Frequently asked questions

I’m worried you are going to tell me what to do or how to feel

Sessions are collaborative – they have to be, or we won’t see problems resolved. It is also why it is important to find a practitioner you like and trust – and feel comfortable enough to speak in an uncensored way with. Psychotherapy is about interpretation and explanation based on what is being presented in our sessions. We can’t make things up in an arbitrary manner – it is your narrative that holds the key to an understanding of what will help you reach your goals. We work together.

Is there a charge for a first meeting?

A first meeting is charged at the same rate as any 50-minute session. The reason for this is because I begin work with you on this first appointment. I appreciate that, for some, a brief phone call may be preferable in order to make some acquaintance with each other, before arranging a first meeting. I am always very happy to take any calls or return any enquiries. Daytime is usually the best time to reach me for this.

How many sessions do I need?

People work through, and process, what they have to in their own unique way and at their own speed - but when we see changes happening in the way that people think, feel and behave that is when we know we are making progress.

What is a ‘therapeutic intensive’?

I have often been asked if I offer more lengthy sessions as a quicker step into understanding oneself. These sessions, therefore, are intended to hear about someone’s background and what is being currently experienced as a more expedient introduction. They are not intended as a standalone ‘fix all’ solution but to ease into follow up sessions, should you wish to continue with them.

Is what I tell you confidential?

Yes. Everything you tell me in our sessions is kept between ourselves. I would only ever break this confidentiality if I was required by law or if I thought you were in danger to yourself or to others. I have to keep the notes that I take for a duration of five years (for indemnity insurance purposes) and these are locked up in cabinets and only I have access to them.

Got any more questions about psychotherapy in Tooting, Southampton, or online? Don’t hesitate to give me a call or drop me a line

Quotes That Embody Our Work Together

"We are what we are because we have been what we have been, and what is needed for solving the problems of human life and motives is not moral estimates but more knowledge" - Sigmund Freud

"Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength" - Sigmund Freud

"The poets and philosophers before me discovered the unconscious; what I discovered was the scientific method by which the unconscious can be studied" - Sigmund Freud

"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom" - Viktor E. Frankl

"We are all human: therefore nothing human can be alien to us" - Maya Angelou

"Whatever you dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now" - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"Life will bring you pain all by itself. Your responsibility is to create joy" - Milton H. Erickson


©2022 Claudine Swinton-Lee

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