Dorothy Hodgkinson

I am available to take on new clients on Mondays at 8.30am or 10am, 1pm, 2.30pm or 4pm, plus Wednesdays at 8.30am or 2.30pm, for in-person, online or telephone sessions.  

Please email or phone to arrange a free initial conversation.

My therapy room is on the first floor in The Studio.  There is no lift in the property.  

Counselling is primarily a process of conversation between us. You are welcome to talk with me about whatever concerns you. I will listen to what you have to say, without judgement.

My priority is to work with you according to your needs, taking account of your preferred ways of thinking, learning and reflecting. This may mean purely dialogue, or including some creative, visual methods to support your reflections on what you need to address.  Whilst I may offer these, it will be entirely your choice whether we use them.

You may be concerned about whether you 'qualify' for counselling. My belief is that:

You don’t have to have a big, defined issue to work on (you can just know you want something else)

You don’t have to have a specific diagnosis (feeling unhappy with how things are is enough)

You don’t have to be feeling at the end of your tether (simply knowing you want to feel differently is perfectly valid)

It’s not weak to seek counselling (quite the opposite)

It’s not just for women (I see clients of all genders)

In other words you don’t need to be or have anything specific to be welcomed into the counselling space and to find it helpful. You can come as you are and be accepted as you are.

I provide a safe space to explore your thoughts and feelings, process difficult events and unburden yourself, with no judgement and an abundance of compassion.

My approach to working with you will be led by your needs and preferences – whether you find it easier to work purely through conversation, or with the addition of images, metaphor, or other creative options.

We will review our work together regularly to ensure that we are addressing what you need from counselling, whether that be exploring events in the past, addressing immediate concerns, or working through a sense of uncertainty, loss, or confusion.

I offer short-term, longer-term or open-ended counselling. Sessions can be in-person, online or by telephone. Sessions will usually be on the same day/time each week or fortnight, but please ask if you need more flexibility to work around shifts or other commitments.

I ask for at least 24 hours’ notice of cancellation or to change an appointment whenever possible.  I appreciate that emergencies happen, and that illness can strike with very little notice. 

I offer one pay as you can counselling space per quarter, no questions asked. Please email me if you would like to discuss this.

I offer a free, initial conversation (in-person, online or by telephone) up to 30 mins, which is an opportunity for us to explore whether we feel we could work together.  Finding the right counsellor is important, feeling that we could build a good relationship together is a big factor in supporting you towards what you want to achieve in counselling.  I want you to have this time to help inform your choice.

This session is a chance for you to find out more about how I work, what you can expect from me and what I might expect from you.  I want you to feel able to ask me any questions about counselling, how I work, or even raise any initial fears or expectations you may have about counselling.  

It is also an opportunity for me to find out a bit about you and what you are hoping for from counselling, so that I can weigh up if I have the appropriate knowledge and experience to support you. 

I will not expect you to complete a detailed assessment as it is important to me that (should you decide to work with me) we work on the issues you present at the time.

Between us we can then determine if this feels like a good match and decide on the way forward - whether to book in for actual counselling sessions or to find alternative counsellors for you to contact.