FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

You’re very welcome to get in touch using the contact form on this website — your message will come straight to my inbox.

If you’d prefer, you can also email me directly at kirsty.kastherapy@gmail.com.

I’ll do my best to reply as soon as I can, this is usually within 2 working days. If you feel you need immediate mental health or crisis support you can reach out to the crisis services listed in the last FAQ question under 'Crisislines, Helplines and other mental health organisations'.

Confidentiality means that what you share with me in counselling is kept private. There are a few exceptions to confidentiality, for example, if I’m concerned about significant harm to you or others. In such situations, I will always try to discuss with you the most appropriate way we can manage this together.

We will explore confidentiality in more detail during our first session, and everything will be clearly explained in your Counselling Agreement.

I offer integrative counselling, which means I draw upon different therapeutic approaches depending on your needs and goals. Counselling provides a safe and non-judgemental space to explore your thoughts, emotions, and experiences at your own pace. Together, we can work towards understanding what’s been difficult, finding new ways of coping, and supporting your emotional wellbeing in helping you make meaningful changes in your life.

If you feel you would like to reach out,  I’ll invite you to a free 15-minute telephone call. This is an opportunity for you to ask questions and get a sense of whether you feel we might be a good fit. 

During this call, I’ll explain what counselling involves, what you may expect from me and answer any questions you may have. We can talk about what has brought you to counselling, what you hope to gain, and any worries or hesitations you might have.

For young people under 16, this first call will be with a parent or carer so that I can gain consent before meeting with the young person directly.

I offer counselling online and by telephone. All virtual sessions are currently held online via Google Meet, a secure video platform that can be accessed through your web browser — there’s no need to download anything. For telephone counselling, I provide my counselling telephone number and arrange with you session times for this.

I’m based in North Hampshire, and working online means I can offer counselling to clients across the UK and Northern Ireland. Many people find online sessions flexible, comfortable, and supportive of their everyday routine.

If you would prefer face-to-face sessions please contact me and we can discuss arrangements where possible.

After our initial call, we’ll arrange your first appointment either by Google Meet or by telephone. Beforehand, I’ll email you a Counselling Agreement that outlines our ways of working together – including confidentiality, attendance, and cancellations.

In our first session, we’ll take time to go through this together and answer any questions you have. My aim is to create a safe, calm, and non-judgemental space where you can begin to share and explore whatever feels most important for you that you may need extra support with right now.

I offer counselling in the evenings and on Saturdays currently. Please let me know your availability and I will do my best to accommodate you.

Each counselling session lasts 50 minutes.

There are no set number of sessions, everyone’s needs are different. Many people have therapy weekly and I usually suggest a gentle review every six weeks to reflect on how things are going and whether the pace feels right for you.

Some clients find that a few months of counselling helps them through a difficult period or a particular challenge, while others choose to continue longer term. There’s no fixed timeframe,  counselling moves at a pace that feels comfortable and meaningful for you.

When you feel ready to end counselling, we’ll plan an ending session together. This helps to reflect on your progress and mark the end of our therapeutic work, as endings are an important and valued part of the counselling process.

Each session costs £60.

I offer a limited number of reduced-fee sessions in exceptional circumstances and for counselling students. If you feel this could apply to you, please do mention it during our initial call or at any point if your circumstances change.

Payment details will be shared with you once we arrange your first session.

If there’s anything else you’d like to know, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

You can email me at kirsty.kastherapy@gmail.com, and I’ll be happy to help.

For immediate mental health support, please call 999 or visit the nearest Accident and Emergency (A&E) department. 

If you feel you need support with your mental health, you can reach out to your GP and the following organisations below: 

• Shout giveusashout.org text service on 85258. Shout is a free, confidential, and 24/7 text messaging service for anyone of any age in the UK who needs support. 

• Samaritans samaritans.org  Tel: 116 123 (free)

• Papyrus HOPELINE247 papyrus-uk.org For children and young people under the age of 35 who are experiencing thoughts of suicide and for anyone concerned that a young person could be thinking about suicide.  Call: 0800 068 4141. Text: 88247. Email: pat@papyrus-uk.org. Open 24/7 including Weekends and Bank Holidays.

• National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK spuk.org.uk/national-suicide-prevention-helpline/ 0800 587 0800 open 6pm- 12am (midnight). 

• Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) thecalmzone.net helpline 0800 58 58 58 and live chat (5pm-midnight)  

• NHS Call 111 and select option 2 (service available across England, Wales, and Scotland, open 24 hours)

Young People’s specific support: 

• Shout (as above) text service 85258.

• Samaritans (as above) Tel: 116 123 (free)

• Childline Tel: 0800 1111 (free) under 18s

• The Mix Helpline (for under 25’s) Tel: 0808 808 4994 (free 11am – 11pm) themix.org.uk 

Other mental health organisations you can reach out to: 

• Hub of Hope hubofhope.co.uk directory of mental health services. 

• Mind mind.org.uk

• Anxiety UK anxietyuk.org.uk  03444 775 774

• BEAT - eating disorder charity: beateatingdisorders.org.uk  Helpline: 0808 801 0677; Youth Helpline: 0808 801 0711

• Mind Out mindout.org.uk LGBTQ Mental Health Service.  Online support live chat for members of the LGBTQ community, open every day including evenings, weekends and Bank Holidays.