to move forward while still carrying that person with you into the future.

Whatever your grief feels like, whatever combination of feelings it might be, it is very likely that you are not alone in having those feelings as part of your bereavement. Responses to grief are so broad – feelings of sadness, anger, guilt, relief and anxiety are very common. How it affects you personally, and how it is affecting your life, is what we would look at in our sessions together. Whatever the bereavement is bringing up to the surface for you is what we would work on.

Yes, I offer a free 15-minute no obligation introductory phone call. This is an opportunity for you to ask any questions and to see if you think we can work together successfully.

The introductory phone call is a chance for you to talk a little about why you are interested in seeing a counsellor and for me to answer any questions you might have about the process of counselling and how I work. In short, it is a chance for both of us to get a sense of whether we are a good fit together. I always encourage potential clients to “shop around” with different counsellors and therapists to see if they get a good gut feeling about working with one in particular. Trust your gut!

We will usually meet on a weekly basis, at the same time each week ideally. Either in-person in London Bridge or online via a Zoom video call. Each session lasts 50 minutes.

I am available for sessions on weekday evenings (6-9pm) and on Saturday mornings (9am-1pm).

Cancellations should be made at least 48 hours before your appointment. If this does not happen then you will be charged for the full cost of the session. I understand that unexpected circumstances can happen. If an emergency or situation outside of your control emerges, please contact me as soon as possible so we can discuss this. You will not be charged for any sessions which I cancel.

I offer both face-to-face and online sessions. Whichever you prefer is fine with me. Online counselling sessions take place via the Zoom platform. Face-to-face sessions take place at private rooms at The Psychosynthesis Trust which is located very close to London Bridge railway and Tube station in central London.

An in-person (face-to-face) counselling session costs £70. An online session using Zoom costs £60. Each session lasts 50 minutes.

It costs more for a face-to-face session to cover the cost of hiring a room.

You can pay using bank transfer. Payments must be made 24 hours before your scheduled session.

My account details are provided in the contract I’ll send you before we begin our first session.

Counselling can be short-term, e.g. a fixed number of session or it can be open-ended. This is entirely client-led so I will be guided by you. If you find that the work we are doing together is helping and you wish to continue then we will continue. Similarly, if you think a fixed number of sessions will work best for you, we can work in that way too.

Confidentiality is a critical part of counselling. It allows you to feel safe and comfortable to talk about anything within the counselling sessions. What you and I discuss in our sessions will remain confidential. However, there are boundaries and limits to confidentiality in some specific scenarios.

Confidentiality may be broken if:

• I am required to do so to comply with a court order

• You or others appear to be in danger, or at serious risk of being harmed

• You infer involvement in, or knowledge of, an act of terrorism / money laundering / drug trafficking / behaviours that may lead to harm or neglect to children or vulnerable adults

If possible, I will discuss this break in confidentiality with you before contacting any third parties such as your GP or the emergency services.

I am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). I adhere to their ethical framework. If for any reason you are unhappy with the service I provide and we are unable to resolve the issue between us, the BACP has a complaints service you can contact [link].

If you are in crisis or in need of immediate help, please contact a service such as 999, the Samaritans (116 123) or the NHS.