“I just wanted to say many thanks Frances for your help through the last troubled months.
I was sceptical about how you could help me, but really needed someone who was unbiased and being new to the area there was no one I felt I could open up to. Also knowing you were experienced allowed me to trust and believe what you were telling me... and you were right!
You didn't solve my problem. my partner still left and I am still a single Mum, but having you tell me that my feelings were normal and giving me ways of dealing with the overwhelming emotion certainly helped. Silly as it sounds, at the end of the roller coaster (well nearly at the end) having a pat on the back from you for coming through it, especially remembering the way I felt at the beginning, gave me hope and made me realise I can get through it.
Thankyou!”
“During the time I have been attending counselling with Frances I have always found her to be completely professional and approachable. From the very first session Frances managed to make me feel at ease and made the whole idea of counselling a little less scary.
I trust Frances completely and know that whatever we discuss remains confidential and know from her background in counselling that she has bags of experience as a counsellor and therefore I have a lot of faith in her vast knowledge.
I am not at the end of my therapy yet but do feel that I am learning more about myself all the time, and therefore benefitting from my time with Frances, I would highly recommend and indeed have done so already to anyone in need of her services. Thankyou Frances!”
“It took me quite a while to pluck up the courage to ask for help - as I really didn't believe that I was the kind of person who needed it. Some of my friends and colleages had sort help in the past and my answer to that was "why didn't they just pull themselves together". However, I realised that I just needed someone to talk to and someone who would listen and help in a way that I didn't think anyone could. I was going through a time in my life where my children were growing up and I was finding it difficult to understand the changes around me. When I initially saw Frances I couldn't even get through a session without crying but eventually I was able to talk to her and she listened and without even knowing what she was doing or how she was doing it I was able to feel that I was coping with that particular time in my life. It was such a massive step forwards for me and I am eternally grateful to her to help in a time of my life that I never thought I would get through. It is just nice now to go back and see her and chat and tell her about the family etc and without me knowing it, I know she is helping me get over the little hurdles that are there.”
“I called Frances when I had a tangle of problems in my life that was affecting my work and my relationships. I had tried to unravel this tangle alone, couldn't do it, and felt close to despair. Frances was friendly and welcoming, and I was surprised by how easy it was to talk to her. I thought perhaps some of my problems were rather trivial. Not to Frances. She took me seriously although, to my relief, she was also capable of great humour at times - I didn't expect counselling to be such a good laugh! At other times, of course, it was anything but a laugh, and her counselling room soon became a place where it was safe for me to feel and be whatever I needed to feel and be, even if that was sad or angry. This provided a necessary pressure valve which quickly had a knock-on effect on my life outside counselling: within a short time I could concentrate better at work and was having fewer rows with my partner.
Frances gave me ideas for new ways to look at my problems, and offered practical suggestions, without ever making me feel that she was telling me what to do. I appreciated her common-sense clarity: 'What do you want to change?' 'Right, let's work out how you can do that.' I felt thoroughly supported and yet always in control of my own destiny. After several sessions I was ready to manage my life alone again - but I find it comforting to know that Frances is there, and that I can go back for a top-up session or two if I feel the need.”
Counselling for Adults
