First step would be to arrange a consultation through the Contact form or email me directly at contact@bhavesh-kotecha.com. I will come back to you with some dates for the consultation and we can discuss appointment dates during the meeting. 

Yes, all sessions are confidential, ensuring a safe space for your personal development and mental health support.

Usually within a week but my availability can change from week to week. I will give you an indication at our consultation.

Counselling fees for in-person 50 minute sessions in St Albans or Shenley/Radlett are £65. Online session fees are £60. I offer a longer 90 minute session for £90. 

​It’s customary for a counselling/therapy session to be 50 minutes long. I am able to provide longer sessions of 90 minutes depending on the circumstances. Longer sessions can be effective at the start of therapy when it feels like there is significant background history or other complexities to consider. 

I work from counselling rooms that are situated in Shenly/Radlett (WD7) and St Albans (AL1) and most of my in-person sessions take place from these locations.  

Weekly sessions are preferable when starting counselling and my sessions are designed with this frequency in mind. This gives enough time between sessions for you to be able process and build up momentum. This also increases the likelihood of the counselling being effective for you as weekly allow sessions facilitate deeper work and immediacy.  

Some clients transition to fortnightly sessions after making some initial progress and where pressing issues have had some resolution.  I am open to discuss an alternative arrangement if you feel that suits you better.

These words are often used interchangeably and for a lot of people mean the same thing. Counselling tends to focus on seeking a shorter term resolution to specific issues whereas therapy implies a longer term approach to more complex recurring issues that could be rooted in the past. Both of these approaches are open to interpretation.  My approach combines elements of both practices depending on the issues being faced. 

I think it’s important for us to meet before we start ongoing sessions. I offer a 30-minute online consultation for you to meet me and get a feel for how we could work together. This is also an opportunity for you to consider how counselling could help you. After this session, you can decide whether to continue and we can then book in some chargeable 50-minute sessions.

This is really difficult to know and is different for everybody. If you are limited in how many you would like to have please let me know in our consultation session and we can discuss whether this is workable. 

Bear in mind that whatever the reasons bringing you to counselling, I will take time to understand who you are and the relevant aspects of your life that are impacting you. I feel it is important for us to build a trusting relationship and our early sessions will be focused around creating this therapeutic connection. 

You can finish counselling whenever you feel comfortable to do so and I will be led by you on this. It is important for us to plan the ending so that we can reflect on what has come up for you and how you will take this forward.

TBC

​TBC

During your initial session, we will discuss your concerns, establish goals, and outline a path forward tailored to your needs.

This is completely natural and most people feel a sense of trepidation and nervousness. Taking the leap to have counselling, especially for the first time, is daunting especially when you are not sure what to expect or are worried about exploring your feelings with a stranger. The free consultation will ease some of your fears and I encourage you to ask questions about the process. We can of course discuss your feelings of nervousness and the fears you may have.

I remind my clients to approach counselling with an open mind and consider the sessions as a dedicated space for them to explore their thoughts and feelings without the distractions of the outside world.

This is tricky to answer as it depends on so many factors. Everybody is different and we all come with our own unique way of approaching counselling. Some people find immediate relief in being able to talk to somebody who will listen attentively; for some people it will take longer depending on the issues being raised. For some people things feel worse before they start to feel better. We can talk openly about what you are feeling and whether counselling is helping you.

After we’ve had our initial consultation and have booked our first session, I will send you the agreement which covers areas such as cancellation, confidentiality, record keeping, etc. You can terminate this agreement at any time subject to the cancellation policy outlined below.

​I’m registered with the British Association of Counselling Professionals (BACP) and adhere to their ethical framework. My member number is 398194.

I recognise that sometimes things come up and you may not be able to attend a scheduled session. If you are able to cancel a session with 48 hours notice there will be no charge (and your fee will be refunded).​

I offer both. Some people prefer one or the other, or a mixture of both. Online sessions will be via Zoom so you will need to have a reliable internet connection and a self-contained space where you will not get disturbed or interrupted.