Booked to see counsellor

[PETRONELLAS]

I’m going to pay/arrange privately. Will the counsellor send anything to my GP?
It’s an introductory meeting. Will it be possible to establish how many sessions I’ll need? Money is tight but I need to sort myself out as I’m having intrusive negative thoughts and quickly end up despairing about the future. I want to work on how to stop those feelings rather than trawling over the past 30 years. Will that be possible or does it take years?

The counsellor should not send anything to your GP. They won't know your who your GP is unless you tell them. It should be totally confidential and all records of your sessions should be destroyed once you complete therapy.
You should know after 15 minutes whether you will be able to get on with them, if not then end the session and find one that suits you. They should also know if you can work together, if not they should tell you and maybe recommend someone who is more suitable.
Have a look on the BACP website for counsellors near you.

Thank you for replying. Helpful about the fifteen minutes. I met one a few years back and knew instantly I did not feel she was genuine in her overly sympathetic way.

I recently had about 15 sessions of NHS CBT and found it very helpful so it doesn't necessarily have to take years, though I would say CBT is more about managing symptoms than getting to the root of the problem. I also take ADs.