Counselling and psychotherapy provide a structured, confidential setting to talk about emotional, psychological or relational difficulties with a trained professional.

People come to therapy for many different reasons. These can include anxiety, stress, trauma, relationships, grief, self-esteem, identity, neurodivergence or simply wanting to understand themselves and their patterns more clearly.

The terms often overlap and are frequently used interchangeably.

Counselling may sometimes focus more on a current problem or particular period of difficulty, while psychotherapy can involve exploring deeper or longer-standing patterns, relationships and earlier experiences.

In practice, the work is shaped around the individual rather than forcing somebody into one fixed model.

You do not need to be in crisis, have a diagnosis or be certain exactly what is wrong before attending therapy.

It may be worth considering if something is repeatedly affecting your mood, relationships, confidence, behaviour or ability to cope, or if you simply want to understand yourself more clearly.

The first session can also help you decide whether therapy feels useful and whether the therapeutic relationship feels like a good fit.

The first appointment is an opportunity to talk about what has brought you to therapy, what is happening in your life at the moment and what you would like help with.

There is no expectation that you arrive with a perfectly organised explanation. The conversation develops from whatever feels most relevant to begin with.

It is also an opportunity to ask questions about how therapy works and decide whether you feel comfortable continuing.

A standard individual counselling or psychotherapy session lasts 50 minutes.

Sessions are usually arranged weekly, although this can be reviewed depending on the individual circumstances and how the work develops.

Individual counselling and psychotherapy sessions are €60 for a 50-minute appointment.

Full information about fees, cancellations, location and appointment options is available on the Session Information page.

There is no fixed number of sessions that is right for everyone.

Some people attend therapy for a relatively short period to work on a specific issue. Others find longer-term work useful when exploring more complex or longstanding patterns.

Therapy is reviewed as it progresses rather than deciding an arbitrary number of sessions in advance.

Yes. Confidentiality is an important part of the therapeutic relationship and what is discussed in sessions is treated as private.

There are limits to confidentiality where there are serious safety concerns, child protection concerns or circumstances in which disclosure is legally required.

These limits are explained at the beginning of therapy and you are free to ask questions about confidentiality at any stage.

Yes. Kildare Psychotherapy & Counselling provides individual therapy for adults and adolescents.

The way therapy is approached is adapted to the age, circumstances and needs of the person rather than using exactly the same process with everyone.

Yes. Sessions are available in person at Teach Dara Resource Centre in Kildare Town and online using Microsoft Teams.

Telephone appointments can also be used in some circumstances where appropriate.

Many people worry about this before their first session. You do not need to be naturally comfortable talking about yourself in order to attend therapy.

Silence, uncertainty and not knowing exactly how to explain something are all perfectly workable parts of a therapy session. The conversation does not need to be forced.

No. Kildare Psychotherapy & Counselling is an appointment-based psychotherapy service and is not an emergency or crisis response service.

If you or somebody else is in immediate danger, call 112 or 999 or attend the nearest Emergency Department.