If you decide that you would like to contact us an initial enquiry will be made over the telephone (or email) where we would briefly discuss any questions you have and availability. If a client is under 18 years of age, this conversation would usually be with a parent/carer. There will be no charge for this enquiry or brief telephone call. Should you choose to proceed, we would then arrange a date and schedule an assessment session.
“Ellie provided therapy to my 13 year old daughter for approx. 4/5 months. She worked through her issues on a weekly basis and provided strategies to help her. My daughter found her very relatable/approachable and whilst she didn’t always look forward to the weekly calls (as it made her confront things), she was always ‘lighter’ after the event. Ellie was able to get her to open up in a way that a parent can’t always, and developed a trusting relationship where my daughter knew that her problems were not going to go any further. As a parent, Ellie was extremely approachable and helpful/available if I needed to give any context to an issue or discuss my concerns, which would then feed into the session (if applicable)“
– Anon (Parent)
Assessment sessions are generally longer than treatment sessions (we allow 90 minutes). The assessment sessions are designed to discuss your difficulties in more detail, goals for treatment, and a treatment plan, as well as provide you with an opportunity to ask further questions about therapy. We will discuss any safety concerns and if appropriate, complete a safety plan together. We will always discuss the boundaries of confidentiality with you.
If the assessment is for a child (under 18 years), we kindly ask that a parent/carer joins us for the initial 20-30 minutes and final 15 minutes of the appointment. This enables us to gain an understanding of the family system, relevant medical and mental health history, and any treatment to date. We would then usually spend 40-50 minutes with your child independently to understand the difficulties from their perspective, including when they started, what triggers them, what makes them better/worse, current coping strategies, and the impact of their difficulties on daily life. We aim to understand their goals for therapy, in addition to identifying any safety concerns that may be present. We come together with their parent/carer again at the end of the appointment to collaborate on a way forward, discuss the proposed care plan, and address any questions that you might have about therapy.
Following your assessment session, we will write a report to summarise what was discussed and the recommended treatment plan. We aim to send your report within 2 weeks of your assessment session. We will also ask whether you provide consent for us to share this information with your GP and any other healthcare professionals involved in your care.
If a child is under 13 years of age, their assessment report will be sent to their parent/carer directly. If a child is over 13 years of age, and they can provide consent, we will ask them how they would like to receive their letter (i.e. direct to them and to be shared with a parent/carer, or direct to parent/carer).
Following the assessment stage you are under no obligation to continue treatment with us and should you wish, we can also recommend other therapists or services for you to access if this would be more appropriate for you. Should you choose to continue your treatment with us, we would then schedule in further appointments in line with your treatment plan. These appointments will last approximately 50 minutes (not longer than 60 minutes). We review progress periodically, usually every 8-12 sessions.
“These sessions have been absolutely invaluable, and I really can’t thank you enough.”
– Claire (client)
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for all you’ve done for [C], he’s come such a long way under your care.“
– M, J & C (Client & Family)
We will usually meet on a weekly basis in the first instance. After the initial assessment, you’ll start working with us to break down problems into their separate parts. To help with this, we may ask you to keep a diary or write down your thought and behaviour patterns moving forwards.
Together, we will analyse your thoughts, feelings and behaviours to work out the effect they have on each other and on you. We will be able to help you work out how you may be able to do things differently. We may encourage you to think about the problem from a different viewpoint or to simply observe them without getting caught up in responding to them.
After working out what you could do differently, you will be asked to practise making these changes in your daily life. You may be asked to do some “homework” between sessions to help with this process.
At each session, you’ll discuss with us how you’ve got on with putting the changes into practice and what it felt like. We will then be able to make other suggestions to help you move forwards.
Depending on the presenting problem, we may look at more longstanding beliefs that may be maintaining your difficulties with a view to shifting your perspective of yourself, the world, or the future.
Confronting fears and anxieties can be very difficult. We won’t ask you to do things you do not want to do and will only work at a pace you’re comfortable with. During your sessions, We will check that you’re comfortable with the progress you’re making. We will typically arrange a ‘review session’ after 8-12 weeks of therapy to check that we are on the right path towards your goals.
One of the biggest benefits of CBT (and third-wave approaches) is that after your treatment has finished, you can continue to apply the coping skills learned to your daily life. CBT can help you get to a point where you can tackle unhelpful cycles without the input of a therapist, and instead are able to confidently apply the skills learned from our sessions. Essentially, we will be enabling you to ‘become your own therapist’ during our work together. This should make it less likely that your symptoms will return in the future.
Depending on the age, clinical need, and preferences of your child, it can be beneficial to collaborate with a parent towards the end of each therapy session (5-10 minutes). This can help to bridge the gap between sessions, such as to provide prompts and support with homework tasks. We would always discuss with your child the boundaries of such disclosure beforehand, and would not share more with a parent/carer than they are comfortable with. Some young people prefer to attend therapy independently where possible, and we also respect this decision.
“Ellie has helped me massively… so, thank you very much!“
– Eddy (Client)