Frequently Asked Questions
I work in my London practice on Mondays and Tuesdays, and appointments are from 2 pm to 9 pm. I also work online on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and appointments are from 11 am to 9 pm.
I typically reply to emails within 24 hours or sooner. Once we start working together, adding me to your contacts list is best.
Yes, I offer a complimentary 20-minute session via video link. This session is an opportunity to make an initial introduction and give a short space for you to tell me a little about who you are and explore how I can help.
The first two phases start with gathering information, safety and stabilisation. For some clients, these initial phases may need to take place over an extended period before processing can occur safely and ethically. This is why EMDR (the main event bit) may start sooner for some than others. However, I will use EMDR to help calm things down before we get to the big stuff. This provides scaffolding to help you manage what may come up during and between sessions.
Following the history and assessment sessions, I will have a better idea, and we will discuss your treatment plan together. Your progress will be reviewed at regular intervals so that we can jointly evaluate how you are progressing and ensure you are getting what you want from therapy. It is expected to experience ups and downs in your EMDR journey, and at times, you might feel like you want to quit if it becomes too challenging or you feel your progress is too slow. At these times, we must keep talking.
No, you will be completely aware and in control throughout the session. Before the processing (phase 4), you’ll learn relaxation and containment strategies to help you remain grounded. This means that part of your attention will be with me, and part will be with a past event in your memory; this is referred to as dual attention.
You don’t need to have PTSD to benefit from EMDR. A growing body of research shows how much it helps a wide range of concerns. You also don’t need to meet the criteria for a specific diagnosis to do EMDR. EMDR is designed to target the level of disturbance or discomfort, so a diagnostic label is not required.
I work in person and via a specialised EMDR video platform for online sessions.
I see clients in person in my London practice at 1 Birkenhead Street, King’s Cross. It is literally across the road from the front of the station. I also work in Nottingham.
The contents of our sessions will be confidential. However, in keeping with my professional code of ethics, I discuss some aspects of my work with a Consultant EMDR Therapist. Therapists routinely undergo supervision, and it is so that we can be sure that we are working to the highest standards. The information we share with them during these supervision sessions is anonymised so that you cannot be identified.
In other scenarios, if you disclose that you are at risk of harm to yourself or someone else, then I do have a responsibility to share this information to keep you and others safe. In these circumstances, I may need to share information with relevant authorities. If this were to become an issue in one of our sessions, wherever possible and appropriate, we would discuss this in detail and work collaboratively to establish the most appropriate path of action.
When we first meet, I’ll request some personal details, such as your contact details and a few key things from your personal history. I will also record some information about each session you have. I won’t share your data with anyone else without your consent.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) gives you the right to privacy with your personal information (data). I work within the GDPR to ensure that your personal records are kept securely and destroyed when our work ends. Under the GDPR, you have the right to withdraw consent to use your data or request access to, rectify, and erasure of these records.
If you think your data rights have been breached, you can raise a complaint with the Information Commissioner (ICO). You can contact the ICO at Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF or by telephone at 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745
You can make a bank transfer; my details are in your contract.
I need 48 hours’ notice if you need to cancel a session. Otherwise, full payment for the missed session is required. If you cannot attend an in-person session, I am happy to see you online instead.
