Therapy is a broad term that refers to treatment aimed at helping people improve their mental health, emotional well-being, or ability to cope with challenges. This can be done in a variety of ways, but in the context of mental health, it often means a talking therapy.

Talking therapy specifically refers to treatments that involve talking with a trained professional to explore your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. There are different types of talking therapies, and at Somerset Clinic we primarily offer two types of talking therapies: counselling and psychological therapy.

Counselling provides a safe relationship for you to be listened to without judgement and a space to explore your thoughts and feelings. Counselling can be specific to the problem you are experiencing or be more generalised to how you are feeling, based on what you would like help with. Counselling can help you to better understand yourself, work through your difficulties and find new ways to manage them.

Integrative Counselling describes our counsellor’s approach, ‘Integrative’ means they have trained in several types of therapy and can tailor their approach to your needs. Counselling is led by you and what is important to you, focusing on your strengths and encouraging personal growth.

Psychological therapy is a term often used to describe evidence-based treatments grounded in psychological science. These therapies aim to address deeper or more complex mental health conditions. Psychological therapy can help you to understand your thoughts and feelings, learn skills and strategies, and process past experiences. There are many different types of psychological therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), compassion focused therapy (CFT), systemic therapy, and psychodynamic therapy. Often certain psychological therapies are recommended for specific problems, for example, CBT is recommended for depression and anxiety.

Our psychologists also tend to be ‘integrative’ and will draw on aspects of different therapies to best tailor the therapy to your needs, always ensuring that we are evidence-based in our approach. Together, we can identify what approach may be most helpful during the initial session. Sometimes people have not had success with a certain type of therapy in the past, even if it is the recommended treatment and want to try something different, which we can explore together.

The key difference between these clinicians is in the level of education and expertise and the complexity with which they work.

Our counsellors are highly experienced clinicians who work collaboratively with you to reduce emotional distress. Our counsellors will complete an initial session where they will gather information and explore you goals and hopes for therapy. They do not offer diagnoses but support individuals with mild to moderate symptoms of mental health or specific difficulties they are experiencing in their life. They are trained in a number of different therapeutic approaches and tailor the approach to your needs.

Our Clinical Psychologists are mental health experts who have doctorates in psychology and are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council. Clinical psychologists have specialist training in assessment and can diagnose mental health problems, however, they focus more on psychological formulation, which is understanding where your symptoms came from, how they impact your functioning and what is maintaining the difficulties. Clinical psychologists are trained in different evidence-based therapies and work with complex mental health problems.

After making an initial enquiry via telephone, email, or the online contact form, one of our team will contact you as soon as we can to gather some more information. This initial discussion will focus on what concerns have led you to seeking help and answer any questions that you may have.

The information gathered will then be reviewed by one of our clinicians to consider if we are placed to meet your needs and if so, you will be offered an initial appointment. If you have a preference with regards to who you want to see, you can let us know, however, it is not guaranteed that you can see this person. The assigned clinician will depend on the identified needs and who is considered the best fit as well as availability.

If we are able to meet your needs, you will then be offered an initial appointment with a clinician at the earliest opportunity.

You will be welcomed into Somerset Clinic and will be given a few forms to read through and sign. Your clinician will then come and get you from the waiting area.

During the first session your clinician will talk to you about confidentiality and our duty of care.  They will want to spend some time getting to know you, and together you will explore in greater depth your reasons for seeking treatment and what your hopes and goals for therapy may be. The initial assessment period can take 2-3 sessions to ensure a full understanding of the difficulties to inform which approach may be most helpful and consider the most appropriate treatment plan.

What you will talk about in your therapy session will be led by you and your goals for therapy. It may include stress, relationships, past experiences or concerns about the future. Your clinician can help you explore these areas in a way that feels comfortable and productive for you. You will never have to talk about anything that you do not feel ready or able to. However, your clinician can support you to talk about difficult topics in a way that feels safe, this may include first developing techniques to better tolerate distressing emotions.

Whilst therapy can support with more enduring mental health difficulties, anyone can benefit from therapy. Some people come to therapy to help to understand themselves better, to have a safe space to talk to someone outside of their support system, or because they identify areas in their life that they which to develop and grow.

We are unable to work with clients who are currently under secondary mental health services. Individuals requiring secondary mental health services often require a team of professionals to provide more intensive support and there is a risk of overlapping roles and miscommunication that could compromise the individual’s treatment plan. Our clinicians would also not have access to past and ongoing medical notes that would limit their ability to provide safe and effective care.

We are not able to provide therapy, where you are already accessing therapy privately elsewhere. The exception to this is if you are seeking a very specific approach not provided by your clinician. For example, if you have been attending long-term therapy with a counsellor but wish to access a short-term intervention for EMDR before returning to your counsellor, this may be possible. Please ensure that you notify us of any other professionals you are working with.

Your clinician will talk to you in your first session about confidentiality. We are bound by strict guidelines when it comes to confidentiality. Clinicians receive clinical supervision for all of their therapeutic clients, this means they will share details of their work with their clinical supervisor; however, all supervisors are also bound by the same strict confidentiality guidelines.

There are some exceptions that mean the information you talk about may have to be shared more widely, this is if you or someone else is at risk. If the clinician needs to break confidentiality, they will always try to have these conversations with you first where possible. 

Where it would be helpful to share information with a third party, such as your GP, this would only be done with explicit consent.

How many sessions needed depends on the difficulties you have and your preference. A course of therapy usually requires weekly or fortnightly sessions unless otherwise agreed with your clinician. The frequency of sessions can be discussed at the initial session.

We do not have a limit of the number of sessions we offer (unless there is an agreed number with your health insurance provider) and can explore together the possible length of the therapeutic work based on your presenting problems. Our clinicians will regularly review the progress of the work with you to check we are moving towards your goals and that you are happy with the approach. You may end sessions at any time, even if this is before the end of the recommended number of sessions.

You may notice positive changes, such as feeling more in control of your emotions, improved relationships, or feeling better able to cope with challenges. Progress can also show up as new insights about yourself or a sense of relief. Your clinician will regularly check in with you to discuss your goals and track your progress together.

Our clinicians are not able to provide support outside of a session, either over the phone or via email. If you feel you need your next session to be brought forward, please contact Somerset Clinic and we can see if this can be accommodated. We are not a crisis service and if you need urgent help, please call 999, 111 or the Samaritans on 116 123.

Research tells us that the therapeutic relationship is one of the most important aspects of therapy. The quality of the relationship can influence the success of therapy regardless of the approach or techniques used.

All of our clinicians are warm, kind and non-judgemental; however, therapy is a deeply personal process, and it is important to find the right fit. If your clinician does not feel like the right fit for you, that is ok. Please let us know and we can see if any difficulties could be addressed or whether an alternative clinician can be identified for you.

You can decide if Somerset Clinic and your clinician feels like the right fit for you, you have no obligation to continue if it does not feel right.

We create a safe, supportive environment where young people can express themselves freely. Our approach is tailored to their age, needs, and preferences, using techniques like talking, creative activities, or play. We also work collaboratively with parents or caregivers when appropriate, whilst respecting the young person’s privacy and autonomy.

However, all of the therapies we offer are considered ‘talking therapies’. The nature of this work means that it is best suited to older children, adolescents, and adults.

We ensure that we tailor our approach to meet the unique needs of each individual, recognising and respecting neurodiverse experiences. This may include adjusting communication styles, using visual aids, incorporating sensory-friendly techniques, or breaking sessions into manageable steps. Our goal is to create a supportive and inclusive space where everyone feels understood and valued.

You can end sessions at any time. If you decide you no longer want to continue with therapy, we recommend letting your clinician know and attending an ending session. An ending session is important for both the client and the clinician as it marks the completion of the therapeutic journey. If a parent or guardian decides to end their child’s therapy sessions, we would also strongly encourage that the child is supported to attend a final session.