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Frequently Asked Questions

Starting therapy often comes with questions. Some are practical. Others are harder to name. This page is here to give you a clearer sense of how I work, what to expect, and whether The Farley feels like the right place to begin.

1. What kind of counselling and therapy do you offer at The Farley in Southampton?
 

I offer person-centred counselling and psychotherapy, with ongoing CPD in relational and trauma-informed work.

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That means I do not begin with a fixed technique, a programme, or a set of steps for you to follow. I begin with you. With what feels heavy, what feels stuck, what no longer fits, or what has become too much to keep carrying on your own.

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Many of the people I work with are used to being the one who keeps going. They are thoughtful, capable, and outwardly functioning, but underneath that, something has started to shift in a way that is harder to manage. They may feel flat, overwhelmed, emotionally distant from themselves, or increasingly unlike who they recognise themselves to be.

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I also work with people who are:

  • living with anxiety, stress, or burnout

  • moving through loss, change, or life transitions

  • noticing patterns such as people-pleasing, over-responsibility, or over-adapting

  • carrying trauma, grief, or unresolved emotional pain

  • finding that the ways they have managed for years are no longer working

 
Whether you’ve had therapy before or this is your first time, you’ll be welcomed into a space where your pace, tone, and story lead.

2. Do you offer therapy for burnout or high-functioning burnout in the UK?

Yes.

Burnout is often missed, particularly in people who are still meeting expectations and continuing to function in their roles. From the outside, very little may appear wrong. Internally, however, there can be a growing sense of exhaustion, detachment, irritability, or a loss of connection to yourself that is difficult to put into words.

Many people reach out at the point where pushing through no longer feels sustainable, even if nothing has outwardly “collapsed”.

Therapy offers space to understand what has been building over time, rather than continuing to override it.

You can read more here:​
What High-Functioning Burnout Feels Like

3. Where is your practice based?
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I offer private therapy in Southampton from a quiet, home-based practice, and I also work with clients across the UK through online therapy.

The in-person space is private, calm, and set up to feel contained and welcoming, with free on-road parking nearby. Online therapy offers the same consistency and depth, with more flexibility if travelling in, work demands, family life, or location make that the better fit.

You can read more about both here:

4. Do you offer short-term or long-term therapy?

Yes, both.

Some people come with something immediate they want support with. Others arrive with a longer history of holding things together, and the work deepens over time.

How long we work together is not fixed in advance. We keep that under review as the work unfolds, and you decide what feels right for you.

5. What’s the difference between counselling, therapy, and psychotherapy?​
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In the UK, counselling and therapy are often used interchangeably, and many people use whichever term feels most familiar.

Psychotherapy is usually associated with more in-depth clinical training and often with longer-term, deeper emotional work. That said, the distinction on paper is often less important than the quality of the work itself.

At The Farley, I offer person-centred counselling and psychotherapy informed by relational and trauma-aware understanding. So while person-centred therapy sits at the heart of my approach, I am also paying close attention to how you relate, how you protect yourself, and how emotional strain takes shape over time.

What matters most is not which label you use. It is whether the work feels safe enough, thoughtful enough, and real enough to meet you where you actually are.

6. What kinds of clients do you work with?
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I work with adults from many different backgrounds, but the people who find their way here are often carrying more than those around them realise.

They may be professionals, founders, parents, carers, or people others naturally rely on. From the outside, they can seem steady, capable, even high-functioning. But privately, there may be anxiety, burnout, grief, disconnection, self-doubt, relationship strain, or a growing sense that they have drifted too far from themselves.

So while the details of their lives differ, what often connects them is this: they have become very good at carrying things well, and very tired of doing it alone.

7. Do you offer employee counselling in the UK or workplace therapy?

Yes.

I offer employee counselling across Southampton, the South East, and London, delivered in-person, online, or as a hybrid service depending on what is needed.

This is not a one-off wellbeing gesture or an EAP-style add-on. It is consistent, person-centred therapy made available through the workplace, while remaining clinically independent.

I work directly with Founders, leadership teams, or HR to set up the service, but the therapeutic work itself stays confidential. No clinical reports, session content, or personal disclosures are shared with employers.

You can read more here:


Businesses interested in offering employee counselling are welcome to get in touch to discuss a tailored arrangement.

8. What are your fees and do you accept insurance?
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Sessions are:​
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  • £65 for daytime appointments (before 5pm)

  • £70 for evening appointments (after 5pm)

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I am a recognised provider with WPA and Vitality Health. Please check with your insurer to confirm coverage.

9. How do I get started?
 
You can book a free 30-minute consultation directly through my website. It’s not a therapy session, but a first meeting, unrushed, confidential, and led by you. We’ll talk about what’s bringing you here, what you’re looking for, and whether this feels like a good fit.
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You are welcome to watch my short video explainer on what an initial consultation is, here. 

10. Is private online therapy in the UK as effective as in-person therapy?
 
For many people, yes.

Research increasingly supports the effectiveness of online therapy, particularly where there is a strong therapeutic relationship. While the setting is different, the depth of the work is not necessarily reduced.

Some clients find it easier to speak from their own space. Others value the practicality of being able to access therapy without travel, particularly when life already feels full.

What matters most is not whether we are in the same room, but whether the space between us feels steady enough for something real to happen.

11. What if I’ve tried therapy before and it didn’t help?
 
That can be disappointing, and sometimes quietly disheartening too.

Not all therapy feels the same. Sometimes the approach is too structured. Sometimes it feels too solution-focused, too distant, or as though you are being understood in theory rather than actually met. Sometimes the therapist is simply not the right fit.

That does not mean therapy cannot help. It often means that something essential was missing.

The way I work is less about directing you and more about making room for what has not yet had the right conditions to emerge. For many people, that difference matters.

You can read more here:
How Do I Choose a Therapist (When I’m Already Overthinking It?)

The Farley

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