Chameleon Therapy

I am in crisis, what should I do?

Being in crisis can be really scary and worrying for you and those around you. If you are in crisis and need additional support, please call the connections line, 0800 652 0190, 1 1 1 or attend your local A+E department. Further information on what to do in a crisis can be found here:

https://www.dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/access-mental-health

https://www.dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/our-services-hospitals/mental-health/retreat

The Samaritans

Call 116 123

Email jo@samaritans.org

What can I expect?

After an initial consultation, we will book in regular sessions.

During the first session, we will complete an informal assessment so that we can get to know one another and see how our therapeutic relationship can work.

After this, we will have regular sessions, often weekly or fortnightly, to explore whatever you feel is right for you.

Will counselling help me?

It can be helpful to talk to a neutral person that can give you a non-judgmental space where you are listened to. I can offer you the space to talk, shout, cry, think, or anything else that is helpful to you. I will listen to you, and help you to look at your difficulties to help you to find the right path through for you. Counselling can help you to feel more content and to find it easier to cope and manage with life.

Counselling can be difficult. It is likely to get you to think about parts of your life you may have forgotten or tried to forget. Bringing these memories up can be painful. However, by talking them through, you may be able to understand why these memories cause you such pain. This may help you to decrease the pain and to start to heal from these experiences.

I am able to offer you the space to work in a way that suits you. Sessions will be guided by you and what you need from me at that time. During your sessions I will use a combination of techniques and approaches suited to you and your situation to explore difficult thoughts, memories or current experiences.

Counselling works the best if you are ready to make changes. If you are going through a difficult time, having the space to talk it through can help you to cope with it. There is no age limit for counselling, it can benefit all age groups.

How long will I need counselling for?

How long you need counselling for is individual to you, your situation and what you want to get out of therapy at this time. Some people will choose to have long term counselling to deal with all the things they need to. Others will choose to have multiple shorter blocks of therapy to deal with one issue at a time with a break in between. Others may only need one short block of therapy to give them the support they need to manage a specific difficulty.

How will I manage when I have stopped counselling?

Often, you will know when you are coming to the end of therapy. You may find that life is getting easier and you are more able to cope with life and the things that come up. You may find that you are becoming less engaged in the therapy session as you are more able to cope on your own. We will work together on ensuring that you leave therapy feeling safe, secure and with some tools to enable you to manage without the support of therapy. We could reduce the frequency of therapy gradually and have some follow up sessions after finishing if this is what would help.