The Farley
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?
I offer person-centred counselling and psychotherapy, with ongoing CPD in relational and trauma-informed work.
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.
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.
I also work with people who are:
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living with anxiety, stress, or burnout
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moving through loss, change, or life transitions
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noticing patterns such as people-pleasing, over-responsibility, or over-adapting
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carrying trauma, grief, or unresolved emotional pain
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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?
I offer private counselling and psychotherapy from my home-based practice in Southampton, as well as online therapy across the UK and internationally.
My Southampton practice offers a private, welcoming space with free on-road parking nearby. For those working with me online, whether in the UK or living abroad, therapy offers the same consistency and depth without the need to travel.
You can read more about each option 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?
In the UK, counselling and therapy are often used interchangeably, and many people use whichever term feels most familiar.
Psychotherapy is often associated with longer-term or more exploratory work, although there is considerable overlap between the two.
At The Farley, I offer person-centred counselling and psychotherapy informed by relational and trauma-aware understanding. While person-centred therapy sits at the heart of my approach, I also pay close attention to how you relate to others, how you protect yourself, and how emotional strain takes shape over time.
What matters most is not which label you use, but whether the work feels right for you.
6. What kinds of clients do you work with?
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.
I offer consistent, person-centred therapy within organisations, with an ongoing therapeutic relationship and clear clinical independence.
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, except where disclosure is legally or ethically required.
You can read more here:
Businesses interested in offering employee counselling are welcome to get in touch (esther@thefarley.co.uk) to discuss a tailored arrangement.
8. What are your fees and do you accept insurance?
Sessions are:
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£65 for daytime appointments (before 5pm)
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£70 for evening appointments (after 5pm)
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£85 for international online therapy