Therapy is deeply personal, and there's no one-size-fits-all timeline or schedule; everyone's journey looks different based on your unique experiences, goals, and needs.

Frequency: Weekly sessions are the most common and often recommended starting point, as they help build momentum, consistency, and deeper progress. For challenges like depression, anxiety, relationship/attachment patterns, trauma, self-esteem struggles, or other ongoing issues, weekly is usually the best pace. However, for some people they find fortnightly sessions allow them the time they need to process material in between sessions. 

Duration: How long therapy lasts varies widely from person to person. For many with the kinds of challenges mentioned above, a range of around 6–12 months (roughly 25–50 weekly sessions) is a realistic timeframe where people often notice substantial shifts. Some find relief sooner with focused work; others benefit from longer support. We'll regularly check in on your progress and what "feeling better" or "finished" might look like for you, so we can work collaboratively to find the natural stopping point together.

From my perspective, the core difference lies in specific versus non-specific factors that support change.

Psychologists often focus on diagnosis and applying specific interventions. They use structured, research-backed techniques like a defined course of CBT or exposure therapy for particular issues.

Psychotherapists don’t usually diagnose and place greater emphasis on non-specific interventions. Such as the therapeutic relationship itself, which is built on trust, empathy, genuine understanding, hope, and empowerment. Research shows this connection is one of the most powerful elements in healing and growth.

In practice, there is significant overlap:

Many psychologists are also skilled in relational and empathic work, and many psychotherapists use specific techniques when they are a good fit.

Ideally, you’ll work with someone,  whether a psychologist, psychotherapist, or counsellor, who is strong in both areas: someone who can create a safe, supportive, and deeply attuned relationship while also offering approaches that align with your unique situation, challenges, and preferences.

This is such a personal decision, and there’s no universal rule and everyone chooses a therapist for their own reasons. What feels like a great fit for one person might not click for another. That’s completely okay and normal.

For many people, a good therapist is someone who feels kind and genuinely curious about you, who helps spark a sense of hope, and who supports you in feeling more confident in yourself and your capacity to grow and change.

If trusting others has been hard for you in the past, it might take a few sessions to really sense whether this connection feels safe and supportive. That’s a valuable thing to notice and can be brought into our work together. I’m happy to explore it with you openly. Sometimes this is a big part of the work. 

Sessions won’t always feel easy or comfortable, and that’s part of the process too. Therapy is a space to gently experiment, to stretch toward the edges of what feels familiar, to try new ways of being. It can also be a place to celebrate your strengths and small (or big) wins, feel your joys, and slow down enough to meet the parts of yourself you might usually hurry past.

Ultimately, you’ll know it’s a good fit when you start to feel a growing sense of safety, understanding, and movement, even if it’s gradual.

Confidentiality is one of the most important factors of therapy.  All information shared in session as well as your attendance in therapy is kept in the strictest confidence. There are rare circumstances that limit confidentiality for psychotherapists and these can be explored in session.

Our first 1-3 sessions will usually be about me getting to know you. I'll ask some open questions about what brings you here, a bit about your background, and what you're hoping for. There's no pressure to share everything at once; you set the pace. It's mostly about building a sense of connection and seeing if this feels like a safe space for you. Many people leave after their first session feeling relieved or a little lighter, even if it's just the start.

Absolutely! It's one of the most common things people experience before their first session, and you're far from alone in feeling it. The idea of opening up to someone new about personal, sometimes tender parts of your life can stir up all sorts of feelings: vulnerability, worry about what to say (or not say), fear of being judged, or simply the uncertainty of what it might be like. 

My role is to offer you my full attention from an open, curious and non-judgemental stance, welcoming all feelings which may be present in our first session.

Reaching out and booking that first session is already a really courageous first step.