Counselling in Holborn, Central London

How a Session Works

What Happens in a First Session

A first session is mostly about your counsellor understanding what has brought you, and you getting a feel for whether their manner suits you. You will be asked about the difficulty itself, a little about your background, and what you would like to be different. Nothing has to be decided or resolved in this first meeting.

You do not need to have a clear diagnosis or a tidy way of describing the problem before you start. Many people arrive only knowing that something is not right, and that is a reasonable place to begin.

Different Approaches

Counsellors and psychotherapists at our Holborn clinic work in different ways. Some draw mainly on person-centred or humanistic approaches, which focus on the relationship and on your own capacity to find a way forward. Others use psychodynamic ideas, which look at how earlier experiences shape present patterns, or transactional analysis, which looks at recurring roles and scripts in relationships.

There is no single correct approach for a given problem. What matters more is whether the working relationship feels right, which is one reason we will help match you to a particular practitioner rather than leaving you to choose blind.

What the Evidence Says

Talking therapies, including counselling, are recommended within NHS guidance for a range of common mental health difficulties, particularly mild to moderate anxiety and depression, often alongside or as an alternative to medication. NICE guidance generally favours structured approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy for specific conditions, while recognising that other talking therapies, including counselling and psychodynamic approaches, are of benefit for many people.

Research consistently finds that the quality of the relationship between client and counsellor is one of the strongest predictors of a good outcome, which is part of why we take the choice of practitioner seriously rather than treating counsellors as interchangeable.

Confidentiality, Safety and Regulation

Sessions are confidential. The only exceptions are where your counsellor believes there is a serious risk to your safety or someone else's, in which case they are obliged to act, and they will normally discuss this with you first wherever possible.

Counselling is not currently a statutorily regulated profession in the United Kingdom, so the standard to look for is registration with a recognised body such as the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society, or the UK Council for Psychotherapy. Our counsellors hold registration with these or equivalent bodies. If you are in crisis or at immediate risk, contact your GP, NHS 111 or the emergency services rather than waiting for an appointment.

Counselling for Work Stress and Burnout

A large share of the people who come to our Holborn rooms work nearby, in law, publishing, universities, healthcare and the public sector. The pattern is familiar: long hours that were manageable for a while, a gradual loss of interest in work that used to matter, poor sleep, irritability at home, and a sense of dread on Sunday evening. Burnout is not a diagnosis in itself, but it responds well to a regular space to think.

Counselling for work stress tends to do two things at once. It gives you room to say out loud what you have been carrying, which often reduces the pressure on its own, and it helps you look at the parts of the situation you can change, whether that is boundaries, workload, the way you respond to criticism, or a decision about staying or leaving. Some people use a short course of sessions to get through a particular period; others find the work opens into longer standing patterns about achievement and worth.

Because we are a few minutes from Holborn and Chancery Lane stations, many clients book early morning or evening appointments around the working day.

Getting the Most From Your Sessions

• Keep the same time each week where you can. A predictable slot makes it easier to protect and gives the work continuity.
• Arrive a few minutes early rather than rushing in from a meeting, so the first ten minutes are not spent settling.
• Say the thing you were not planning to say. The material people almost leave out is often the most useful.
• Expect some sessions to feel harder than others. Difficult weeks are usually part of the process rather than a sign it is not working.
• If something your counsellor says does not sit right, tell them. Being able to disagree openly tends to strengthen the work.
• Give it a fair run. Most people need three or four sessions before they can judge whether the fit is right.

Counselling, Psychotherapy or Coaching?

• Choose counselling if you want a confidential space to talk through a current difficulty, usually over a defined number of sessions.
• Choose psychotherapy if you want to work in more depth over a longer period, including on patterns that go back further than the immediate problem.
• Choose coaching if your main goal is forward-looking, practical and focused on performance, decisions or change, rather than emotional difficulty.
• Choose couples counselling if the work concerns a relationship and both partners want to attend together.

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What Our Clients Say