PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC COUNSELLING IN KING'S HEATH AND KING'S NORTON, BIRMINGHAM
Welcome to
Otus Counselling
Helping you through challenges and facilitating growth.
Frequently asked questions
My training was undertaken with Chrysalis - the UK’s market leading trainer in counselling courses and talking therapies. I have an Advanced Professional Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling (Level 5). I have four years of experience as a Staff and Student Counsellor in a Sixth-Form College. During my training, I also undertook placements with The What? Centre and Place2Be. I started out in private practice in May 2020.
Ultimately, it is impossible to say how many sessions you might need before you feel ready for counselling with me to come to an end. However, as a rough guide, I would say that six sessions is a 'standard' amount. Some Clients feel much better after fewer sessions than six; others require a fair amount more. As my Client, you are always in the driving seat in terms of how many sessions you would like and when you are ready for your final session.
I believe that counselling works best when it is held weekly or, if this is not possible, once every two weeks.
Counselling works extremely well for vast numbers of people. However, counselling isn't for everyone and no Counsellor can legitimately guarantee that counselling will work for you personally.
The main reason I believe that the counselling I provide works is because of the excellent feedback I have received from Clients after they have completed a course of counselling with me. In addition, well-being questionnaires (completed voluntarily at the beginning and end of counselling) consistently show that significant, positive changes have taken place. This gives me confidence that lots of individuals have felt much better after being counselled by me.
Psychotherapeutic counselling is a bit of a mouthful! However, this is what I am trained in and, despite its length, I think it is a helpful description of what I do to help people.
What I would describe as 'classic counselling' involves aspects such as active listening, a genuine, non-judgemental attitude from the Counsellor etc. These aspects form a vital part of the counselling I provide; you could say they are the foundations of my approach.
The 'psychotherapeutic' part of the counselling I provide builds on top of the above foundations with aspects such as practical techniques, explanations of counselling theories, book recommendations etc. I believe 'interventions' such as these can be incredibly powerful and I enjoy equipping people with them to use in their lives.
If you choose me as your Counsellor, I will endeavour to provide you with the compassionate support that you and your mental health deserve.
I am confident that you will find me to be: professional, yet friendly; knowledgeable, yet eager to learn; rational yet relatable.
I can assure you that, should you choose me as your Counsellor, I will be dedicated to helping you achieve the lasting changes you want, in the shortest time possible. I have successfully helped many people so far which is why I firmly believe I can help you, too.
Get in touch
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how counselling works or to arrange your first counselling appointment with me.
Contacting me via phone or e-mail enables us to discuss the reasons you are thinking of coming to counselling and will help you decide whether I am the right Counsellor for you. If I am not able to answer your call (I may be in a session at the time), please leave a message for me and I will call you back as soon as I can.
To read more about my practice click here or contact me to find out more.
©2022 Stephen Blake
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