Face to Face | On-line | Telephone | Zoom | Auricular Acupuncture

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Face to face Counselling

The more traditional form of talking therapy, where we will meet in a private and confidential setting at a time and date agreed beforehand. This can be at the therapist’s own home or at a GP centre, wellbeing or therapy centre. All my face to face sessions are held at
14-26 Natural Health Centre, West Barnes Lane, Motspur Park, New Malden.

This is a space for you to explore any difficulties you may be having, distress you may be experiencing, dissatisfaction with life or a loss of a sense of direction. Many people feel more comfortable working face to face with a counsellor as they consider it to have a more human connection, with the benefit of body language and non-verbal communication.

 

It is also the case that many people will not have access to a safe, confidential space at home and may not have adequate access to a computer or telephone without the threat of interruption. If this is the situation you may feel more at ease with face to face therapy
sessions.

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On-line Counselling

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Online counselling is the provision of therapy through a wide range of
mediums from instant messages to video chats. It provides the opportunity for you to speak with a counsellor online without meeting face to face in a confidential and empathetic environment. Online counselling gives you the chance to explore yourself and your relationships with the aim of discovering where you are in your world, and I offer a personable and warm approach where we will work on what you bring together, and in partnership.

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Benefits

• Counselling therapy from your own home at a time that suits you

• Secure inscription software offers confidentiality and peace of mind

• No chance that you may be seen entering the counsellor’s practice

• Therapy at a pace that suits you

• Access to counselling may be more immediate

• Flexibility to choose the technology you feel is best for you: telephone or webcam

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Things to consider

• Are you comfortable using internet technology?

• Would you prefer to see your counsellor face-to-face?

• Do you feel you can express your feelings effectively using words?

• Do you feel your situation is too complex to discuss via the internet?

• Is there a computer terminal that you can use privately without interruption?

• There are no nonverbal cues or body language for you or the counsellor to read and this can lead to misunderstanding

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What sort of issues can I contact you about?
Online counselling may be able to help you with a wide range of issues which are affecting your wellbeing. Some common topics raised include,

relationships, anxiety, depression, loss, low self -esteem, abuse and drug and alcohol misuse and many more.

Not all issues can be supported through online counselling, in this instance I will let you know if some other form of support might be suitable. This may include face to face counselling or a more appropriate source of support. If this is the case, I will make every effort to assist you in finding a service that would be suitable for you.

I do not provide online counselling to any person who is under the age of 18, if this applies to you, I can help with information and details of other services who explicitly work with a younger age group.

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What does the service offer?
We will agree an appointment time in advance. This is when we will meet on Zoom or I will contact you by telephone. This would normally be once a week, although it is sometimes appropriate for the sessions to be more or less frequent. All sessions are 50 minutes in length, I will observe the time and inform you when we are 10 minutes from the end.

Sometimes there can be unavoidable problems when using technology, we will agree beforehand how to re-arrange an online session If we are prevented from meeting due to a technological issue.

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About the way I work
I will aim to provide a consistent and reliable framework in which you feel safe to explore yourself and your circumstance. You will be given time and space to work through the things which you are finding challenging; I will be encouraging you to examine your personal history, feelings, thoughts and experiences to help you to discover your own way to move forward in your life.

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Telephone

Telephone counselling is similar to live online sessions but without the visual aspect. It provides a private window for you to talk about the issue’s affecting you. As with webcam sessions and face to face sessions we will arrange a session time in advance and I will contact you on the number you provide. 

 

Zoom

If you are considering ‘live’ online sessions we would be using free software for the session which is called Zoom. I will provide you with a hyperlink to download the free software, which is encrypted. I would advise that you do not use your full name or any identifiable personal details whilst we are engaged in online sessions as this will help to maintain the privacy of your sessions.

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Emergency Contact/Support
Online counselling cannot provide support in an emergency.
If an emergency situation should arise whilst we are engaging in online
counselling, we would discuss a plan of action and the most suitable support available to you during this time.

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Confidentiality and Security
All sessions will be conducted in the strictest confidence and this confidence will be maintained, and applied to any and all records, in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), my registration number is ZA227688.

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All client material is treated in complete confidence and is removed from my computer at the end of our work together. Electronic records are stored on a password protected memory stick and kept in a locked filing cabinet. No identifying names or material is retained on these records as a client ID number is used to replace such information. It is not permissible to publicise the content of our exchanges or share them with a third party and the recording of sessions is prohibited.

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Auricular Acupuncture

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Auriculotherapy (also auricular therapy, ear acupuncture, and auriculoacupuncture) is a form of complimentary therapy based on the idea that the ear is a micro system, which reflects the entire body, represented on the auricle, the outer portion of the ear.

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Conditions affecting the physical, mental or emotional health of the patient are assumed to be treatable by stimulation of the surface of the ear exclusively. Similar mappings are used in many areas of the body, including the practices of reflexology and iridology.

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All auricular acupuncture sessions will be 60 minutes, of which will include 20 minutes of consultation and 40 minutes of treatment. You will be required to answer some medically related questions and consent to the treatment

Some of the commonly recognised benefits to clients are:

• Manages stress and anxiety

• Improves sleep and treats a wide array of sleep problems

• Lowers blood pressure

• Increases heart rate variability (HRV - HRV indicates the body’s ability to regulate the time interval between heart beats and to control the heart beat rate)

• Help with smoking cessation

• Chronic pain, especially low back pain

• Insomnia

• Allergies

• Substance misuse – helps to reduce the impact of withdrawal