Counselling and Psychotherapy FAQ

We have included the most frequently asked questions for our Counselling and Psychotherapy services. If there is any other area that you need further information on, please Contact Nicholas Rose & Associates.

Online Counselling and Psychotherapy General Counselling Questions Family and Child Counselling Questions Counsellor Preference Questions Timing and Accessibility Questions Medication Questions Payment Questions

Online Counselling and Psychotherapy Questions

There are a number of differences between Online and In Person Therapy. The important consideration is whether the therapy is working and together with your therapists you will speak regullarly to ensure the therapy is meeting your needs.

Many people choose online / telephone therapy and counselling sessions as a flexible alternative or an addition to in-person (face to face) sessions. Sometimes people have all their sessions online whilst at other times online / telephone sessions are used when face to face sessions may not be possible - for example at times of travel or illness, finally some people also find it's a good first step towards in-person / face-to-face counselling too. Research shows that online and face to face counselling and psychotherapy have equivalent outcomes. There is also research evidence to indicate that people who were reluctant to try online therapy did find it a positive experience. (Source BACP Research Conference May 2020).

For some people having therapy online over the internet / phone isn't just convenient, for fitting around their lifestyle, but it also allows them to have a session in the comfortable and familiar atmosphere of home.

Some people choose Online Therapy because it suits their lifestyle, for others it is about finding a therapist that they feel really suits them.

The experinece of therapy Online is different to In Person and people can prefer it saying they find it easier to speak freely.

Using online and telephone therapy enables therapy to continue when meeting face to face is not possible.

Our therapists are experienced in working both Online and In Person and will speak to you regularly to ensure the therapy is meeting your needs.

Yes we work online with couples and partners who have asked us for couples counselling, relationship therapy and marriage counselling.

Working Online is different to In Person and can be the preferred way to have therapy. It's great where partners find themselves in different locations and even if in the same location they can choose to join use separate connections if that is helpful. For example, where couples have struggled with arguing they can find that for some or all sessions joining separately enables easier communication.

Yes, we are working online with families.

Our therapists are used to working online and will help you to ensure you get the most from the sessions.

It is important that you are able to choose a time and place in your home that will enable you to feel relaxed, minimise interruptions and ensure your sessions are private.

We work closely with our professional bodies and insurance providers to ensure we only use methods that are considered acceptable and secure, at the present time we use Skype, Facetime and Zoom depending upon your preference

Please talk to your therapist about where you are located for the sessions and they will be able to talk to you about the legal position for sessions.

We work in the same way as we would if we were meeting you face to face, so an initial session to talk about what brings you to the session and then a discussion about what to do going forwards.

Your therapist will talk with you about the best way for you to work together if technical problems arise.

Yes, all our team work online.

Research shows that Counselling and Therapy Online is as effective as In Person however there can be differences in how people experience online therapy, most importantly your therapist is experienced in working in both ways and will be able to advise if they think working online together is not appropriate.

General Counselling Questions

It is very important to us that you are thinking about starting therapy. Our experience tells us that the best way to decide on whether therapy, a particular therapeutic approach or therapist might be helpful is an initial appointment. We try to offer as much information about our therapists and the concerns they work with on our website so that when you do meet you will be able to focus on the experience of being with the therapist. How you feel will enable you to decide together with the therapist the best way forward. 

Yes, this is a private and confidential service. Sometimes people are concerned that information will be shared with their GP, employer or family members and that this might have implications. The benefit of an independent service such as this is that information does not need to be shared until you are ready to share (if at all). In the very rare event you therapist thinks there is a need to communicate with other professionals they will discuss this with you first.

We only offer you therapists who have a minimum of two years experience in working in private practice having also met the stringent requirements of the major UK professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy. You can reast assured that when meeting with your therapist they are used to speaking with people about the types of concerns brought to therapists who practice privately. 

Our team have also shown themselves to be accomplished therapists - able to bring a wealth of experience to the therapeutic process. With your therapist you can relax in the certain knowledge that you are meeting with a leading professional in talking therapy. Our service is confidential and our comfortable consulting rooms are conveniently located in Chiswick, Kensington and Cirencester.

Your therapist will be:

  • Fully trained to meet either the accredited registers of the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) or the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) regulator.
  • Active member of leading professional bodies, commiting to the most established and rigorous Ethical Codes of Conduct and meeting standards for ongoing standards of care.
  • Committed to professional development and reflective practice.
  • Experienced therapists including the delivery of therapy in private practice settings.

Together as a team we have:

  • Delivered over 100,000 therapy sessions
  • Over 160 years of combined experience as therapists
  • 96% satisfaction from clients who have completed feedback forms

An Associate will have significant experience, have membership of a professional body and at least two years in private practice. Associates are independent practitioners who Nicholas has invited to bring their practices to be based together. Whilst the Associates work independently, they have been carefully selected for their qualifications, experience and commitment to excellence. 

They also have their own professional liability insurance arrangements. The team is therefore able to provide a comprehensive portfolio of professional counselling and psychotherapy services for adults, couples and families with a choice of male and female therapists experienced in working with a broad range of concerns. 

Your agreement for therapy will be with your therapist and in the initial session they will talk you through how they work, agree with you what your therapy should be and advise how to pay their fees. 

Senior Associates are therapists who have worked in private practice and held full accreditation / registration for over ten years, or therapists who choose to become Senior Associates when they have worked with us for at least four years. This means they have a minimum of six years working with the types of concerns brought to private therapy.

A great deal of research has and is being undertaken on the subject of Counselling Services, Psychotherapy Services and the different approaches to therapy. It suggests that the most important factor in effective outcomes is the strength of the relationship between the client and the counsellor or psychotherapist. We therefore provide you with details and a photo of our Counselling and Psychotherapy Team to help you start to think about who might be right for you and when you make contact with us we will ensure you are able to meet with a therapist who has the right experience for you.

Counselling and psychotherapy trainings are many and varied however our therapists have all undertaken a comprehensive program of post graduate training, belong to professional bodies, have years of clinical experience, undertake CPD (continued professional development), have clinical supervisors and hold professional liability insurance.

A Psychotherapist registered with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) a psychotherapist will have undertaken an extensive post graduate training including an academic component generally exceeding MA level, extensive work experience and own experience of person therapy. In terms of work experience, as psychotherapy tends to be a longer term endeavour a psychotherapist will have had to work with long term clients. Psychotherapists tend to work with a wide scope of concerns from emotional difficulties to psychiatric disorders.

A Counsellor or Psychotherapist registered with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy will undergo an accredited training programme that is generally shorter term than that for the UKCP. They also have extensive work experience prior to registration but will not necessarily have worked with clients on a long term basis or in psychiatric settings and they may not have undergone personal therapy themselves.  

Whilst being independent practitioners, all the Associates share the same commitment to providing the best possible standard of care and if you are in anyway unhappy or concerned about your therapy we will want to find a solution. As your agreement for therapy is between you and your therapist speak or write to them in the first instance. In the event you continue to have any concerns then the next step is to contact the therapists professional membership organisation. Associates also hold their own individual professional liability insurance arrangements.

The terms Counselling and Psychotherapy, these are often used interchangeably. However for the purposes of understanding what to expect, counselling is an endeavour that often has a clearer focus than psychotherapy for example a Bereavement or particular crisis. The nature of more clearly defined concerns tends to result in a limited number of sessions.

Psychotherapy is relevant where there is a sense of struggle without any particular sense of a cause of the concern, often this struggle is something which has been experienced for a considerable period of time. A psychotherapy relationship tends to be of a longer-term nature.

We will discuss this fully in your initial consultation however you might find the questionnaire on this link helpful.

There are hundreds of recognised therapeutic approaches however these tend to be grouped under three major types Humanistic, Psychodynamic and Cognitive Behavioural. Our team members are integrative counsellors or psychotherapists, this means that they employ the philosophies and techniques from each of the major theoretical perspectives.

It is never possible to say at the start how many sessions will be needed however we will regularly review with you whether you are finding the sessions helpful, when you no longer feel as though you need to continue we will agree a plan for ending. We always suggest starting with six sessions and if these prove helpful then we continue.

Counselling & psychotherapy with us provides an opportunity to develop a greater understanding of your difficulties, to comprehend and clarify what was previously unclear and with this new awareness to identify and implement changes in your life. Crucially we offer a supportive relationship until the point at which you feel your difficulties have been addressed.

We can explore situations related to any aspect of your personal life and relationships, your working life, or your social life. Read more about why to choose Counselling or Psychotherapy.

No, we will sit together in chairs.

We work with you so that you can make the best decision to suit your own personal circumstances, we may offer different perspectives on a problem but we will not tell you what to do.

If you want to cry then you can and we can talk with you about your concerns about crying.

Yes, Nicholas Rose offers supervision to counsellors and psychotherapists in groups and individually.

Relationship, Family and Child Counselling Questions

Nicholas is able to offer an intensive method where a set of sessions are delivered in a single day. This option can sometimes be made available at weekends. 

If you have limited time available, travel extensively, have many commitments etc then Nicholas can offer a set of sessions in a single day. This option can sometimes be made available at weekends. Nicholas is also able to travel to you for this. 

As couples counsellors we provide a warm, supportive and non-judgmental environment, and we do not take sides. Couples counsellors do not come to the sessions with an agenda; we are not there to tell you what to do or to manipulate you into staying together. We are there to facilitate you in finding your own way forward; for some couples this will mean finding a more creative and positive future for the relationship, while for others it may mean helping you to accept and manage the end of a relationship. In our assessment session we will seek to clarify the issues on which we can seek to address in the therapy. For many clients a brief therapy model will be appropriate, this usually involves an initial commitment to ten sessions either on a weekly or fortnightly basis. Read more about Couples Counselling.

We often have couples who have tried therapy before. There are many reasons why this can happen however in our experience couples work is most effective when the couple feel relaxed with their therapist, have the energy to put into the therapy and can - maybe with some initial help from the therapist - have some clarity about what they want from the therapy. We always suggest an initial session and this enables you to see if this is the case.

Couples therapy is different to individual therapy and so the frequency of sessions might vary. Many couples find weekly sessions most helpful whilst for others less frequest sessions work best. Your therapist will work with you to put the right schedule in place.

In our experience we can help best if you both agree that:

* overall your relationship is worth trying to save

* you have energy to put into trying

We think a better question is whether you believe that putting off confronting your concerns will be beneficial in the longer term? In my experience though attitudes towards counselling are such that often it is considered as a last resort and couples can leave it too late before they start.

Yes people do come to counselling to be helped to end their relationships and we hold no agenda other than to work with you to gain the outcome that you hope to achieve.

Family therapy enables family members to listen, respect and understand different perspectives and views, to appreciate each other's needs and to build on their strengths to make useful changes and find positive ways forward. Read more about Family Therapy.

The therapeutic process is the same for everyone and every issue however having a therapist who has either personal experience or specific training is thought to be helpful. If this is true for you then you might want to ask to see a therapist with a particular sexuality or know they have experience in training on a specific issue, however in reality it can often be more helpful speaking to someone who has no preconceived ideas / experiences. The most important thing is that you feel at ease speaking with your therapist and that is why we always recommend an initial session.

Yes, we welcome the opportunity to work with people from the LGBT community in same-sex marriages or civil partnerships.

It is your space to talk about what you choose however we might ask questions if we feel they maybe relevant to the issues you want to explore.

Child Psychotherapists work with children by building a relationship through talking, play or the use of art materials to help children express themselves and help them to resolve issues concerning them. A space and time is created for them to think about life, to talk about growing up, about what happens at school with friends and about what it is like to be them. A child psychotherapist can also offer a great deal of support for parents and families at times of struggle. Juliet Lyons is our Associate Child Psychotherapist, she works with children from years 0 to 18.

If a child is showing signs of distress at home or school or if as a parent/s you are struggling in your relationship with your child. In addition there are a number of particular difficulties which can helpfully be brought to a child psychotherapist including pre and post natal difficulties, birth trauma, aggressive behaviours, ADHD, autism, divorce and separation, adoption, bereavement and loss, eating disorders, separation anxiety, selective mutism, obsessive behaviours. self harm.

Counsellor Preference Questions

It is very important to us that you are thinking about starting therapy. Our experience tells us that the best way to decide on whether therapy, a particular therapeutic approach or therapist might be helpful is an initial appointment. We try to offer as much information about our therapists and the concerns they work with on our website so that when you do meet you will be able to focus on the experience of being with the therapist. How you feel will enable you to decide together with the therapist the best way forward. 

Initial sessions can be really important to the whole process of therapy, sometimes they are the most important and research shows that for some people a single session was all that they needed. We ensure all of our therapists are trained and experienced specifically in conducting initial sessions, this means that if you and your therapist decide further therapy sessions is the right way forward then you can continue to work together. So unless you decide you would like to try meeting with another of our team, then you get started straight away without needing to repeat your story again to someone new.

In the session you will explore what has brought you, what you would like to achieve and then if it is agreed that further sessions may be helpful, you will be able to make a plan for how to proceed including session times, length, frequency and duration. All of our team have an understanding of the major therapeutic approaches and will be able to discuss any thoughts you have about particular approaches to therapy.

Research constantly shows that the single most important factor in positive outcomes is the quality of the relationship between you and your therapist. As a practice our shared passion is for your wellbeing and we know and understand just how important feeling "right" in therapy is, we encourage you to speak with us about what you would like and not like from both therapy and your therapist so that we can decide with you the best approaches and therapeutic tools.

Our therapists ask for prepayment of assessment sessions and we collect this on their behalf at the time of making the appointment. The fee is non refundable although your therapist will try to reschedule an appointment if an emergency arises, however we kindly suggest you think carefully when booking your session.

Although the initial is usually 50 minutes some therapists can require a longer initial session, you may also decide that a further "initial" session might be helpful. The important thing is that we find the way forward that works for you.

You might already have an idea in mind as to the type of therapist or therapy you want, if so our office can ensure you meet the right person at the time of booking your initial appointment.

If you are not sure then thats fine. All of our therapists are trained and experienced specifically in conducting initial sessions, this means that if you and your therapist decide further therapy sessions is the right way forward then you can continue to work together. So unless you decide you would like to try meeting with another of our team, then you get started straight away without needing to repeat your story again to someone new.

Sometimes in therapy a particular concern might suggest additional or different therapeutic support and we are used to working as a team to ensure we have the right skills and experience to meet your needs. For example, if relationship concerns are identified we might suggest you try some relationship therapy, or if you are partners coming for therapy we might suggest some individual therapy for one or both or all of you.

Another example is trauma, where it can be that at some point in the therapy a specific technique such as EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprogramming) is appropriate, in which case we will be able ensure you get the correct therapy. 

Yes, it is important that you choose a counsellor or psychotherapist who you think you can talk to easily. View our Counselling and Psychotherapy Team for our female counsellors and psychotherapists.

Yes, it is important that you choose a counsellor or psychotherapist who you think you can talk to easily. View our Counselling and Psychotherapy Team for our male counsellors and psychotherapists

Yes, it is important that you choose a counsellor or psychotherapist who you think you can talk to easily, just state your preference when you book your initial session. (Unfortunately we do not have any lesbian or transgender therapists on the team at the moment).

Timing and Accessibility Questions

Yes, we do offer sessions in the evenings and at weekends. Read more about our Weekend Therapy Service.

Counselling or psychotherapy needs a commitment of at least one session a week.

Medication Questions

Many of our clients talk to us about prescription medicines.

Whilst we do not prescribe, therapy can be used to talk through your thoughts and feelings about medication. We also recommend talking to your prescribing Doctor if you wish to start, change or end medication however we offer a non judgmental environment so that you can think through your preferences.

We are also used to providing supportive counselling and therapy for people where it has been decided to reduce or end prescribed medications.

No, however we can refer you to a GP or Psychiatrist.

Yes.

Payment Questions

The initial session is always crucial for how therapy unfolds and our therapists are experienced and trained in conducting these very important first meetings to ensure the best possible outcome.

Additionally, our experience shows that around twenty percent of people will need just one session with a therapist and so the single session fee is something people find valuable.

If you are thinking of starting therapy it is really important to think about what you are prepared to invest and then to look for a service that suits your own personal financial circumstances. 

Our therapists are independent practitioners so whilst they ask us to organise and arrange pre-payment for the initial session your agreement for therapy will be direct with your therapist. In the first session with your therapist you will be able to agree how to pay them the fee for all future sessions.

Our fees vary depending upon the type of service and time of sessions. View our Counselling and Psychotherapy Fees

Associates are required to have at least two years expereince in private practice work because it is substantially different to other contexts. It is really important that you get to meet with therapists used to the types of concern brought to private practice therapy. In addition, our team members are qualified, experienced and competent professionals. Our commitment to offering you the best possible standard of care brings with it a corresponding cost base including ongoing CPD (training), clinical supervision and other costs associated with meeting the requirements of the leading professional bodies.

Additionally we offer you the choice to meet with us in an anonymous location in independent consulting rooms offering a private and comfortable environment in an easily accessible location.

Finally, clinical work in private practice also enables therapists to provide therapy to those in our society who would otherwise not get help, meanwhile the experience therapists get from working with complex psychological concerns is hugely beneficial for informing private therapy practice.

Please check your policy cover with your provider.

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Myself and my husband had several sessions with your Therapist both online and in person. I have been fortunate to have therapy in the past but your Therapist was quite different, really intuitive, I felt for me, they was the exact balance ...

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