I couldn't speak; but in feeling heard, I found my voice
My name is Linda King and I am a counsellor providing both short-term and long-term therapy to adults
Welcome, and thank you for visiting my website.
I am based in Barry and offer counselling via telephone and/or online, using teams and zoom. As well as being a counsellor I work as a manager in the public sector, interacting with members of the public and managing a large team.
I have become quite experienced at resolving conflicts and complaints with customers and navigating my staff through personal problems and situations.
There's not much I haven't heard over the years, working with people from all walks of life and backgrounds; coming to me with a diverse range of issues and problems.
I have significant experience of working with addiction. As a fully-qualified counsellor I am a member of The National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society and abide by their code of ethics.
How can counselling help?
Life brings many challenges, and it's understandable that at times in our lives, we might look for support in facing them. As a counsellor, it's my role to provide space to support you and guidance to help you on your journey to self-discovery; to enable you to examine your life and make new, meaningful choices.
I offer a safe and confidential space for you to reflect on the problems and difficulties you are facing, as talking with someone from outside your day to day, can lead to fresh perspectives. You cannot change what life throws at you, but you can change how you deal with it! I have a very good record of helping those I work with to make a real change in their lives; whatever issues you are facing, we can face them together!
I am honest and open, and ask clients to be as honest and open as possible with me, so that we can get the absolute best from our sessions. I'm not a smile and nod therapist, it's not me. I will roll up my sleeves and enter the storm with you. I want you to feel that you can talk with me about anything, without shame; as I offer a safe, confidential space to be honest!
I appreciate not knowing how to change things can be daunting. I'd like to help you make the change you need, so you can start working towards the life you want.
What issues can counselling help with?
People come to me for help with a wide range of issues. Here are a few of the more common difficulties that can be supported through counselling:
Feelings of stress or anxiety
Panic attacks
Relationship problems
Grief, loss or bereavement
Problems with addiction
Trauma and post-traumatic stress
Depression
Problems with confidence or self-esteem
Anger management
Issues relating to sexuality
Difficulties at work or in retirement
Problems with family or school life
Sessions
Sessions last 50 minutes, via telephone or online; taking place on a weekly basis, and cost £50 per session. Sessions can be arranged to suit, day or evening.
Payment is accepted via bank transfer.
Availability
Please note that if you wish to cancel an appointment, I require 48 hours notice; otherwise payment will still need to be made for missed sessions.
I also provide a limited number of spaces for those on low-income or for students; please contact me to find out about availability.
Get in touch
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how counselling works, or to arrange an initial consultation.
This enables us to discuss the reasons you are seeking counselling, whether it will be helpful for you and whether I am the right therapist to help.
You can email me directly at info@lindakingcounselling.co.uk or text on 07983651734. I will respond within 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions
Many therapists tend to view Counselling as ‘short-term’ work; when someone has a problem that can be looked at and discussed in a clearly-resolvable way. This work often requires undertaking sessions for a certain number of weeks, to explore, discover and clarify a way forward. Therapy is a word used more to describe ‘long-term’ work; discussion that tends towards substantial issues and things that might be life-changing on a deeper level.
Whether counselling or therapy work best as a short- or long-term option depends on the client though, and the difficulties they are facing. In some cases counselling can prove helpful as a continuing, longer-term option, or therapy can help resolve an issue in just a few sessions.
There’s no fixed or ideal length of time for the counselling process; it varies from person to person and will often depend on the depth of the issues they are facing. While I can work on an open-ended basis with clients, I find it is helpful for us to both agree before we start on undertaking a certain number of sessions and reviewing where we are at once we reach that point. You are able to decide how long your therapy will last, and in return my aim is to make sure therapy continues for only as long as it is of benefit to you.
This depends on what your needs are. Some people find that after only a very few sessions they have some clarity and focus and are ready to end the therapy. Other people value the ongoing support and relationship with me and will continue to come for weeks, months, or even years. There is no 'one-size-fits-all' when it comes to therapy.
My aim is to offer you a first appointment, known as an initial assessment/consultation within 1-2 weeks. However, wait times may vary according to my availability and will also depend on your availability too.
Confidentiality is one of the main ways in which therapy differs from many other forms of helping - for example, talking to friends or family can rarely offer the same degree of confidentiality as talking to a counsellor. Because of this confidentiality, you will find that - as you get used to coming for therapy - you are freer to talk about whatever you wish to.
No therapist can offer 100% confidentiality: there are some situations where the law requires disclosure of risk (e.g. certain child protection issues) and in common with most other therapists, there are some situations where I may not be able to keep total confidentiality. In particular, if someone tells me that they are thinking of harming themselves in a way that I believe puts them at serious risk, or if someone tells me that they are doing something that could put others at risk, I may not be able to keep such information confidential. However, breaking confidentiality is rare, and only happens after talking to the person concerned.
When you come for counselling it's important that you feel free to talk about whatever is important to you. Sometimes, you may not be clear what those issues are. Having a friend or family member with you is not usually helpful because they may have their own agenda for you. Even if this is just that they want to be supportive, or want you to 'get better', this agenda can prevent us opening issues up. When you come for therapy, you may need to explore thoughts or behaviours about which you feel ashamed or embarrassed and you may censor yourself so as not to hurt someone, or you may find that what they want you to talk about is not really what you need to discuss.
Sometimes, family/friends can even be part of an underlying issue which needs to be aired and discussed. Usually, people who ask this question are nervous about coming for a session alone, or they are anxious for the person who is thinking about arranging sessions. This anxiety is quite normal, and you will not be forced to talk about anything you feel uncomfortable about - but you do need to be able to talk about whatever is important. For this reason, I do not see clients accompanied by friends or family
©Linda King
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