Getting Started
1. First have a good look around the website.
2. Make contact by telephone (call 07463 542368), or email, so that we can have a brief and informal chat about your requirements, and answer any questions you might have. It also allows me to assess if my services are appropriate for you. I may also at this stage be able to give you a preliminary assessment of whether short-term or longer term therapy would be more suitable.
3. Ensure you are prepared and able to commit the time, energy, and financial resources needed. It is best to be realistic and consider these now, so that you can ensure that you can effectively complete your treatment and achieve the goals you started out with. To get the greatest benefit out of your therapy, it does require an on-going commitment to regular weekly sessions. Depending on the issues you bring, and whether you do short or longer term therapy, the work can take anywhere from a couple of months to over a year or more. Turning up for a session or two ‘just to see if it works‘ is usually just a waste of both our time, as deep personal change is almost never that instant. Personal growth tends to be a gradual and accumulative process, that takes place over a period of time. Hence the need for you to commit your time, to working on your personal change. It usually takes at least 6 sessions to get a feel for the therapist and their therapeutic approach, so aim to attend at least 6 sessions before deciding if the therapist or therapy is for you.
As a very rough guide, chronic, complex or life-long problems requiring deeper and broader changes will obviously require longer term treatment, lasting anywhere from a few months to over a year or more of weekly sessions. For a very specific issue with a very narrow focus, time-limited short-term treatments can be more suitable, with 8 – 24 sessions being typical.
4. Once you have decided you would like to begin the psychotherapy / counselling process, you should book an Initial Consultation session either by phone, email, or by clicking the yellow ‘Book an Appointment’ button on the right.
The Initial Consultation session allows a much more in-depth exploration of the problem, a discussion of your expected outcomes, a chance to negotiate and plan your future treatment, and to make a start on helping you to achieve your goals. The format of a suitable treatment, and a rough guide to how long your treatment may need to be are given. The therapy process itself is highly flexible so estimates, processes, plans and goals are regularly reviewed, discussed and updated as your treatment progresses.
5. After attending the Initial Consultation you will want to book further ongoing psychotherapy sessions. Treatment is ideally comprised of 1 hour sessions, held at regular weekly intervals, though the duration and frequency of these can sometimes be negotiated to suit your specific circumstances if needed.
6. Your treatment will be considered open-ended, meaning the sessions will continue until you decide you have achieved the degree of change you want. Your progress will be regularly reviewed, assessed and discussed to help you with this decision. You can, of course, end your treatment at any time, after discussing and agreeing an ending period. I would prefer that you give as much notice as possible before ending your treatment, this is particularly important for long-term work. The longer we work together, the more notice you should give. A minimum of 4 weeks notice for mid to long-term work is required. For short-term work, at least 1 to 2 weeks notice is acceptable.
All treatment is carried out privately on a one-to-one basis, in a non-judgemental, constructive, relaxed, and supportive environment.
Don’t see exactly what you are looking for on this website?
Do please get in touch to discuss your requirements. My training and many years of experience have given me the depth and breadth of knowledge, and flexible skill set to help you work through many complex psychological issues.
Practice Location
I practice from a consulting room in Manchester City Centre near Piccadilly Gardens and the Northern Quarter. With excellent transport links it is within very easy travelling distance of most of the Greater Manchester area. If you can’t travel to me then I am also available for online psychotherapy and counselling via Zoom.
Getting Started – Booking Your Sessions
When you are committed to make the inner changes you need, to achieve the life you want, simply click the yellow ‘Book an Appointment’ button above on the right side of the page, or phone me on 07463 542 368, to make your first appointment now.
Inner Changes Psychotherapy and Counselling Manchester – Getting Started page.