Psychotherapy and Counselling
NO waiting lists, NO session limits
We are a private provider of psychotherapy and counselling. This means that we do not have waiting lists, and we do not have a limit to the number of session that we can offer you. We are also available both during the daytime and the evening accross the week.
What to expect
When you contact us to see a psychotherapist / counsellor, you will be given a choice of either male or female therapist, depending on your personal preference. If you are a couple enquiring about our couples counselling, you will be offered the choice to see either one or two counsellors on your first appointment with us here in St Austell. We also offer a completely FREE first appointment, which gives us all an opportunity to meet with each other, exchange questions, and discuss where to go from there.
All counsellors and psychotherapists at Ongoing Support work relationally. This means that the relationship is at the heart of any work we do together, that we are both have equal participation and responsibility for the healing and growth of ourselves. If you would like to know more about our approach and working relationally, you can find lots of infromation in our right hand column.
Value and worth
Our psychotherapy and counselling fees reflect the experience level of our counsellors and psychotherapists, 
their ongoing professional costs, as well as the here-an-now reality of the current financial climate, and Cornwall's geographical location. Depending on your circumstances we can, and do offer consessionary rates, these are usually discussed and agreed on at your first session. This mutual agreement is based on self-worth and self-value for both you and your therapist, and in most cases any consessionary rates agreed upon will be reviewed every six sessions. Our prices can be found under each individual service (see further down the page).
Counselling and psychotherapy differences
One of the most common questions we are asked is "what is the difference between psychotherapy 
and counselling?" There are differences between them, however there are also similarities and so the terms and definitions are often not fully understood, for example; there can be some apprehension around the word 'psychotherapy' and a familiarity around the word counselling within our current UK culture. We are passionate about informing people of the differences between counselling and psychotherapy, and our aim is for you to make a well informed choice when it comes to sharing yourself with a 'safe-other'. With this in mind we have dedicated a page (currently under construction) by itself to explain some of these differences and similarities, with links to other sites and definitions of these two professions. Despite any differences, we use the terms psychotherapy and counselling interchangably throughout this website, and although we are primarily clinical psychotherapists, we can offer either approach depending on your needs.
Who is it for?
Our counselling and psychotherapy services are offered to anybody wishing to enter into a direct psychotherapeutic relationship, 
and we are available to clinically treat a wide range of daily issues, such as anxiety, depression, aggression, giving up smoking, improving relationships, changing destructive patterns etc, as well as treating mental health problems. We have compiled a list of common issues/topics/problems listed in the left-hand column; this list is by no means exhaustive, and the reason why we are able to work with such a large variety of issues is due to working with the person rather than the presenting problem. More information about how we work can be found here.
For counselling / psychotherapy students, we have an extra page here just for you (sorry, this page is currently under construction)..
For organisations and businesses, we have an extra page here just for you too (sorry, this page is currently under construction).
Individual, couple and family Psychotherapy
The first session will be free and will involve an initial assessment. This first session will give us the opportunity to gather some basic information about you and your presenting issues,and it will also give you the opportunity to ask us any questions and decide whether you would like to arrange any further appointments. More detailed information about individual, couple and family psychotherapy / counselling can be found here.
Each session will be for 1 hour and will usually be on a weekly or fortnightly basis.
Individual psychotherapy ~ £35.00
Couple psychotherapy ~ £40.00 (or £45.00 with two psychotherapists)
Family psychotherapy ~ £50.00 (or £55.00 with two psychotherapists)
Group Psychotherapy
The first group will be free and will involve a prior initial assessment on a one-to-one basis (this is also free).
On attending your first group we will also ask you to 'observe only' before deciding whether you would like to join the group. More detailed information about group psychotherapy can be found here.
Each group will run for 2 hours, on a weekly basis.
Group psychotherapy ~ £25.00 per group
A note about payment...
When you book an appointment we will ask you to pay for this in advance. We do not ask for any block payments, and you will only pay for each session that you book with us.
As already mentioned, the first session is free, however if you do not turn up to this, and then also miss a second booked appointment, then there will be a standard charge of £35.00, and we will not set up a third apointment for you.
A note about cancellations...
When you book and pay for an appointment you are booking a slot/space for the session either as an individual or within a group (including couples); payment falls due whether you attend your session or not (at Ongoing Support’s discretion).
Sending us an email or a text message is not an appropriate way to cancel your appointment; we cannot guarantee that we will receive it in time. Please contact us directly by telephone.
A note about timekeeping ...
If you turn up too early you may bump into another client/s leaving his/her session, and if you turn up late you may miss out on having a full hour, so we recommend that you keep as close to your booked time as possible.
A note about endings...
Having closure is very important to the whole therapeutic process,
and often can be missed out, as some individuals find endings difficult. So when you are ready to end your therapy you will be encouraged to book in a final session, this session is for self-reflection, to review any changes you may have made, to celebrate your progress, to reinforce any new decisions, and of course for us both to say goodbye. By having an ending, you will be respecting both yourself and your therapist.
Some individuals have closure to their therapy and choose to come in for some ‘top up’ sessions when they feel they need some extra support, this kind of arrangement can be discussed at the ending session, and usually does not interfere with any closures that are made during this time.
How can I contact you?
We have made a point of not working ordinary hours, so you can contact us evenings and weekends as well as during the day. Contact us anytime between the hours of 8am and 10pm using the details at the bottom of the page.
