Counselling / Therapy
Counselling at Marking Therapy is for adults, individually or as a couple, face to face in South Shields or online across the UK. The practice works integratively: rather than fitting you to one model, the therapist draws on several approaches (person-centred, CBT-informed, solution-focused and mindfulness-based) and shapes the work around you.
People come with anxiety, low mood and depression, stress, grief, trauma, relationship and communication difficulties, questions of identity and confidence, or simply a sense that something needs to change. Sessions are 45 minutes, a full hour for couples.
How you meet your therapist is your choice: in person, by secure video or by telephone. Individual and couples work is described below; if you are considering online sessions, the Online Therapy page explains exactly how those work.
Individual counselling
Sessions are one to one with Kingsley and they are conversational rather than scripted. We start with what is actually happening in your life, look at the patterns underneath it, and work out together what needs to change and what only needs to be understood.
Couples counselling
Couples counselling is a full hour and costs £100, with the same integrative approach shaped around the two of you. You can meet face to face in South Shields or by secure video. The couples counselling page explains how it starts, what is confidential between partners and when joint work is not suitable.
In person or online
You can be seen by secure video, by telephone, face to face in South Shields, or at your own home, and you can move between them as your circumstances change. Full fees for every service are on the fees page.
What to expect
Sessions are 45 minutes, or a full hour for couples, and are usually weekly to begin with. You can meet in person in South Shields or online by secure video or telephone. The first session is an initial consultation: a chance to talk through what has brought you here, ask any questions, and agree how to work together, with no pressure to continue.
How we work
As an integrative practice, we draw those approaches together and shape them around you, rather than fitting you to a single method. Many people find that a steady, non-judgemental space helps them feel more able to cope and to make sense of what they are going through, at their own pace.
Where to start
The free ten minute call is for one question: is this the right place to start? It is a telephone or video call, booked online like any session, with no fee and no obligation. It is used to check that what you are looking for is something Marking Therapy offers, to answer practical questions about format, fees, insurance or timing, and to point you elsewhere if that would serve you better. It is not a therapy session, and nothing about your situation needs to be shared in it beyond what you choose.
The initial consultation is where the work begins: 45 minutes, £75, online, by telephone or in person. It is a proper first session, used to hear what has brought you, to answer your questions, and to agree together how to work, how often, and in what format. You leave it with a plan or with a clear reason why something else is recommended, and with no commitment to continue. Most people begin here; the free call is for those who want to check first.
Fees
The initial consultation is £75 for 45 minutes. Ongoing sessions are £80 by video or phone, £85 in person, and £100 for home based therapy at your own location. Couples counselling is £100 for a full hour. Full fees for every service are on the fees page.
Common questions
How long are sessions, and how often?
Forty-five minutes, a full hour for couples, usually weekly to start and then at a pace that suits you.
How many sessions will I need?
It varies from person to person. We talk about what would suit you at the initial consultation, and there is no fixed commitment.
Is what I tell you confidential?
Yes. What you share is treated confidentially within the boundaries explained in your working agreement, including safeguarding, serious risk of harm and any legal duties that apply. We go over this at your first session.
Can we meet online?
Yes, by secure video or telephone, on the same basis as in person.
Is there a way to check how I am doing before a first session?
Yes. The check-in page offers two short, widely used questionnaires on mood and anxiety (the PHQ-9 and the GAD-7), scored in your browser with nothing sent or stored, and explains in plain terms what the scores mean. It is not a diagnosis and it is not required for booking; some people find it a useful starting point for the first conversation, and repeating it later is one way of seeing what is changing.
