What's Stopping You?

Let's find out together.

I offer online individual therapy to those over 18, with a free Initial Session. I have appointments available in the evenings and Saturday mornings.

Is your anxiety holding you back? From hesitating to make a phone call to making big life decisions, anxiety can keep us frozen and make it hard to live the lives that we want. Sometimes, this is because something frightening happened to us, and we’re worried it will happen to us again. Often, it’s because we doubt ourselves - we may ask: "Can I really do this?"

This is something we can explore together. We’ll look at these fears and see where they come from.

In my sessions I offer a compassionate, judgement-free space where you can talk freely. Sometimes we can get stuck in our own heads and need to talk about it out loud to someone to make it all less scary.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is counselling?

Every counsellor has their own way of counselling, but at it’s core, it's about having the time to talk through what you’re feeling. I’m not here to offer advice, it’s about talking it through so that you can find what works best for you. Sometimes it’s simply having the support of another person - having that human connection - where what you say will stay between the two of us.

How much do you charge?

The Initial Session is free. Every session after that is €50 for 50 minutes (a therapy hour). To secure your appointment you will need to pay this 24hrs before your appointment. I’ll send a reminder text so don’t worry about forgetting! You can send it through direct bank transfer or through Revolut or PayPal. I’ll always send an invoice after receiving payment.

What happens in the Initial Session?

This is to get a feel for each other - to see if we’re compatible. One of the key parts of counselling is the relationship between you and your counsellor. I’m not the right fit for everyone, but even then if you find that you don’t want to work with me, I’ll try to recommend somewhere else to go!

I’ll also ask some questions - to get an idea of what you want to work through in counselling and we can go over some of the practical aspects, like if working online is suitable for you.

How long does counselling last?

Everyone's journey is different. It's impossible to say how many sessions you might need, as it depends on so many different factors. Some may be good with three sessions, while others might need thirty.

Ideally, we would have our sessions weekly around the same day and time, but I know that doesn’t work for everyone. Working online offers me more flexibilty to work fortnightly, or even monthly (though this is recommended only after a period of more regular counselling). This is something we can discuss in our Initial Session.

Who and What do you work with?

I work with adults (aged 18 and over) in the Republic of Ireland. I offer individual counselling online.

One of my main focuses is Anxiety. I also have an interest in working with those within the LGBTQIA+ Community and those with Chronic Pain. You can find more details here. I am also open to working with other topics as well, please reach out and we can discuss if I would be a suitable counsellor for you or not.

What's your cancellation policy?

The session needs to be paid 24hrs in advance. You can cancel our session before then with no fee. If you need to cancel on the day, I’ll try to reschedule with you for that same week. If we cannot reschedule, unfortunately I will need to retain the payment as a cancellation fee. This is because counselling is my main source of income, but also to prevent clients from backing out of sessions last-minute.

If I need to cancel for whatever reason, I will of course refund the fee for that session as soon as possible.

What's the difference between counselling Online and In-Person?

There are benefits and drawbacks to counselling online. It offers a lot more flexibility than in-person, as we are freer to have sessions outside of business hours. It also means you don’t have to worry about travelling, parking, or if the building is accessible, as you can have the session in the comfort of your own home.

You don’t need to be a tech-expert for counselling online! If you can handle a video call, you can handle the tech side of counselling online. I would recommend having a decent internet connection and if possible to do it on a laptop or tablet. It’s no problem if you only have a phone, but I’d recommend getting something to stand it on so you’re not holding it awkwardly for 50 mintues!

The most important thing you need is a private space, which can be hard to control when counselling online. If you have small children you will still need someone to look after them during the session, same if you have any other carer duties.

Your counselling session is your time, you won’t benefit from it if you have outside distractions.

It’s another benefit to having a free Initial Session - you can try out the online set up to see if it works for you. Some people prefer to have counselling in-person and that’s okay!

What are your working hours?

At the moment I work from Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 9pm. I also work Saturdays from 10am to 2pm. During these hours, I will take appointments, and also answer any communication from phone, text or email.

How can I get in contact with you?

If you have any questions for me or are interested in booking an Initial Session I’d recommend texting me (+353 89 249 2595) or emailing me (gemmaq.counselling@gmail.com). I am also on WhatsApp!

You can call me but there’s a chance I’ll miss it if I’m with a client. If you’d rather talk over the phone and I miss your call, please leave a voice message asking for a callback and when would be the best time to reach you.