Your questions answered

All kinds of people find counselling useful and our clients are of all ages and come from all walks of life. Personal life events can cause anyone problems or distress and time spent with a therapist can be invaluable in sorting these issues out.

At your first appointment we will ask a few questions, discuss some of the circumstances that have brought you to therapy and look at how therapy might be useful to you. At this first meeting we will also determine which of our therapists is the best match for you. You will have an opportunity to ask any questions you have about counselling or psychotherapy.

At the end of this initial consultation, you will be able to decide whether you would like to continue with further appointments.

In most cases, clients choose to continue with the therapist they meet at their initial consultation. However, it’s absolutely fine to ask for a different therapist, either at the initial consultation or by contacting info@onetherapy.london afterwards.

Also, if the therapist you first meet thinks someone else would be a better fit for you, they will suggest another therapist so that you continue with the best person to meet your needs.

Our therapists provide a comfortable, confidential space in which you might make sense of your individual circumstances

• identify and resolve issues that are distressing you
• experience a uniquely understanding and non-judgmental relationship
• develop greater self-awareness
• increase your ability to cope with the future.

We have male, female and non-binary therapists, gay, bi and straight therapists, relationship specialists, psychosexual therapists and therapists from different cultural backgrounds.

Our therapists are all fully qualified and members of the British Association for Counselling  and Psychotherapy (BACP) or the United Kingdom Council for Psycotherapy (UKCP). We select only the most competent, empathic and professional therapists, all of whom are UK trained.

Our senior therapists have at least 10 years’ experience seeing clients and have been with One Therapy for five years or more. Many of our Senior Therapists have over 20 years’ experience working  with their clients.

Weekly therapy is the only kind of therapy that is effective for making long-term personal changes. It takes consistent, weekly appointments to make real progress in therapy. Changing yourself or your personal circumstances takes commitment and patience.

We understand that nobody likes paying for sessions they cannot attend. Your appointment time and your therapist will be reserved for you every week. No other person can use your appointment time. This is our commitment to you.

If you give your therapist notice that you can’t attend your appointment, they will offer you any alternative times they have available that week. If you are unable to make those times, payment for your missed appointment will still be due. This is your commitment to your therapist.

Unfortunately, we only see clients who are 18 or over. If you are under 18, you may want to look for a therapist who specialises in adolescent or child therapy.

We do not judge behaviour or personal life experiences and we respect each client for their individual choices. We do not discriminate on any grounds, including age, race, gender, sexuality, religion, disability or ethnicity.

There are various approaches in therapy, including psychodynamic, integrative and humanistic. If you know you want a particular approach, take a look at our therapists’ profiles to choose someone who works in that way.

If you don’t have a particular approach in mind, don’t worry! Feeling comfortable with your therapist is much more important. Most of our therapists have worked with all kinds of personal issues.

You may be undecided whether to have therapy in person, online or by telephone. We offer all of these and you may choose to come in person some weeks and have online sessions when you’re travelling, for example. We are happy to work in whatever way is best for you.

For more information about online or telephone counselling, please continue here.

Sometimes, depending on the issues and emotions that need addressing. We support our clients through many challenging emotions and help build their resilience, so difficult emotions feel more manageable. Therapy can also be exciting, enlightening and life-changing.

Yes. Everything you discuss in therapy is confidential. There are certain legal exceptions to this, which we explain at your first ongoing appointment.

Yes. You may end your sessions whenever you feel necessary, just by letting your therapist know. You don’t have to explain or give any notice. Or you may wish to take a counselling break and resume therapy, when you are ready, at a later date.

Please let us know. Trust your instinct because your relationship with your therapist is at the heart of the work. If you let us know, we can easily set you up with another therapist who might suit you better.

All feedback will be received in confidence. We appreciate comments on our services. Email feedback to Dwayne Jackson at jackson@onetherapy.london or telephone 0333 207 9330.

No, sorry. A person cannot be sent for counselling. They must choose to use our services and make the first approach themselves.

Everyone’s needs in therapy are different and people progress at different rates, so predicting how many sessions you will need is very hard, and impossible without knowing you! Once you and your therapist have had a few sessions together, a conversation with them may help you to establish realistic expectations.

Therapy is not going to work if your partner really doesn’t want to be there. However, what’s more often the case is that people have mixed feelings – hopes as well as fears.

If a partner can be encouraged to come for the initial consultation, with no obligation to continue, the therapist can help to explore their hopes and fears. Hopefully the partner will arrive at a point where their fears are lessened and couples counselling feels like a more positive choice.

You could ask yourselves if the problems you’re having arise because of how the two of you relate to each other (in which case couples counselling would be good) or would they still be problematic if you were single (in which case individual counselling would be helpful).

At the initial consultation, the two of you can get the therapist’s help with your decision. It’s simpler to transfer from couples counselling to individual therapy than the other way round.

Yes. The only limitation is that it shouldn’t be with the same therapist. It can be within the same practice though. We have strict procedures in place to ensure that nothing is passed between the therapists involved, so all sessions remain confidential.