. . . FAQs . . .

NOW Therapy is suitable for adults, teenagers or young people on a 1-to-1 basis. At present, NOW Therapy is not available for couples or families and is unable to provide psychiatric or suicidal crisis care. If you're feeling suicidal or in crisis, contact the emergency services and/or Samaritans at www.samaritans.org (www.samaritans.org)or by telephone on 116 123 (in the UK). Accessibility: While NOW Therapy aims to be inclusive, and wishes for everyone to have access to therapy, the in-person location is not currently wheelchair accessible and may not be suitable for certain disabilities (alterations and accommodations will be made where possible). As an alternative, we offer online sessions via Zoom. If you have any questions or concerns around accessibility, please feel free to get in touch.

NOW Therapy can work with you - wherever you are in life right now, whatever's going on for you right now - whether that means tackling deep-rooted issues, implementing change or practicing mental health maintenance, including (but not limited to): - anxiety - anger - workplace issues - stress - relationship issues - abuse - betrayal - medical and health related issues - depression and low mood - low self-esteem and lack of confidence - trauma - self-harm - phobias and fears - ADHD - OCD - neurodiversity - addiction and substance misuse/abuse - bereavement, grief and loss - setting and working toward specific goals

Talking to friends or family certainly can be helpful! Talking with a therapist is different. Friends and family often offer opinions and advice - essentially, offering what they think - therapy is a safe place to explore what YOU think, free from the advice and opinions of others. Therapists are professionally trained to help you explore and discuss your unique thoughts, feelings and situations and develop your own useful resources.

Therapy can be daunting, especially if you've never done it before. Feeling anxious or nervous about opening up is understandable. (The good news is: this uncomfortableness tends to lessen with time!) There are no obligations to fulfil and the therapist won't judge you or have expectations of you. They may ask questions to gain a deeper understanding of what is going on for you and what you may need from therapy, but sessions are client-led, which means you can go at your own pace and talk about whatever you want to talk about - you won't be pushed to to talk about anything you don't want to talk about. Your therapist might offer techniques to help you achieve desired outcomes or reach goals, but they won't give advice or tell you what you should or shouldn't do. Sessions may cover a range of topics and - therefore - you may experience a range of emotions. Opening up about things you may not have discussed before or have held in for a long time might feel freeing and healing - like a release. It's also possible you may feel low or worse before you start to feel better. Some weeks might feel as if a weight has been lifted, other weeks might feel the opposite.

In general, sessions usually occur weekly, especially at first. Therapy is most effective when a client is open, willing and committed to regular sessions. Change benefits from consistency! Another key aspect of successful therapy is the working, therapeutic relationship between client and therapist. It's beneficial to invest time to allow that relationship to develop. Mental health maintenance sessions (which usually occur after an initial period of weekly therapy) may happen less often - every other week or once a month, for example.

Therapy is not a quick fix - it takes time, willingness and effort. 6 to 8 sessions are generally suggested, as an absolute minimum. Complex issues or goals usually benefit from longer-term work. Mental health maintenance may also take place over a longer period of time, with less frequent sessions.

It's OK to contact your therapist between sessions if you need to cancel or rearrange your next appointment (or if you'd like to switch from in-person to online or vice versa). If you're feeling suicidal or in crisis, please contact emergency services and/or Samaritans at www.samaritans.org (https://www.samaritans.org)or by telephone on 116 123 (in the UK).

While NOW Therapy aims to be inclusive, and wishes for everyone to have access to therapy, the in-person location is not currently wheelchair accessible and may not be suitable for certain disabilities (alterations and accommodations will be made where possible). As an alternative, we offer online sessions via Zoom. If you have any questions or concerns around accessibility, please feel free to get in touch.