Lianne Barnard

Availability changes continually. I will aim to accommodate you wherever possible so it is worth asking. I work evenings and weekends too if that fits best.

Hello, I'm Lianne and counselling sessions with me will feel like a collaboration. We will work together to explore what is going on for you and how it is affecting your daily life. As a person-centred counsellor I offer you a space and a safe environment where you can off-load things that may be troubling. We will explore your feelings and emotions and start to peel back the layers to find the source of any worries or concerns. We will look at the issues that are affecting you and I will help you to examine them to find patterns and themes which might enable you to understand yourself better. I create space for you to feel accepted, to feel empathy and compassion and I will reflect back what I hear and understand of you and your experiences. Starting counselling for the first time or with a new counsellor can be daunting but I hope to ease some of those feelings by being open and honest with you about what to expect. If I think I might not be quite the right fit for you, or there is someone or something else that feels more appropriate for you, I will not hesitate to tell you. Our relationship will play a large part in your process so we aim to be as congruent and honest with each other as possible and I will encourage you to communicate with me without fear of judgement but with confidence in the knowledge that I am here to listen.

Sessions are 50 minutes and usually once a week, at least to begin with. I work in a client-led way so over time we might wish to adjust the frequency of the sessions. I aim to have some flexibility to take into account the differing needs of clients.

I like to use a 15 minute chat on the phone to establish if we are a good fit in terms of our schedules and then we will arrange the first session.

The first session will include some discussion about how we intend to work together and a look at your expectations. I will also carry out an assessment, which is a further way to check that I am a suitable person for you. This requires me to ask some questions about your general health and is designed to keep you safe at all times. It might feel more formal and direct than all our subsequent sessions. 

We will then be in a position to start working together and usually I will ask you for some background and what has brought you to counselling.