Introducing Individuals Counselling.
What if a single idea could transform your life?
Individuals counselling is ideal for a single person wishing to deal with anything from anxiety, depression, phobias, confidence, work issues, relationship problems and many more issues. Counselling can help you address and work through problems in your life, to help you resolve them.
Taking up private counselling means that you don’t need to be referred to a counsellor by the NHS or your GP. You won’t have to go on a waiting list and you are not limited to a strict maximum number of six sessions. Neither are you restricted to one particular form of counselling – which may or may not help you – the choice being made on your behalf by what’s available on the NHS . By going private your GP will not be informed of your counselling – it remains totally confidential.
How Counselling can help.
When you have issues on your mind, and you either cannot talk with friends or family – or friends and family are unable to help sufficiently – private counselling helps an individual address difficulties and distresses. Sometimes it’s impossible to explain to a family member or a friend why you feel down, or anxious (a typical question from famiy and friends is: “… but why are you feeling like this” as if knowing the answering will help fix the problem) – but to a therapist you don’t have to explain yourself.
Counselling can help by supporting you in many ways:-
- Helping you work through a difficult life issue (health, losses, work stresses, past traumas and so on).
- Assisting you weigh up options or goals.
- Talking through making a difficult choice.
- Talking through past experiences which need to be put to rest (eg issues/trauma from growing up).
Some people come into counselling not knowing why. And we can help with that too.
Sometimes just knowing that someone is on your side in empathy can be enough.
What’s Involved.
We initially meet to discuss your needs from counselling … and to have a think about what counselling might help you. This is called the “assessment” session.
If we agree that counselling could be helpful, and we think that we can work with each other, we will arrange subsequent sessions. Sometimes brief/focal counselling (a fixed number of sessions) is agreed suitable, sometimes working until the issues are worked through is a better choice.
Then we talk.
You will lead the sessions (with the counselling helping at the beginning of the work). Whatever you want to talk about is OK. The counsellor will listen, be inquisitive and curious to help understand aspects of the problems that, perhaps, you had not considered before. The counsellor may sometimes offer thoughts and interpretations about what might be happening for you … giving you another perspective that is intended to help you understand the issues. Sometimes, looking forward into the future will be discussed; how will things be when the issues are resolved and put away. Sometimes the therapist will work with your emotions, sometimes the therapist will work with your patterns of thinking. All of this is aimed to help you find your own ways that work for you in putting the problems to bed, leaving you unburned/less burned than when you came to therapy.
All sessions are fifty minutes, are held weekly on the same day and time and same location.
Responsibilities within Individual’s Counselling.
What is expected of the Therapist?
- Ensuring the safety of both the therapist and client (eg a quiet, confidential room that will not be disturbed, that the session time begins and ends on time).
- To take an ethical stance on all matters, to follow the BACP's Ethical Framework, and to ensure his best practice for the client at all times.
- To ensure that the client can discuss his/her subjects in safety - albeit not necessarily always in comfort (i.e. discussing trauma will be uncomfortable to begin with) - but ensuring the client can stop at any time they wish to.
- To listen without communicating judgement or prejudice.
- To try and use the client's own language to discuss matters where possible (i.e. if the client doesn't speak in 'emotions' but instead talks about 'behaviour', then the therapist speaking exclusively in terms of 'emotions' may not be very helpful).
- To recognise and work with social, sexual, ability and cultural differences (that the therapist is not giving advice from his position ("What I would do is..."), but is being effective in helping the client find his/her own resolutions and/or management of problems).
- To be earnest on assisting the client out of therapy either when the client is ready to leave, or by helping the client recognise that the therapy may have been concluded (i.e. not keeping a person in therapy beyond a legitimate need & not ousting a client before he/she is ready to leave).
What is expected of the Client?
- Initially, the client needs simply to being willing to give the therapy a try - even if sceptical or unsure of the therapist's approach.
- To bear in mind that counselling is not done to him/her as a client, that he/she will not be cured by the therapist's approach alone. He/she is an active participant in the therapy (albeit this may not be possible at the start - and sometimes not during - due to emotional states).
- To ensuring that he/she tells the truth in all matters but also to be aware that he/she can decline to discuss anything uncomfortable.
- To take responsibility for bringing up concerns or dissatisfaction about the therapist with the therapist (e.g. the therapist's conduct, something he said, something he does etc.). All therapists appreciate that this may take courage ... but as the therapist has the best of intentions, and whilst his experience may often tip him off to a client being disturbed by something he does or says, he may not always be aware of any deep or hidden irritation on behalf the client.
- When the client/therapist agree an exercise between sessions is appropriate, to be willing to find the time to address the exercise, or be willing to discuss matters if the exercise was not completed (or, say, not completed to the client's satisfaction).
- Be willing to bring up ending counselling when he/she feels that time is approaching.
What Individual Counselling isn’t suitable for.
Skype Counselling.
- Counselling is not an advice service. The therapist cannot give you solutions based upon his own experience, judgement or from a reference manual.
- The therapist cannot take action on your behalf (e.g. writing to a government agency, or writing a complaint to a company on your behalf).
- Counselling isn’t a social meeting – although it can appear as though it is a social relationship.
- Counselling is not held anywhere public (eg a cafe, library). Some therapists will offer home-visits.
- Individual counselling cannot help change a third party. Sometimes people wish to come and talk about their problems with another person, sometimes wanting solutions for that other person to be changed. The only person we can work with to change in individual therapy is you.
What do to next…
If you are interested in potentially receiving individuals’ counselling, contact Dean Richardson to make an appointment for an assessment.
Southampton's Cult Heroes: Saints' 20 Greatest IconsExamines the careers of the 20 greatest Cult Heroes in the history of Southampton Football Club, and discovers the essence of what makes a South Coast icon. This book tells why each of the 20 icons became the embodiment of the fans on the pitch, through anecdotes, interviews, and revelations.
You might also like…
-
Choose Brief-Focal Counselling
When you need a brief solution, you'd choose Dean Richardson's brief focal therapy. Brief therapy is a specialised, time-limited form of counselling that offers you a set number of sessions (discussed between you and Dean at the beginning). By being focussed upon a single, important subject, the counselling work becomes swift, concentrated ... and budget-able. Brief psychodynamic counselling is not suitable for everyone ('open-ended' being another option), but whether six sessions, twelve, or a number specific to your needs, Dean will help you decide if this can be a good therapy for you... -
Choose LGBT Counselling
Whilst most counsellors will work with LGBT clients, Dean Richardson is a specialist LGBT counsellor. Spot the difference? Whilst it's true that any LGBT client could work with any counsellor, many Hampshire LGBT clients choose to work specifically with Dean. Dean offers counselling & therapy for gay, lesbian and mixed-gender/sexuality LGBT couples (whether separating or reconciling) and LGBT individuals. As a gay man, lesbian woman, or whatever is your most comfortable gender- and sexual- identification, decide if you would like to meet Dean to discuss your needs from counselling... -
LGBT Individuals Counselling
LGBT Individual's Personal Counselling for LGBT clients who choose to work specifically with Dean Richardson. Dean, as a professional LGBT-specialist counsellor, offers counselling specifically for gay & lesbian individuals,and trans-gendered, trans-vestite & bisexual people's needs. -
Choose Couples Counselling
The choice to come into couples counselling may be a courageous one & choosing Dean Richardson can help you both transform the most important relationship of your life. Ideal for marriages, civil-partnerships and platonic relationships, with lots of helpful therapeutic curiosity we'll learn how your relationship became stuck. We'll learn how to perturb unhappy behaviour by gaining new knowledge. With inspiration & creative ideas from all of us we'll introduce changes. With supportive observation, challenge & systemic hypothesising, Dean will help you both to join in the process until you have no further need of him nor couple counselling. Whether breaking-up or reconciling, you could begin counselling soon... -
Counselling
Private Portsmouth Counselling with Dean Richardson. With over thirteen years’ experience, Dean Richardson’s Hampshire private counselling practice, in Portsmouth & Southsea, focuses on Individual’s Counselling, Couples Counselling and Support Groups. His private therapy services are available to all individuals and couples from . Counselling isn’t about telling someone how to get things right. It’s a [...] -
LGBT Couples Counselling
Counselling specifically for LGBT couples' needs. Gay and lesbian couples, and couples of mixed-sexuality/gender-identification deserve their own form of couple counselling that meets the needs of their particular kinds of relationships. Dean Richardson, as a professional LGBT-specialist counsellor works with LGBT couples. -
About Dean Richardson
Dean Richardson MBACP(accred) UKRCP Reg. is an experienced, fully qualified, friendly, ethical and insightful Hampshire counsellor/psychotherapist who will work with you in his private practice in Southsea (Hampshire) and Skype video. Dean is a male counsellor who specialises in working with couples, individuals and groups. He's quite human too - joining in at times of laughter ( it's real therapy - it happens ;) ) as well as listening empathically to the worst people want to talk about. Your choice of therapy is important - decide today if Dean Richardson could be your therapist for private counselling... -
Costs of Counselling & Therapy
Private counselling can be a liberating, freeing experience and it is not free of charge. Dean Richardson's investment in your therapy and his commitment to you is appropriately matched by his per-session fees which vary accordingly on the type of therapy service you engage in. -
Counselling Locations
Dean Richardson's private counselling services are available in the following locations: Portsmouth & Southsea:The Marple Cross Centre, Osborne Road, Portsmouth, PO5 3LB.Skype: Internet video. Counselling services not limited to Portsmouth residents, anyone from Southampton, Fareham, Gosport, Havant & Hayling Island, northwards to Petersfield and eastwards to Chichester can work with Dean… -
Post-Christmas Counselling
Have you forgotten how good used to feel? Save up to £40 to help you back into 2012 with 4 discounted sessions. The party may be over ... but you could make 2012 your New Year's Resolution to live life in less conflict. If you're one of the hundreds of people who were disturbed by events over the holidays, events that seem to come up again and again each year, you might like to start 2012 by getting them off your chest with a professionally qualified counsellor: Dean Richardson. Start 2012 with professional support to help you put away 2011. Suitable for both couples and individuals. Act soon - offer ends February, 2012...
