Unless you tell me you are going to harm yourself or someone else, I won't talk to anyone. You can talk to anyone you trust.
For you to achieve your aims. That could be figuring things out so you know what you want to do next, it could be making changes to your thinking or behaviour, it could be getting support with a difficult life event.
The way you get on with your counsellor makes more difference than the type of counselling.
You can stop any time. You don't have to work on everything all at once: you can have episodes of counselling with gaps between. Long-term issues can take time to turn around.
Up to you. It is helpful to start with 6 sessions and then review. We also review as we go along.
Progress towards your aims is what we're interested in. We'll be checking that all the time. We also do periodic reviews.
Usually people have aims but they've not put them into words. In the sessions you'll find aims that fit your situation.
At the start, while we build our understanding, it's helpful to have weekly sessions. Later, when you have more control of the issues, you may want to space the sessions out, or have episodes of counselling with gaps between. You decide.
No. I've not had the specific training for couple work.
As a client you can't tell the difference. Anyway, the therapeutic relationship makes more of a difference than the mode of therapy.
Medication and counselling can be used together. Where helpful I can liaise with your doctor or psychiatrist.
I will be asking what your diagnosis means to you and how it has helped. I will not assume you are identical with your diagnosis (everyone experiences a given disorder differently). Where helpful I can liaise with your doctor or psychiatrist.
When you want someone else to change. When you are using psychotropic drugs a lot. When you are having a psychotic episode.