You don't need to prepare anything. There are no right answers, and I won't expect you to explain your entire life story in the first 50 minutes.

Our first session is really a conversation. We'll talk about what has brought you to therapy, what's happening in your life at the moment, and what you might like to understand or change. I'll probably ask some questions along the way, but there's no checklist of things you need to get through.

You also don't need to know exactly what's wrong. “I'm not really sure, I just know something doesn't feel right” is a perfectly good place to start.

Most importantly, the first session works both ways. It's an opportunity for me to understand what you need, but it's also a chance for you to get a sense of me and how I work. Therapy is personal, and finding someone you feel comfortable talking to is crucial.

If we decide to continue, we take it from there. You don't need to be “good at therapy"; you just need to be willing to turn up.

Qualifications and therapeutic approach matter, but so does whether you actually feel you can talk to the person sitting opposite you.

Finding the right therapist is a personal journey, and the relationship you build with them is unlike any other in your life, so it needs to feel right. You might prefer someone warm and conversational, someone more challenging, someone who says very little, or someone who actively engages with you. There isn't one kind of therapist who works perfectly for everybody.

I'm collaborative, which means I'll listen carefully, but I won't just sit silently and nod for 50 minutes. I'll ask questions, offer observations, sometimes challenge you, and occasionally we might even laugh together, because therapy can involve difficult things without every minute of it needing to feel heavy and completely serious.

Our first session gives us a chance to see how it feels to work together. You should feel able to be honest with me, including when you disagree with me or if something I say doesn't quite land.

And if I'm not the right therapist for you, that's completely okay. It isn't a failed first session or a rejection of either of us, because sometimes two perfectly reasonable human beings just aren't the right therapeutic fit, and if that's the case, I can try to help you find somebody who might be more suited to you. Either way we can discuss it openly.

That's completely fine. You don't need to arrive each week with a full agenda or a plan.

Some sessions start with something that's been on your mind all week, others with: “I have absolutely no idea what to talk about today.” Both are perfectly good ways to begin.

Therapy isn't a performance, and it's not your responsibility to make each session productive or engaging. We can sit with uncertainty, follow whatever comes up, or simply start with what's happening for you in that moment.

Sometimes not knowing what to say is meaningful in itself, and sometimes the conversation that begins with apparently nothing, turns out to be the one that takes you somewhere really important.

No. You don't need a referral from your GP or another healthcare professional to begin private therapy with me.

You can contact me directly, and you don't need to have a diagnosis or know exactly what you need help with before getting in touch.

We'll talk about what's bringing you to therapy and what you're hoping to get from it when we first meet.

In some circumstances, and only where appropriate, it may be useful for me to communicate with your GP or another healthcare professional. I would normally only do this with your knowledge and consent, unless there were exceptional circumstances involving serious risk or a legal requirement to disclose information.

People come to therapy with an enormous range of experiences, and you don't need to fit neatly into a particular category or have a diagnosis to begin.

Some of the areas I work with include:

• Relationship difficulties

• Anxiety, panic, and persistent worry

• Depression and low mood

• Stress, overwhelm, and burnout

• Trauma and post-traumatic stress

• Childhood trauma and difficult family experiences

• Grief, bereavement, and loss

• Addiction and problematic relationships with alcohol or drugs

• Sexual abuse and other experiences of abuse

• Low self-esteem, confidence, and self-worth

• Anger and difficult emotions

• Identity and sense of self

• LGBTQ+ experiences

• Identity and sexuality

• Neurodiversity

• Work-related stress and difficult professional relationships

• High-pressure careers and environments

• Major life changes and transitions

• Feeling stuck, disconnected or simply not quite yourself

This isn't an exhaustive list. Sometimes people come to therapy knowing exactly what they want help with; sometimes the first thing we need to understand is what doesn't feel right.

If you're unsure whether what you're experiencing is something we could work with, you're welcome to ask before arranging a session. If I don't think I'm the right person to help, I'll be open about that and, where possible, help you think about what kind of support might be more appropriate.

Yes. I have experience working therapeutically with neurodivergent clients, including people with ADHD and autism, as well as people who are exploring or questioning whether they may be neurodivergent.

Of course being neurodivergent doesn't necessarily mean it's the reason you're coming to therapy. You might want to talk about relationships, work, anxiety, identity, self-esteem, or something entirely unrelated. Equally, you may want to explore how ADHD, autism, or other aspects of neurodivergence have shaped the way you experience yourself, other people, and the world around you.

Therapy shouldn't require you to become better at appearing neurotypical.

Where useful, we can potentially discuss things like masking, overwhelm, executive functioning, social sensitivity, relationships, sensory needs, and the experience of receiving (or living without) a diagnosis.

I'll adapt the way we work where I reasonably can, rather than expecting you to adapt yourself to therapy.