How I work
Most people make their first appointment with me by phone. You must do this yourself - I won't accept appointments made for you by anyone else. If possible, I like to write you a letter before you come, confirming the appointment and giving you any directions you might need to find your way. The appointment is just for yourself: if anyone comes with you they will be asked to wait outside or return for you later. We then have an hour and a half, at the start of which you are a complete stranger to me, and I shall be hoping by the end to know quite a lot about you.
I prefer you to tell me about yourself in your own way - I don't have any tests or questionnaires - I just sit and listen. Usually, by the end of this time, we've both got a pretty clear idea of how things might go. You can make another appointment then and there, or go away and think about it, or I might suggest that I'm not the best person for you to see. I certainly hope to have been some use to you, even in this one session.
Usually, I continue to see people once a week, rarely twice, but never less. My work is "open-ended" in the sense that we have no arrangement for a definite number of sessions. You are free to finish therapy at any time; however, a firm commitment to the work is necessary, and I do charge for sessions missed while we are still engaged in it. Ideally, we meet at the same hour each week; unless your job requirements make that impossible. My clients stay for an average of about three months, but obviously there are wide variations.