Victoria Spencer

I work on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. In special circumstances on a Saturday. I also offer some evening sessions.

I provide one to one counselling and work both short term and long term.

I offer an initial session and then suggest potential clients take a few days to process how the experience felt and whether they would like to continue.

I like to create a relaxed atmosphere in which we can explore the narrative through a range of emotions including humour and sadness and anger.

This seems to facilitate an easier sharing of difficult issues.

It also allows for a trust and working partnership to develop, whatever form that might take. I will mean different things to different clients.

In the first session I allow a freedom of engagement, encouraged by me. My thinking is that it can be overwhelming to attend for the first time so administrative work is kept to the minimum. This seems to feel comfortable to most people. In this initial session I also explain what the psychodynamic approach involves and a brief overview of attendance and fees.

I don't like to list what issues I can help with as all experiences are interrelated and are usually just part of the presenting issue. Treating the person as a whole rather than a list of problems seems more beneficial to me.