The main aim of coaching is to improve performance in whatever area of your life you choose to focus on. It could be your business, a relationship, your parenting, or your health. Many people find that engaging in the coaching process becomes a powerful motivation for personal and professional growth.

Regardless of the type of coaching you choose, at its core, coaching is designed to help raise your self-awareness and encourage personal responsibility and freedom. So, when approached with the right mindset and a willingness to put in the work, coaching can be a catalyst for lasting change—an unlocking of potential and performance.

Normally, coaching is a relationship between two or more people. It's a relationship where responsibility is accepted through exploration, choice and accountability. This is achieved through structured conversations and the use of various tools and activities I may introduce to help with self-discovery and growth.

Still have questions about what coaching is, or if it's something you might benefit from? Book a free coaching consultation call to talk with me and see how I can help you.

There are many reasons to consider working with a coach. Whether you're a leader, business owner, or busy professional, coaching can support you in making improvements in life. It can provide a dedicated space to explore personal and professional decisions and help you gain clarity and direction on important issues and goals.

Though different from counselling, coaching can also raise your awareness to understand and change problematic patterns of thinking and behaviour. It can also help you become more resourceful with your strengths and develop a healthier view of yourself and your potential. This can lead to you growing more confident in your ability to perform.

Coaching can also help you discover your purpose and the steps needed to make the changes you want to see. A coaching relationship offers accountability and support, both of which will significantly increase your chances of success. There are other benefits to coaching relating to skill and well-being—the acceleration of learning, improvements to your way of thinking, and the building of emotional resilience are just some examples.

If you're facing a challenge in life, or in a space where you need clarity and direction, working with a coach could be the decision that helps you see change, and experience greater confidence, performance and fulfillment.

Yes, your initial session is completely free and designed to help you experience our approach with no obligation.

Engagements vary, but most clients work with us for three to six months to achieve meaningful results.

Counselling is a type of talking therapy aimed at helping you improve your wellbeing by talking through issues causing you emotional distress.

Through a counselling relationship, you can discover more about yourself and your experiences by having personal conversations where you are listened to and validated without judgement.

By focusing mainly on current problems, as a trained counsellor, I can support you in exploring and understanding how you think and feel about any number of issues. Unlike what you may experience in your other relationships, I'll resist the temptation to give you my opinion, offer you advice, or tell you what I think you ought to do—I promise! Instead, I'll help you make sense of any issues causing you emotional distress by encouraging you to consider different perspectives.

People come to counselling for all sorts of reasons. For you, it could be to address an issue from your past, or to help you manage a significant life event. In either case, counselling can help you gain a better understanding of yourself, others, and your experiences. It can lead to changes in the way you handle relationships and deal with issues. Your experience with counselling, like that of many others, may also result in you feeling more confident and seeing improvements in your overall wellbeing.

Still have questions about what counselling is or if it's something you might benefit from? Book a free counselling consultation call to talk with me and see how I can help you.

If you're struggling with your normal day-to-day life, responsibilities, or relationship, it might be that you'd benefit from counselling. Deciding to try counselling is a choice only you can make, but just talking to someone in confidence can make a big difference.

Counselling will offer you a regular time and space to talk about the challenges you're facing and explore your feelings. As a counsellor, I can also help you develop better coping strategies so you can move forward and get the most out of life.

There are many reasons you might want to consider counselling. Working with a counsellor can help with difficult life problems, including dealing with depression and anxiety, relationship issues, coping with trauma, addiction, or learning how to manage unhelpful thoughts and behaviours.

Other difficulties you might want to address in counselling might be things like the loss of a loved one, addiction, managing your anger or other uncomfortable emotions, or wanting to become more confident in yourself.

Whatever you're facing, having the space to speak openly about what's on your mind can help you make sense of how you're being affected and explore ways to make the changes you'd like to see.

There may be someone close to you—a friend, family member, or partner—who you're concerned about and think might benefit from counselling. Though I'm open to inquiries on behalf of someone else, I'd always recommend getting their consent and making sure they're okay with counselling support.

I'd also say that if you have a genuine concern for someone else's wellbeing and think counselling might help, first speak to them about it in a private and confidential setting where they'll feel free from judgment. It's also important that you base your concerns on facts rather than hearsay and give clear examples of what you've noticed that's the cause of your worry.

By expressing your concern this way and emphasising that you want to see them get help and feel better, you'll be more likely to overcome any fears or stigma they may have about mental health support. It's important that you leave them to decide whether to book a counselling consultation call with me, either on their own or with your support.

Yes, what we discuss in your sessions will be confidential. As a BACP registered counsellor, I'm bound by their Ethical Framework, one of which is to 'protect the confidentiality and privacy of clients'. However, there are some situations where I might need to disclose what we discuss in your sessions. But these would relate to issues where I believe someone may be at risk of serious harm.

It's also worth noting that, under the same Ethical Framework, I'm obliged to meet regularly with a supervisor who oversees and supports my work to ensure I'm maintaining a high level of good practice. To help them assist me, I discuss my client work in general terms without sharing personal identities. My supervisor is also required to protect information and privacy.

The standard frequency for counselling sessions is once a week. This can help you discuss the changes and progress you're seeing from day to day. Although weekly sessions are typical, we'll review and adjust to meet your needs and progress. Many of my clients move to fortnightly or monthly sessions after a period of us working together.

Counselling sessions are 50 minutes long and are usually arranged weekly on a consistent day and time. This allows for routine and makes it easier to manage availability. However, this can be flexible, and we can discuss it during your counselling consultation call or before we get started.

For convenience, sessions can also be arranged via my online booking system. Let me know if this would help.

Although I believe face-to-face is best, I also offer online sessions via secure video platforms like Zoom or Google Meet. I understand that factors like location and time commitments can be challenging, so you can either work with me face-to-face, or online, or take a more blended approach that combines the two.

For sessions arranged offline, fees must be paid at least 48 hours before your agreed session date. When booking a counselling session online, payment is required at the time of making your appointment. Sessions can also be paid for in blocks, and invoicing can be provided on request.

Yes, I do offer a limited number of concessions for those who genuinely need them and for students. If you fit into either category, we'll discuss your financial circumstances during your counselling consultation call to get a sense of what could work for both of us.

My cancellation policy is to help retain your scheduled time slot and avoid unnecessary costs. It's also important to note that your commitment to attend sessions is an important part of counselling.

So, except in extenuating circumstances, a full fee is payable for missed and/or cancelled sessions. Cancellations need to be made by telephone or text within 24 hours of your scheduled session. If a voicemail message is left, you should also send a text, as voicemail may not be checked as regularly.

I will inform you of any planned absences that break the continuity of our work together. However, if I need to cancel a session due to unforeseen circumstances or an emergency, I'll let you know as soon as possible by telephone or text.

It's good practice for me to ask you for details of your General Practitioner (GP), in the event of an emotional or psychological emergency while we're working together, I might need to contact them in the interests of your wellbeing and safety. It's worth noting that you're not obliged to provide these details.

My counselling sessions are generally available on an hourly basis from 9 am until 4 pm on Monday to Wednesday (finishing at 4:50 pm). If you require sessions outside of these hours or at the weekends, I can recommend other registered therapists who may have availability to meet your needs.

In some extenuating circumstances, I may agree to be available to you if you're facing a situation that may require additional availability. But typically, I'll only be available to speak or meet with you during your scheduled session times. In the case of a crisis, you'll be expected to contact your GP, Samaritans (call free anytime, from any phone, on 116 123), or, if needed, the emergency services.

Though it's best that you attend all sessions together, on occasions where only one of you can, I'll provide a one-on-one session. To maintain the consistency of your couples counselling, the issues raised with the individual who attended may be shared when you next meet together.

Yes, the location of my office has good disabled access, if needed.

Yes, there are various parking options available near my office, as follows:

Station Road Car Park

Hampden Way Car Park

Gloucester Leisure Centre (GL1)

Prices vary, so I'd recommend you check first.

To talk about whether counselling is right for you, book a free counselling consultation call. During the call, we will discuss what working together might look like, and you will also have an opportunity to ask questions.