Terms and Conditions

This section is to give you the information you need to inform your decision to have counselling or psychotherapy with me. If you have any questions from reading this then do please contact me.

Consultation and initial session

Your first consultation session is £35 for individuals and £45 for couples and lasts up to an hour.  It is an opportunity to meet, ask questions, and to find out how therapy might work for you. Therapy has been shown to be most effective when there is a good relationship with the counsellor so it’s important you feel comfortable working with me. If you are unsure that I’m the right counsellor for you after the consultation I suggest also visiting other counsellors before making a decision.

Following your consultation, the next step would be to attend for an initial session. This will last for an hour and will be an opportunity for me to find out more about you, for us to decide together if therapy is the best way forward for you and if so how many sessions we will be working to.  Some of this may be discussed in the consultation session but it is helpful to have two meetings to help decide if you want to commit to counselling.

It may be that you know in the consultation session that I am not the counsellor for you or decide that now is not the right time for you to have therapy. If this is the case there is no obligation to have a second session.

Online Therapy

Zoom is normally a reliable platform but we can discuss a preferred alternative platform if needed. We can switch to phone if possible should there be an internet failure though the signal is limited where I am. If a session is unable to continue the fee is £35 after the first 10 minutes if we’ve had less than half a session or full price if we’ve had more than half.

Ongoing Sessions

If, following this, we agree to work together then you commit to attending one individual, hourly session per week. If you arrive part way through your allotted time, then I can only see you for the remainder of your allotted time. The fee for a therapy session is £65 for individuals £75 for couples.

Couples Sessions

I would generally see couples together in a session. If it seems useful then we may agree to have a week with members of the couple seen individually. Part of the contract for this is that anything discussed in individual sessions is shared with partner.

Method of Payment and Health Insurance

Payment for sessions can be made at the end of each session or at the end of each month for work longer than 6 weeks, by arrangement. Payment is accepted via bank transfer. Fees are reviewed annually.

If your health insurance is paying for sessions, you need to ensure that you have pre-approval from your insurance company and you need to let me know this. If your circumstances change then you must let your insurance company and me know otherwise you may be liable for the session costs, for example if you change job and your insurance was linked to your employment. If your insurance will no longer pay we will discuss this. It is also your responsibility to pay any excess due. I am currently registered with Axa and Vitality.

Cancellations

I try to offer some flexibility if you can't make a session including the option to reschedule. Please let me know as soon as you can. If more than 2 cancellations are made in an 8 week period then the full session cost will be charged. Please try and let me know, preferably via email, if you discover you can’t make a session during the week or are ill. If you do not attend without first contacting me you will be liable for the full session cost.

Confidentiality

Therapy is confidential. Everything that you say in a session is private, and will not be discussed outside of therapy without your prior permission, except under exceptional circumstances. Examples of these include supervision (see below), the requirements of a court of law, or the threat of serious physical harm to you, or to others. If I need to consider breaching confidentiality for any reason then, wherever possible, I will always discuss this with you before taking further action. Please see my privacy policy for full information.

Supervision

The UKCP (UK Council for Psychotherapy) and British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), both organisations I am a member of, require that all practicing counsellors undertake regular supervision with a professionally qualified supervisor. This is to ensure safe, professional practice and involves discussing my work with my supervisor. The supervisor is also bound by confidentiality and the BACP Ethical Framework.

Notes

I keep some very brief notes about sessions, which are securely stored. See my privacy policy for details.

Ethics and Complaints

Both the UKCP and BACP have ethical frameworks therapists are required to abide by and complaints procedures. I commit to following these frameworks. 

If you have any complaints about my work, then you need to address these with me in the first instance. I really welcome discussing anything you feel wasn't right for you in the session. Raising an issue can feel daunting and I will always try and put you at ease and respond in a way that feels constructive. Resolving issues within therapy can be a powerful way of healing. If this feels too difficult to do for whatever reason then I can also provide my supervisor's details if needed.

Details about the UKCP code of conduct can be found here: https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/ukcp-members/standards-guidance-and-policies/ 

Details about the BACP ethical framework can be found here:

http://www.bacp.co.uk/prof_conduct/

Insurance

I hold professional liability insurance. Copies of this document can be made available to you upon request.

Ending

For short term work the ending will be agreed from the outset or during the work. When you are considering that it may be time to end your therapy, please do discuss this with me. I usually recommend at least two or more sessions at the end of therapy in order that the work may be reviewed, and the significance of the ending explored.

Contact

If you do need to contact me outside of session times, for instance to cancel an appointment, then please email me. I recommend avoiding putting any confidential details in email communication where possible, as confidentiality of emails cannot be ensured.  I do not check my work phone regularly so email is the best immediate communication. If we speak on the phone, there may be a pro-rata charge for any longer phone calls, which I will always notify you of.

Further Support

If you feel that you need further support between sessions do remember that you can always contact your doctor (G.P.) to discuss what additional support they may be able to offer you. You can also call the NHS on 111 and select the option for mental health support.

 A further source of free telephone support is offered by The Samaritans. They can be contacted 24 hours a day on 08457 909090. In an emergency please visit your nearest Accident and Emergency (A & E) department, or dial 999.