Ruma Verma

Do give me call or drop me an email to talk through why you are coming and to arrange our first session.

I am accredited by UKCP and work as a counsellor, psychotherapist and couples counsellor with many years of experience but every client is new and I apply my updated thinking to support you.

Working online via zoom, I am trained and able to work in depth with a variety of issues including depression and anxiety, trauma, bereavement, loss and grief, feelings of sadness and emptiness, panic attacks, anger issues, displacement, identity issues, relationship and family issues, male problems, including uncovering toxic masculinity and cultural differences.

With couples we work together on various of issues including communication and management of conflict.

My particular areas of interest are identity, cultural differences and displacement, feelings of not belonging and being on the edges in the groups we find ourselves in.

Individuals

I provide a safe and confidential therapy space for you to explore your life and your relationships. I am deeply passionate about my work and see psychotherapy not only as a place to work through troubling and difficult issues but also as an opportunity for support whilst gaining an understanding of what is troubling you and how this impacts you. That is way working with you collaboratively is so vital and led by you where we identify and strengthen your resources to effect a change for you. So you can find a way of living life as your best self.

It's a step to see how come you experience the same patterns in relationships or about events and situations and where your emotional needs aren't met. That can be disheartening and confusing. Therapy helps you navigate this divide in a safe warm and approachable environment which is non judgmental and culturally curious and sensitive.

It's OK to not be OK and get some help and another perspective and support whilst navigating life and it's ever changing rhythms.

Couples

To initiate our sessions, both parties should be in agreement to enter into couples therapy although it is fine for one person to make contact to set up an appointment so long as you know the other person's availability.

A couple can be partners. members of a family, friends so long as it's two of you and you observe something is amiss and want to look at it and find ways to address what you find.

In couples work any questions beyond setting up the initial appointment are best left for our initial session so both parties in the relationship are part of our conversation with me.

My job isn't to judge you but help you to understand the blockages in your relationship and how to move forward.

How to arrange an appointment

Some people prefer a conversation and please feel free to initiate that in a way that feels right for you. Heads up - due to my work I may not be available but please leave me a message - it is entirely confidential, and I will call you back - or set up an introductory call through this website.

If we don't get to speak, if you prefer you can email me and I will reply and usually we can set up a day and time to have an initial conversation to work out a day and time that suits us for an initial appointment.

Either way, feel free to ask me any questions in the call or email or in our first session. I think it is important that we can have a dialogue about this.

Individuals £75 - 50 minutes.

Couples  £105 -  50 minutes. 

I offer discounted places to those on benefits for a time limited space of up to 6 sessions at a rate of £50 per session. Please let me know if this is of interest and I can let you know if any of those spaces are available when you contact me.

For students your training provider will usually have a free counselling service available. For trainee counsellors I provide a supportive space at my usual rates if online works for you.

I suggest a free telephone call to understand what brings you and to arrange an assessment session. This is not a therapeutic session but a chance to ask your practical questions usually about how to start and find a slot that works for us.

In that initial session you get to experience me and see how I work.  I will ask you questions to get a sense of you and your network what troubles you or feels amiss and you get to ask me questions too. Essentially we are sounding each other out.

I will ask you if you wish to continue and if you do we agree for how long or we leave it open. Either way we dialogue about what it is that we are uncovering and what remains to be done. You get to decide when you wish to finish. All that I ask is that I am part of that process so that we can have an ending and mark the work we have done together. 

If you are coming for couples therapy, your partner will need to have agreed to attend although one or other of you may make the arrangements with me directly.

If your partner does not agree you may wish to attend individually to speak about your relationship and the impact on you.

In our assessment session then we agree a way forward depending on what brings you and what you wish to achieve. I will give you my professional opinion of what I consider is suitable. 

I currently work exclusively on the telephone or online. 

I work weekly as this consistency ensures you know that I am available for you. In some instances we may agree twice a week.