What is counselling and how does it work?
At City of London Counselling, psychodynamic therapy is the main mode of therapy available. Psychodynamic therapy allows you the opportunity, time and space to reflect on the issues that are important to you and have brought you to therapy. There is no format or set structure to the therapy and this is what makes the therapy personal to you, the individual. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way of engaging in therapy. With the therapist, you will find ‘your’ own way.
You may wish to explore present day experiences, concerns or worries that are affecting you now, or you may wish to talk about experiences of the past. You will offered the opportunity talk about your experiences, thoughts and feelings in a safe environment with a therapist who will listen without judgement.
Both short-term and long term therapy is available. Short-term counselling is for a fixed number of sessions, usually twelve sessions. Long-term therapy is open ended, meaning you decide when you wish to work towards the ending of your therapy with your therapist.
The Initial Consultation
To help you decide whether this is the right therapy for you, we would arrange to meet for an initial consultation, which would last no more than 90 minutes. During this time, we would have the opportunity to discuss the difficulties and issues that have brought you to where you are now. The consultation allows the therapist to find out a little more about you and so the therapist will ask you questions about your personal circumstances.
Length and frequency of sessions
Therapy sessions last for 50 minutes and take place every week, usually on the same day and at the same time.
Short term therapy is for a fixed number of sessions with the end date of the therapy known at the beginning of the therapy.
Long term therapy simply means no end date is set for the therapy. With your therapist, you will have the opportunity to explore both current and past experiences and how they impact upon you today. You decide when you wish to end the therapy in consultation with the therapist.