Welcome to
Start Fresh Therapy
Therapy for individuals in a safe, comfortable and private setting
Welcome, and thank you for visiting Start Fresh Counselling
My name is Uloma Hafstad and I am a counsellor providing both short- and long-term face-to-face therapy for adults in Oxfordshire. I also offer counselling online, using Zoom.
Life situations can sometimes be complicated and our relationships can feel challenging or baffling. Talking to a trained professional is a way to bring clarity to what we are experiencing and can provide the insight we need to work through the difficulty.
I support people from all walks of life and backgrounds. People come to see me with a diverse range of problems. As a fully qualified counsellor I am a member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, and abide by their code of ethics.
Making the decision to see a counsellor is a big step to take - but it can be a positive one. Please read on to find out more about how I could help you.
My Approach
My approach to therapy is called transactional analysis. This is a humanistic style of counselling which emphasises that every individual has value and is worthy of respect; everyone has the capacity to think and take responsibility for making meaningful changes in their life to reach their full potential. As a counsellor my role is to provide space and guidance to help you on your journey of self-discovery; to enable you to examine your life and make new, meaningful choices within it.
I offer a chance to reflect on the difficulties or problems you are experiencing in a safe and confidential environment, with someone from outside your day-to-day life. Together we can explore your situation in a way that leads to fresh perspectives - and perhaps a new understanding of yourself. Counselling isn’t about giving you solutions or advice, but empowering you to make your own changes.
What issues can counselling help with?
Here are a few of the more common difficulties that can be supported through counselling:
Feelings of stress or anxiety
Maternal mental health
Feeling stuck
Panic attacks
Relationship challenges
Grief, loss or bereavement
Depression
Trauma and post-traumatic stress
Anger management
Domestic abuse
Difficulties at work or in retirement
Problems with confidence or self-esteem
Problems with family or school life
My location
I am based in Banbury and see clients from nearby Oxford and from throughout the Oxfordshire area including Bicester and Kidlington.
Fees & availability
Counselling sessions last 50 minutes, and take place on a weekly basis. They cost £50 per session.
Note that if you need to cancel an appointment I ask for 24 hours’ notice; otherwise I request payment for any sessions missed. I accept payment by bank transfer.
Group sessions: Mixed… together, a group space to share in “mixed-icity”
Get in touch
Feel free to contact me by email if you have any questions about how counselling works, or to arrange an initial assessment appointment. This enables us to discuss the reasons you are thinking of coming to counselling, whether it could be helpful for you and whether I am the right therapist to help.
You can also call me on 07534 563593 if you would prefer to leave a message or speak to me first. I am happy to discuss any queries or questions you may have prior to arranging an initial appointment.
Frequently asked questions
Many therapists tend to view Counselling as ‘short-term’ work; when someone has a problem that can be looked at and discussed in a clearly-resolvable way. This work often requires undertaking sessions for a certain number of weeks, to explore, discover and clarify a way forward. Therapy is a word used more to describe ‘long-term’ work; discussion that tends towards substantial issues and things that might be life-changing on a deeper level.
Whether counselling or therapy work best as a short- or long-term option depends on the client though, and the difficulties they are facing. In some cases counselling can prove helpful as a continuing, longer-term option, or therapy can help resolve an issue in just a few sessions.
There’s no fixed or ideal length of time for the counselling process; it varies from person to person and will often depend on the depth of the issues they are facing. While I can work on an open-ended basis with clients, I find it is helpful for us to both agree before we start on undertaking a certian nunebr of sessions and reviewing where we are at once we reach that point. You are able to decide how long your therapy willl last, and in return my aim is to make sure therapy continues for only as long as it is of benefit to you.
This depends on what your needs are. Some people find that after only a very few sessions they have some clarity and focus and are ready to end the therapy. Other people value the ongoing support and relationship with me and will continue to come for weeks, months, or even years. There is no 'one-size-fits-all' when it comes to therapy.
My aim is to offer you a first appointment, known as an assessment session within 1-2 weeks, this is once we receive your completed client pack back. However, waiting times will vary according to pressure on our resources, your own availability and the service you seek.
An appointment to our short term counselling, which is not subsidised, can be offered within about one week.
Confidentiality is one of the main ways in which therapy differs from many other forms of helping - for example, talking to friends or family can rarely offer the same degree of confidentiality as talking to a counsellor. Because of this confidentiality, you will find that - as you get used to coming for therapy - you are freer to talk about whatever you wish to.
No therapist can offer 100% confidentiality: there are some situations where the law requires disclosure of risk (e.g. certain child protection issues) and in common with most other therapists, there are some situations where I may not be able to keep total confidentiality. In particular, if someone tells me that they are thinking of harming themselves in a way that I believe puts them at serious risk, or if someone tells me that they are doing something that could put others at risk, I may not be able to keep such information confidential. However, breaking confidentiality is rare, and only happens after talking to the person concerned.
When you come for counselling it's important that you feel free to talk about whatever is important to you. Sometimes, you may not be clear what those issues are. Having a friend or family member with you is not usually helpful because they may have their own agenda for you. Even if this is just that they want to be supportive, or want you to 'get better', this agenda can prevent us opening issues up. When you come for therapy, you may need to explore thoughts or behaviours about which you feel ashamed or embarrassed and you may censor yourself so as not to hurt someone, or you may find that what they want you to talk about is not really what you need to discuss.
Sometimes, family/friends can even be part of an underlying issue which needs to be aired and discussed. Usually, people who ask this question are nervous about coming for a session alone, or they are anxious for the person who is thinking about arranging sessions. This anxiety is quite normal, and you will not be forced to talk about anything you feel uncomfortable about - but you do need to be able to talk about whatever is important. For this reason, I do not see clients accompanied by friends or family
You may not know it, but you’ve already taken the first step...
It can be scary and confusing making the decision to contact a counsellor or therapist, but in my experience people will struggle with a mental health issue, a personal crisis or problems with a relationship for much longer than is healthy. Sometimes a friend has proved a source of comfort, but this help can only go so far. Realising that resolving a problem requires something more means you have actually already taken the first step towards improving your life.
How I see it...
I have worked as a counsellor for a number of years now, and have come to believe that unless someone wants to change and has the desire to ‘put in the yards’ and undertake the work, counselling will likely be of limited value. The skill of a counsellor is in helping people to help themselves... the person coming to therapy has to want that help, and be prepared to act on it.
A fascinating journey begins here...
Seeing a therapist is not a passive act; it isn’t like visiting the doctor to be measured, assessed and treated. You don’t come away after one appointment with a pill to take and the responsibility ends there. Counselling and therapy are journeys with a guide through a familiar but somehow unusual land; they can be rewarding, sometimes confusing and often revelatory... what they aren’t is passive!