Carley Maxim

People come to counselling for many different reasons her are some the reasons you may be looking at my page:

• Anxiety
• Low self esteem
• Wanted to explore there past
• To Gain a deeper level of self awareness
• Identity
• To talk and understand how relationships effect them/Releationship difficulties
• To heal the inner child with in self
• To help with addictions
• Grief
• Feeling isolation
• Feeling unfulfilled 
• To gain a different prospective on live events
• To work through impact and illness has on self
• Depression

I can work with you with all the above , if you're ready to engage in therapy then we can therapeutically work together. Please keep reading to find out more about me and the approach I work with. (I also offer a free 30 minute call to explain more and my self as a counsellor and to find out more with regards to why your here)

Snap shot off me and how I work!

Before my training I often found myself working with people in such a way that equality was the foundation of the relationship. Since qualifying I have continued to value equality within the therapeutic relationship, alongside this I believe that developing trust and having a space where your accepted and you're free from judgement, allows acceptance and personal growth and from here you can begin to move forward and if needed learn new ways to be.
I will always welcome you into the therapy space as you are in that moment in time. So please don’t feel you need to be anything other than you are.

As part of my journey to becoming a Counsellor I had my own personal therapy myself. This experience has supported me to work on my own difficulties as well as understanding what it is like to be a client in a therapy session. My personal experience of counselling has supported me in my personal life and has allowed me to be able to work with people at depth in the therapy space. I also understand that starting counselling can be difficult and challenging. 

What is integrative counselling
Integrative counselling works by looking at you as a whole person, with this we look at your mental, physical and emotional needs. As your counsellor I will use techniques and tools to create an individual approach for you.

Basic information on theory of counselling
The main model of counselling I use is the Humanistic approach. This approach allows us to work with what you choose to bring to the session and explore your experiences from your perspective. Key to this is that you experience the Counsellor as accepting and non-judgemental which is what I aim for in each session. 

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: This type of therapy focuses on your thoughts and reactions to your thoughts. The aim is to work with you to find tools and techniques you can practice to break your patterns of behaviour that are causing you difficulties.  

Psychodynamic : This type off therapy allows us to look at things at a deeper level. We can work together to identify unhelpful patterns that might be having an impact on your life and relationships. This maybe something your are aware of already or they maybe unconscious. An example of this might be: we explore past experiences in your life where you first started displaying patterns of behaviours or even look at messages that were projected on to you that lead you to display certain patterns of behaviours. i.e. “I am so rubbish, there is no point me trying a different career as I won’t succeed!” your response may be to not move forward in life and stay stuck and unhappy. We could explore when did you first start receiving and believing this message that your rubbish, and look at it is something you want to continue to believe ……. We work from there. please note this is just a scenario .

I work with all the above and integrate them with in our work together to allow a person centered learning experience that is educational and relational.
 
I am able to offer Counselling which is a short term therapy or long term. This is something we will discuss in your innitial session. We will look at your personal situation and what is right for you.

Short term is were we will explore your immediate problems and focus on your thoughts and feelings connected to them.

long term is psychotherapy which is a longer term therapy and the work may enter into a deeper level and we will have the time to explore yourself at Many depths with looking at all areas of your life. Entering into long term psychotherapy can give you a chance to develop a deeper understanding of self and lead to self-acceptance.

First Point of contact- I'd request you either email or text me to enquire about setting up our first meeting.

Meet and greet: To start I like to offer a free 30 minute session via zoom. This is a space for us to get to know a bit about each other and also get a sense if we feel I am the person you need to support you on your journey forward. I will speak about the service I offer and confidentiality with in the counselling space, fees, availability and my cancellation policy, you will have the opportunity to ask me questions

1st Meeting
Our first meeting will follow on from our initial meet and greet,  I will provide you with the counselling contract to sign and also if needed, gather some practical information from you. I will ask on if you had any reflections from our zoom session. Then things will move were ever you decide to.

If we move on to a subsequent session, we will explore the length of our contract with considering your personal circumstances. I aim to review our sessions every 6-8 weeks as It’s important that you feel able to explore where you are within your therapy.

The sessions will be 50 minutes long, due to my own availability I request we both commit to the same time and place on a weekly basis. Unless you have, holiday, appointments or personal circumstance that is important to you. I request the fee is paid prior session via bacs transfer or in cash at the beginning of session. I have a 24 hour cancellation policy otherwise the full fee is required.

Im able to offer Online counselling or face to face.

Here are aspects to consider for online counselling.

How it works Webcam counselling
Zoom is a way for you to see your counsellor face-to-face from your computer whilst engaging in therapy. You will be guided through setting up your own encrypted Zoom account and you will meet your counsellor on Zoom at a time that you have previously arranged. Sessions are 50 minutes in length. Being able to see your counsellor gives you more of the benefits you get from face-to- face counselling but with the convenience of online therapy. By talking you hear tone of voice which is a way to convey empathy and with video you see non- verbal communications such as facial expressions.

Online counselling like most things has its benefits and limitations. Please have a look over the list below and if you have any questions please send me an email.
Benefits

• Counselling therapy from your own home or place you feel safe and at a time that suits you
  Therapy at a time, place and pace that suits you
• Access to counselling may be more immediate
• Flexibility to choose the technology you feel is best for you: live chat or webcam
• Things to consider that may create limitations
• Are you comfortable using internet technology?
• Would you prefer to see your counsellor face-to-face? ?
• Do you feel your situation is too complex to discuss via the internet?
• Is there a safe space for you and your computer that you can use privately without interruption?
• Confidentiality
• Online counselling therapy take place within a secure, encrypted environment to offer you confidentiality and safety.
• Webcam counselling take advantage of the encrypted services offered by Zoom and I will guide you through setting up a free account for your therapy.
• If you would like to have face to face counselling, please take a look at my covid agreement below.

Sessions - £45

My availability can alter , so please contact me directly .

As well as working with adults, I also work with children in private practice age 12 plus.