Lorraine Quinn

I offer face to face, telephone and video sessions over Zoom or WhatsApp.  I have availability in my practice evenings only.

What can you expect when we meet?  I will meet you as an individual who may have sought counselling to get through a difficult time at present but who has the capacity to recover their inner strengths and overcome whatever challenges life has thrown in your way.  I will encourage you to tell me what is troubling you.  I will listen carefully and respectfully to what you have to say.  I will check that I am on the same page as you and that I understand what is going on in your life.      

Besides seeing clients privately, I have previously worked for organisations providing emotional support for employees, in a residential centre for people who have attempted suicide, in a hospice with patients who have life limiting illnesses, with their bereaved family members and friends and for a charity supporting anyone with a mental health diagnosis.    

We might use pictures you bring, dreams you have had, images that come to mind or anything else in the session as alternative ways of creatively exploring your thoughts and feelings when words don't quite express what you are truly experiencing deeper in your soul. 

We will review how we are doing regularly to check you are getting what you need from our sessions and, if it would help, make changes to the way we work.  

We would normally have a brief phone or e-mail exchange first, to find a mutual time and answer any immediate, practical questions, like my fee and, if you wish to use one of the low-cost places I offer, whether one is available. 

In the first session, I begin by establishing what confidentiality means in the way I work, and take some basic details like your name, address, GP, date of birth, next of kin contact etc. and answer any initial questions you might have.  

I then listen to what has brought you to look for a counsellor or therapist at this stage in your life.  

We would explore what you hope for from our meetings and your concerns.  Sometimes the answer is obvious - a 'trigger' event like a bereavement or relationship split or other loss.  Sometimes the reason is less clear, just a vague sense that life could be better and believe me, that's a great starting point too!    

I will give you a written contract which clearly explains how I work ethically and what we can both expect from each other.  You take this away and if you decide to continue, bring it back the following week when we can discuss it if you need to and we both sign to show our mutual understanding.