Frequently Asked Questions

Your initial consultation call by phone or online is completely free. The fees for face to face counselling sessions in Belfast (Northern Ireland) are set by each therapists on our team. You can find out more about their fees and payment options here.

There is a limit to the amount of disounts we can offer as independent, self-employed therapists. However, if you are on a low income or are concerned about meeting the cost of counselling please contact us to discuss your situation.

We work with people who are over 16 and warmly welcome people of differing ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, relationship style and status, and cultural and/or religious background. See individual therapists' bios for specific details.

While limited, several of our therapists do offer evening and Saturday sessions so please get in touch for more information.

Therapy is more than just chatting. You will agree to a therapeutic goal and there will be a plan to get you there. This requires commitment and consistent attendance. You are usually expected to start off with sessions once a week. It's not advised to have more than two weeks between sessions, particularly at the begining.

It's difficult to predict how many sessions you will need to resolve the issue(s) you bring to therapy. Our advice is to commit to four consecutive sessions to begin with and then you can discuss and assess how helpful you're finding the process with your therapist.

Your chosen therapist will always be happy to discuss this with you at any stage. The decision to continue or end therapy always lies with you and if you have any concerns or issues you should always feel free to discuss this with your therapist openly and honestly.

If we see that you seem to be managing quite well, we may suggest extending the time between sessions or that you consider ending our theraputic relationship. But if you tell us that you are still enjoying it and feel you have something to gain from continuing that's okay too.

Yes! Once you make contact, we will arrange your free no-obligation chat on the phone or online so you can tell us a bit about your situation, ask any questions you have, and learn about how your chosen therapist's approach may be able to help, before you make up your mind.

It's only natural that you will feel a range of emotions during counselling, but you will never be forced to go any further than you want to. You are always in control and we are there to support you every step of the way.

You may sometimes feel embarrassment, anger, fear or sadness BUT you will probably also to feel moments of calmness, clarity and relief.

Expect some laughter, too!

We fully understand your need for confidentiality and can assure you that your need for privacy will always be respected. There are some limits to confidentiality, which we will talk to you about before we contract to work together, so if you have any concerns please let us know.

You dont need to be in distress, in crisis, or have a massive problem to benefit from counselling. And you don't need to wait until your problem becomes unmanageable to get help or change something for the better.

Everyone experiences the challenges of life differently. What one person might find easy enough to cope with, another person might find extremely difficult to handle on their own. Therapy can help you to improve relationships, resolve difficult issues in your past or present, help to you feel more in control of your feelings, behaviour and reactions, and help you make an important decision or navigate a major life-change. You can also use therapy to explore a general personal issue (simple unhappiness or feeling like you're in a rut) that is getting in the way of you experiencing real joy, satisfaction and contentment.

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Therapy is an opportunity for you to gain new skills and grow as an individual. There is absolutely no need to compare yourself to others or justify whether you deserve to invest in personal development work.

Not at all. Many people come to counselling with just a feeling that things are not quite right or because they feel generaly unhappy, anxious or unfulfilled for no obvious reason. The process of having someone to talk to and bounce ideas off, and to test things out for yourself, will help you to uncover and expose the underlying issues that are keeping you from experiencing happiness and contentment with your life.

Sadly there is still stigma around mental health. But the reality is that many of us have experienced depression, stress and anxiety or faced a difficult situation at some point in our life - including therapists!

Everyone could do with some help now and then to honestly look at the issues that keep us in a rut, unhappy or unfulfilled in our lives. Seeking therapy is a brave and positive step torwards improving your relationships, managing your emotions, and creating the life you want.

Our team of counsellors and psychotherapists have been trained to work with a wide range of issues. This includes stress/anxiety, depression, trauma, bereavement, family issues, perfectionism and people pleasing, major life changes and decision making, sexuality and gender issues, addiction, and self-esteem and confidence building. If your issue isn't on that list then please feel free to contact us. We will let you know if we can help, or if not, refer you on to someone who can.

It is expected that you will normally attend weekly around the same time of day until you are finished with your therapy. Some therapists will also accept bi weekly or monthly sessions, depending on their availability. Individual sessions usually last 50 minutes and couples counselling can last 50-90 minutes.