Appointment times, types & availability

Appointment Times
Day (from 8am), evening & Saturday mornings

Availability usually available within 1 week.

What is the typical length of treatment, frequency & number of sessions?
Every one is different but generally speaking most people come between 6- 12 sessions over 2 – 4 months, sometimes clients attend for a year or more.

How do sessions take place? Sessions take place remotely by Zoom or in person at Basepoint Business Centre, London Road, Camberley, Surrey GU15 3HL. There is a waiting area in reception and lift and stairs access to the office on the third floor.

Parking
Free parking for visitors on the left as you drive in to the Basepoint users car park.

Can you prescribe medication?
No, if required, this is done by a G.P or Psychiatrist.

Can I get my sessions on my private health insurance?
Since 2018, I no longer accept referrals from private health insurance providers.

Do I need my G.P to refer me?
No, you can self refer.

Do you provide treatment on the NHS?
No, only private.

What to expect

Initial consultation
This involves taking a history and getting to know a bit more about you in order to fully assess the current situation. This is an important foundation for our work and treatment or action plan to decide where we need to focus. We will discuss any current medication & details of any previous therapy or psychological assessments.

Follow on appointments
Will usually be semi structured and involve talking, questioning looking at things from different perspectives. These perspectives usually  include: the past, the present and the future, your perspective (including your thoughts, feelings and behaviours) and other people’s perspectives. We may identify and examine any repeating patterns or themes. We may look at how to resolve issues, patterns and themes from past using various techniques and explore suitable coping and management strategies for the difficulties whilst we are working to resolve them.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is psychological therapy like?
Most people find it interesting. It can help you to change the things in your life that are not working for you and help you to be a better person for yourself and your loved ones. It can help you to get to know, get to like and appreciate yourself more rather than fighting internally against yourself.

I have a relative, friend or loved one with mental health issues who I care for
I often work with “carers” or other loved ones when the person with the problem is not ready to attend. I also see loved ones of those who are undergoing treatment elsewhere to help them manage and help their loved one better. Sometimes and unintentionally loved ones can hinder progress or collude with the problem making it worse. Sometimes just one session can make all the difference.

How to get the most from your sessions

Note keeping
It can be helpful to make some personal notes after the session while things are fresh in your mind, as well as jotting down and any thoughts or feelings / issues that you would like to discuss between sessions.

Extra space for quiet time / self care activities
This encourages reflection and allows time to process what we have been working on. It could be anything (a long walk, an early night, going for a drive, an unhurried drink in a cafe, soaking in the bath, chatting with a friend or a quiet night in) It is often in such quiet moments that people find things slot into place.

Keeping a progress journal
Some people find it helpful to start and maintain a private journal in addition to making notes after and between sessions.There is no particular format. Entries can be anything from a few bullet points or words to pages of writing, daily, weekly or occasionally. Free private journalling.

Let me know if you need something different
If things are not progressing how you would like, your goals from our work change or you would like us to review progress then please say. We will usually review every 6 or so sessions but it’s important to get the most from your sessions.

Discussing session content with others
Whether you share what we discuss and how much you share is up to you but you should never feel obliged to tell others. It is often deeply private and personal and your loved ones should respect that, and you have a choice even if someone else is paying for your sessions.

Helpful books
If you would like to read a book alongside our work then I can usually recommend some books or resoruces to use as an adjunct to our sessions.