Short answer: No, not really.

Long answer: When you study counselling you will usually be trained to use specific styles, for example, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or Narrative Therapy etc. However, Holistic Counselling is much more open and person-centered. “Holistic” simply means whole, so there is a greater focus on supporting clients to achieve balance and wholeness. The client is not expected to work with a particular style because it suits the counsellor. Instead, I focus more on the fundamental skills of counselling as these are what bring value to the client.

Absolutely. I have been trained predominantly in facilitating sessions online over Zoom and I have personally been a client in many Holistic Counselling sessions that were all conducted over Zoom. In my sessions as a client I have never once thought that the session was not helpful because it was done online. Ultimately, I would say that it comes down to personal preference however, I have found that clients feel more comfortable in their own spaces which allows for a more relaxed feel to the sessions. The only way to truly know is to give it a try and find out!

There is no ‘One size fits all’ approach to counselling or to therapy in general. Someone who has just gone through a traumatic experience will likely need more intensive support than someone who is just interested in pursuing self-development and personal growth. There are also financial factors to consider as different people have different budgets. However, the frequency of your sessions should be determined by your current level of distress. If you are really going through it at the moment, I would recommend one session every 2-3 weeks. If you are going well and just engaging in regular maintenance, you could push that out to one session per month. But always remember, there are no rules! Listen to your intuition and ask yourself what YOU think you need!