Counselling, Psychotherapy, Supervision and Work Mentoring in Leeds, West Yorkshire
Tel: Leeds (0113) 262 5783 email: kristal@kristalclark.com web: www.kristalclark.com

>>A personal introduction
>>My training and experiences
>>What I can offer you - psychotherapy, counselling
>>Couples counselling
>>FAQ
>>Photos: where I practice
>>Who do I see?
>>Fees and times
>>What is counselling/psychotherapy?
>>What to do next?
>>The initial appointment
>>Contact

Frequently Asked Questions

What is therapy or counselling like?

What can I expect from the therapist?

How does it work?

How often will I have to attend?

How long will it take?

what do I do if I don't like the therapist/counsellor?

For how long do I have to come?

There are several possibilities. You may choose a short, fixed amount of time in order to work on something specific - this can be from 12 to 20 sessions.
You may want a one-off appointment to talk through a particular issue.
You can choose an open-ended agreement where you take as long as you need.

Some people attend for months, some for years - it depends what you need help with and how far you are prepared to go for yourself.

How will I know when to end?

How long is a piece of string? there is no definitive answer to this question. You will probably find that you will come to this decision yourself and it will be helpful to talk about ending. However, endings are a part of life and all relationships e.g. the changing seasons, parents who separate, the death of someone, moving schools, moving house, redundancy, retirement, car accidents, births, loss of good health, loss of youth. Endings are with us all the time and therefore are part of your therapy/counselling and talking about the ending will be useful to bring to the sessions. It is not until you bring this to a session that its relevance comes to the surface and so ending is as important as the start of your therapy/counselling.

Concerns about therapy or counselling

There are many therapists and counsellors to choose from. Ultimately it is your choice who you decide to work with and it is important to ask yourself why you want to stay with one person and not the other. Whatever your thoughts, it will be helpful to discuss them at the time.

Counselling or therapy will bring thoughts or feelings to the surface that you may not want to know about and it might be your pattern of behaviour to run away as soon as the going gets tough. Seeing a therapist can therefore be supportive at these times. Ultimately, the therapist is there to help and be on your side.

How does it work?

The short answer is: you have to try it to see. everyone's experience is different and it is impossible to say how it might work for you before meeting you.