Juliet Birkbeck

I work with clients on a wide range of issues including loss, self-esteem, anxiety and isolation. This may be linked to childhood experiences, adult loss, systemic inequalities or combinations of these.

I  work with people who are exploring the intersection of faith/community and identity, particularly where these might clash. I also work with people who are addressing spiritual abuse or abuse within a faith community/setting. This work is with those who still practice a faith as well as with those who do not and those who are unsure.

I work with people who are negotiating living in a country other than the one/ones they grew up in. Linked to this I work with people who have moved around a lot and often feel a bit left out or different in some way.

People often come to counselling when they are at a crossroads in life and thinking about new directions. Reflecting on your personal values and life experiences as well as your attitude to change and uncertainty can be very fruitful at such times. 

I believe its very important that our work stays tightly focused and is regularly reviewed and this applies to both open ended work and to shorter term work.  

I offer open ended therapy in regular 50 minute sessions - weekly or fortnightly. Work is reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that we have a shared understanding of the focus of the work and what it is that we are working toward.

Confidentiality is an essential part of the work and something that is discussed in depth during the first session and revisited periodically during the work.

I do not provide emergency support between sessions.

Ideally I have a short phone call with prospective clients after they first contact me. If we decide to continue then a first appointment is arranged usually within one to two weeks. This will be a phone or a video appointment. During this session we will explore what it is the client wants to work on, what their existing support network is like, what they can expect from me and if relevant, what their previous experiences of counselling have been like. If we both feel that entering into a therapeutic relationship will benefit the client, then we will make a second appointment, normally for the following week. If we do not continue working together this first session is not charged for.