Change can initially be difficult and uncomfortable. People may seek therapy when the discomfort of what they've been struggling with starts to outweigh the possible discomfort involved in turning towards that issue and working through it.

If whatever you are struggling with has been an issue for a while and it's negatively impacted your relationships, functioning at work or your capacity to make fulfilling use of your free time, it might be time to consider entering into therapy.

It is not only important that your therapist is qualified, skilled, committed and professional, it is also important that you're a good 'therapeutic match'. You can start by doing some online research (as you're doing now) and by speaking to other people you know who have been in therapy.

Some things to consider:

• Has the therapist been referred to me by someone who knows a little bit about what I struggle with?

• Is the therapist qualified and experienced to work with the particular issue I have?

• Does the therapist challenge me in a way that encourages me to grow?

• Do I feel that the therapist provides me with a safe space to speak about what I need to?

As a clinical psychologist registered with the Health Professions Counsil of South Africa, I protect the confidentiality of all our communication. I will only release information about our work together with your written consent or if I am required to do so by law.

In rare situations I am obligated to breach our confidentiality in the interest of your safety or the safety of others. If such a situation occurs, I will make every reasonable effort to discuss the matter with you before taking any action. You're welcome to contact me if you'd like to know more about the limits of therapeutic confidentiality.

Your therapy will be customised around the issue you're struggling with and the therapeutic modality best suited to your needs. Our first two or three sessions will be focused on:

• Me getting a sense of what you need help with

• Me asking you a few questions to get to know you better and better understanding how this issue fits into the bigger picture of your life

• Us deciding whether we are a good therapeutic match and what our treatment goals might be going forward. You don't really need to prepare for this, I will guide you through the process from our first point of contact.

This varies greatly. Some people are in therapy for a few months and may return again at a later stage, while others benefit more from a few years of consistent therapy.

Depending on what you're struggling with, most medical insurance companies cover around 15 sessions per year. This can be enough time to learn some skills, but more time is often needed for thorough therapeutic work (closer to the roots of the problem) so that symptoms don't resurface further down the line.

My practice is registered with the Board of Healthcare Funders of South Africa - which means that most medical insurance companies will pay for at least a few sessions if you have benefits available. My finance team will submit and process claims on your behalf but you are encouraged to find out from your medical aid whether you have benefits available for psychotherapy first.

If you do not have medical insurance, you are welcome to settle your account via EFT on a monthly basis. Sessions are billed at medical aid rates and some accommodation around fees is available for patients who do not have medical aid.

Individual sessions are 50 minutes in duration. If you are coming to see me for an assessment we will likely need to book a double session.

If you are entering into individual psychotherapy, we are likely to meet once a week for a 50 minute session. You will have a set weekly slot for your session so our contact can feel consistent and predictable. Some patients find they actually benefit more from having a session every second week. We can consider this once we've seen each other for a few consecutive weeks in a row so that we can get to know each other first.