Absolutely, I much prefer it, as it allows me to make sure I would be suitable and competent therapist for your issue. Just book a free initial consultation using the button below. This is a 15-minute informal conversation over Zoom that will give us a chance to see if we’ll be right for each other.

The ultimate decision is yours, as every person’s journey is different. But when weighing up finances and your availability, it’s a good idea to plan to be meeting weekly for a minimum of six weeks, with 12+ being more typical. The relational nature of Humanistic therapy means change happens as the relationship deepens. For the first few sessions we are getting to know each other and working to develop an alliance. There is often a notable shift somewhere between session four and session six, like a light going on, which tells us where we should focus our work. For some, that revelatory moment may be enough, but for many others it merely marks the starting point of a deeper journey.

Yes. I am bound by the code of ethics practiced by the National Counselling Society and we have very strict rules about confidentiality. I will not share what you tell me with anyone else, except where required by law. I keep session notes to a minimum and these are stored on an encrypted cloud server, not on my computer. Diary appointments are coded.

I reserve the right to discuss caseload and client issues with my supervisor but I won’t share the identity of my clients.

The law in the UK places one or two limits on confidentiality where public security is deemed to be at risk. I’ll discuss this with you in our initial consultation and contracting.

For wheelchair access, we have ramps for the front door and ground-floor thresholds. I’ll need to know some time in advance so I can book a ground-floor room. However, there are no accessible bathrooms in the building – both are on upper floors.

We have the ability to dim the lighting in each of the rooms, which are incredibly quiet and peaceful. If you need more granular control over your environment, your journey, or if eye contact is uncomfortable, then working online can take a great deal of stress out of the process and I’m always more than happy to work that way.

At present I am using Zoom. You don’t need a Zoom account to join meetings that I set. However, you may have more control over your experience if you download the Zoom app onto your device. A basic account is free. It works best if you use a laptop or a tablet – the phone is a bit too small and prone to slipping, which can be distracting.

For each session I will send you a link to join the meeting. When you click to join you’ll go to a “waiting room”. I’ll see that you have joined and grant you access. The session will look like this:

If you want to record your session you are welcome to do so. Please just ask and I can grant you permissions via Zoom.

Yes, usually. There are no legal or insurance impediments. The biggest barrier may be payment, if your country is not supported by either PayPal, Swift/IBAN, Stripe, Square or Zettle then I may not be able to take payment.

There are some important points to consider here. Firstly, psychotherapy is not the profession of medical diagnosis and cure, it is the non-medical profession of meeting humanity with humanity from a philosophical and relational standpoint.

In other words, we will build a relationship in which we can explore who you are, what you’ve been through, what you’re experiencing now and the sorts of meaning you make of it all.  That doesn’t mean a medical approach might not also help and each person will choose the framing and approach that has meaning and validity to them. Or the one that works best for them.

Because I’m not a doctor, it wouldn’t be ethical (or legal) to claim I treat medical conditions. But psychotherapy doesn’t aim to do that in the first place, we’re all about the person, not the condition. Because of that, there’s no reason why the two approaches can’t go hand in hand and a person can see both a doctor and a psychotherapist and get two differing approaches to the same distress. They don’t cancel each other out.

So if you’re wondering whether you should see a counsellor/psychotherapist for a psychiatric condition, a good question to ask first might be:

Do you have an active diagnosis from a psychiatrist? If not, do you want one? If you do, your first port of call should be a doctor, because I won’t be able to give you valid medical advice and you may find my unwillingness to work from a diagnostic point of view frustrating.

If you do have a diagnosis, the next question might be: how do you feel about it? Do you agree with it? Do you feel like something is wrong with your brain or do you have a sense that this all stems from things that happened in your life? Or both? And how do you feel about the treatment options you’ve been given? Have they helped, or do you have hopes they will help? If not, what do you hope will happen in psychotherapy? 

That’s the point at which, if you’re still keen on seeking help from psychotherapy, it might be time to explore what it might mean to go beyond the constraints of a disorder diagnosis. One of the messages you may receive as part of a diagnosis is that “there is no cure” or that you will have a “permanent illness”. Take a moment to reflect on the way in which being told that by a learned professional might impact your hope of recovery or healing. Then ask what might be possible if we conceptualise your distress differently, not as an illness you “have” but as responses to issues that can be worked through in allyship and collaboration with another human focused on your needs. Any psychotherapeutic approach will typically put the constructs of disorder to one side and start to work with the whole person, their life and world and relationships and experiences. 

As a profession at large we do not conceptualise the distress you’re feeling as medical illnesses, but more as adaptations, reactions and responses to difficulties in living, to traumatic or adverse experiences that have exceeded your capacity to integrate, resolve or cope. I work with Rogerian person centred therapy at the heart of my approach, and therapists who work in a person centred way believe the core conditions (of empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard), are sufficient.

Whatever has happened, you are so much more than your symptoms, so part of this process will be exploring the fact that a mental health diagnosis is merely a way for doctors to describe the experiences you’ve been having, not the cause of the experiences. Psychotherapy may still help you even if you disagree. We should never understimate the power of a therapeutic relationship, the power of feeling known, accepted, validated, witnessed and held in a safe allyship. But I feel like it will be even more helpful if we’re both open to the same exploration, that there’s life outside and beyond diagnosis.

Important: if you have been given medication for a mental health diagnosis, you must not stop taking it without consulting your doctor, even if you start to feel better. It’s crucially important that you don’t suddenly stop taking any prescribed medication as this can make you feel much worse. Please discuss medication with your doctor and life with your psychotherapist.

Important: if you have been given medication for a mental health diagnosis, you must not stop taking it without consulting your doctor, even if you start to feel better. It’s crucially important that you don’t suddenly stop taking any prescribed medication as this can make you feel much worse. Please discuss medication with your doctor and life with your psychotherapist or counsellor.

I often hear from concerned people, trying to find care for a partner or adult child who is in distress. Ethically, I cannot engage unless your partner or adult child reaches out themselves and confirms they want therapy and that they choose me. I am bound by a strict ethical code regarding confidentiality: I will not be able to share any content or outcomes from our sessions, even if you pay for them.

If you are concerned about a child under 18, it’s worth looking for a counsellor who has completed specialised training in working with children and young people and is on a specialist CYP register. I work with adults only at the current time.

Rewind is a safe, private, effective and internationally recognised process for removing intrusive, upsetting memories, or flashbacks, associated with post-traumatic syndromes, using guided imagery. It does this by deploying a visual-kinaesthetic dissociative technique, designed to detach the client from the emotional arousal associated with the problematic events.

Rewind is an improvement on old-school exposure “therapies”, firstly, in this dissociative aspect, which is usually achieved by projecting the events onto a screen that the client remotely controls, then rapidly winding back and forward again until the events are detached from the emotional component and filed away.

Secondly, and crucially, the client is not forced to verbalise the events to the therapist, meaning the content can stay private. Rewind therapists often refer to “closure without disclosure”. This is important, as being forced into revealing secrets of a sensitive nature can be re-traumatising.

In this privacy aspect it differs from both traditional exposure therapy and from EMDR, which asks the client to verbalise while the eye movements supposedly stimulate nervous system regulation.

Rewind isn’t—in my practice—a standalone therapy but a therapeutic technique that I would use in the context of my usual approach. It can also be used to help with phobias and the kinds of experience sometimes referred to as “OCD”.

My training was conducted and certified by IARTT, run by David Muss, who is recognised as the founder of the Rewind technique. You can read some objective appraisals of Rewind at PTSD UK.

Ultimately, we will make a verbal contract together about how, where and when we would like to work together, for how long and at what times we will review. However, there are a few terms we need to agree in advance.

Rooms
My practice address is 11 Orchard Street, Bristol BS1 5EH.

COVID-19
If convenient for the client, therapy can take place via Zoom videoconferencing. The client undertakes to ensure they have the necessary equipment.

Confidentiality
Anything shared during therapy remains in strictest confidence and will not be shared with third parties unless required by law or unless it falls within the scope of the National Counselling Society’s safeguarding policy.

Fees
My fee is £60 per hour. The duration and frequency of therapy is agreed with the client during the initial session and ultimately the client’s choice. The client is not financially committed to a contract and may stop therapy at any time, although please be midful of the notice I need to cancel sessions that have already been booked.

Payment
Payment must be made in advance of treatment and can be made via bank transfer prior to the initial appointment or by debit or credit card payment at beginning of each session. Cheques and cash are not accepted.

Vacations
From time to time I will be unavailable for regularly scheduled sessions due to vacations. In this event I will give plenty of warning and we can discuss arrangements.

Cancellation policy

• Online work: I’m happy to reschedule up to 48 hours before the appointment. Cancellations made less than 48 hours before the appointment are charged at 50% of the session rate. Missed appointments are payable in full. It is sometimes possible to reschedule online appointments for an alternative slot in the same week.
• Face-to-face work: Face-to-face appointments are hard bookings and cannot be swapped out for other days. I am subject to cancellation policies operated by the room providers. I will need one week’s notice of a cancellation without charge. Missed appointments must be paid in full.

Contact between sessions
Please feel free to contact me to arrange or reschedule sessions. To maintain your privacy and to maintain safe boundaries, I will not discuss any aspect of your therapy with you outside of the therapy session. Please be aware that weekends are family time. Messages sent at weekends typically won’t be seen or actioned until the next working day.

Treatment
Psychotherapy is a purely psychological therapy and does not constitute a medical intervention or medical advice. Richard Lewis is not a qualified medical practitioner and is not apt or able to diagnose or give opinions on medical issues and diagnoses, advise on medical treatments or make prescriptions. It is recommended that clients consult their GP before embarking on psychological or complementary therapies.

Endings
Ending therapy is the client’s right and choice at all times. If you wish to end the therapy you don’t need to justify that decision and you can keep your reasons private if you need to. There may be times when I may need to stop working with you and refer you to another practitioner: if the work moves outside my competency, for example, or of a conflict of interest develops where I could not continue ethically or safely. If I think this is the case I will discuss it with you and make recommendations for a referral.

Attendance
Therapy requires commitment and the building of a relationship. If you are regularly cancelling, this may not be the right time for you to be in therapy, or I may not be able to work effectively with you and may need to offer the slot to those on the waiting list. If I think this is the case I will discuss it with you and make recommendations for a referral.

Accreditation and code of ethics
Richard Lewis is an accredited member of the National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society (MNCPS Accred), holds a Prof Dip Psy C diploma in psychotherapeutic counselling and abides by the Society’s code of ethics. Professional indemnity insurance cover is with Howden, providing cover for face-to-face, online work and overseas clients.

GDPR
I use a cloud server to maintain up-to-date encrypted electronic records of therapy sessions, treatment plans and outcomes and encrypted electronic records of invoicing and billing. These records are not stored on local servers or devices. You may request at any time to see the electronic information I hold on you. I will make every effort to comply with any deletion requests; however, I am required by my insurers to keep written records for seven years and may not be able to legally delete records until that time has elapsed.