I practise from a location in Central Hertfordshire, a short distance from St Albans, Harpenden, Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage and Hitchin.

First contact usually involves a brief telephone conversation after which I will make an appointment for an initial consultation. This chargeable meeting (or possibly a telephone call) takes about an hour, and will provide an opportunity to consider your concerns and then to mutually assess how best to progress. If we decide that further work is appropriate, we can schedule additional meetings. These last about 55 minutes for counselling work, which experience has shown is an optimum duration. The time may vary in time for coaching appointments. Because of the open-ended nature of the work I like to contract for 5 or 6 sessions at intervals of 1 or 2 weeks initially, paid in advance. At the end of this period we can review progress and agree a further contract if appropriate. However I am flexible with my approach and can consider other arrangements to fit in best with your needs.

Details of costs and arrangements are discussed during the initial phone conversation and confirmed at consultation.

I have an integrative style, which means that I have studied and been trained in a number of theoretical approaches which I use flexibly and appropriately to meet the needs of a client's unique situation. These include Psychodynamic, Systemic, CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and Humanistic (Rogerian) therapeutic approaches. I integrate NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) ideas and skills, and am also qualified to use the Myer-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which can often be a helpful tool at the start of a coaching programme.

I work to BACP Ethical Guidelines, which provides a strict code of practice for professionally-accredited counsellors and psychotherapists.

This means for example that confidentiality is paramount. I will keep all information from, or about you, strictly private unless in the very unlikely event that I am forced to disclose something for legal reasons, or if I am seriously worried that someone may be harmed. It also means that my work is geared to your best interests, and that I will only agree to work with you if I feel that I am qualified to do so. Should I recognise at any stage that I believe that you should be receiving help from someone with different skills, experience or knowledge, I will discuss this with you at the first opportunity and assist you in finding a more appropriate source of help.

A requirement of being a BACP Accredited counsellor, and one that is essential good practice for all professionals in this field, is that my practice is supervised. In this context supervision is a means of ensuring the quality and professionalism of my work with you, and involves reviewing my client work with a qualified Supervisor, who is of course subject to the same stringent code of confidentiality.