Phoebe Fuller

I generally work Monday, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Mainly in the morning, but also sometimes in the afternoon.

Please check for availability.

I offer individual and a couple counselling/psychotherapy on both a contract and open-ended basis. I have over 30 years experience and have worked in a range of organisational settings as well as in private practice.

I first gained my Diploma in Advanced Psychodynamic Counselling from the Westminster Pastoral Foundation in 1987 along with training in Systemic Family/Marital Counselling at both WPF and the Institute of Family Therapy. I was first awarded BACP accreditation in 1990 and  Senior Accreditation in 2003. I qualified as a Psychodynamic Psychotherapist, also at WPF, in 2004. In 2016 I received a Diploma in Transpersonal Couple Counselling and Psychotherapy from CCPE.

I recognise that it can be a daunting prospect arranging to see a counsellor/psychotherapist so the first meeting is always an opportunity to explore whether or not we feel comfortable working together.

Couple therapy

Relationships can be difficult, confusing and complex, at times causing us enormous emotional pain. Couple counselling offers the opportunity to explore these difficulties in a safe and supportive setting. Ensuring each persons perspective is heard the aim is to facilitate exploration and understanding of difficulties as they are now as well as considering the context and history of where they may have come from.

Couple counselling sessions tend to be more structured than individual therapy and aim to:

- Improve communication, empathy and mutual listening skills.

- Enhance and deepen understanding of current difficulties.

- Develop strategies to manage conflict better.

- Re-emphasise the importance of enjoyment and pleasure within the relationship.

Equally, couples may decide that the best way forward for them is to separate in which case couple counselling can offer the opportunity to explore and understand this process and manage it in as constructive a way as possible.

Once we have decided to work together we fix a time and date that is mutually convenient and as much as possible stick to this appointment time.

Sometimes people decide to work on a contract basis reviewing after a number of sessions, six is a good number to work with. Other people prefer to come on an open-ended basis and to discuss together when it feels they might wish to stop counselling/therapy sessions.

For a couple sessions: I charge £130 for the initial meeting of 1 1/2 hours and £120 thereafter (for 1 1/4 hour sessions). 

Generally I do ask couples to each fill out a form prior to the session and return it to me a couple of days before we meet. However this is not always the case. The first session is an opportunity for us to meet one another and for the issues that are difficult for you to be explored to some extent. At the end of the period of 1 1/2 hours it's usually possible to make a decision as to whether to continue working together, whether this be on an open-ended basis or on a fixed number of sessions basis.

6 sessions are often a good number to work towards and then have a review of the work together.

Couple work as in individual work is a collaborative experience so it's important that all parties are present and happy with the practical and contractual arrangements. I do have written contracts which outline cancellation policies and fee payments and the management of holiday periods so that we are all clear what structure we're working within.