Terms and Conditions

Session Terms

I offer fifty-minute weekly sessions for both time-focused therapy and longer term for individuals and couples.

Please contact me if you wish to discuss my session fees with me.

If you do not attend a session for any reason, I will offer you alternative session times within the same working week, subject to availability. Otherwise, I require 24 hour notice for a cancellation. With any shorter notice, the full fee will be payable.

Before starting therapy, I offer an free 15 minute phone call, or a paid 30 minute zoom session £30,-.  This gives us the opportunity to discuss your reasons for seeking therapy and what your hopes and anxieties might be. It also allows you to get a sense of my way of working and decide whether I am the right therapist for you.

What to Expect

Therapy sessions take place weekly and last for 50 minutes. I tend to work within an open-ended model of therapy, which enables clients to go at their own pace and reach a deeper level of healing and self-growth. I also offer a short-term therapy models of twelve sessions, which may be more suitable if you are facing or have recently experienced a specific life event or transition.

An initial assessment meeting will help us to determine together which type of therapy is in your best interests. This will give us the chance to establish whether we will be a good fit for each other and gives you the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about our sessions or counselling in general.

The First session

During the first session, we will allow some time to go through the therapy contract.

The remaining time I may ask you some questions to get to know you and your history a little bit better and for us to discuss what has brought you to therapy in more detail. 

After the First session

As an initial commitment I recommend 6-12 sessions, this can be reviewed, extended or kept open-ended as we go along.

Therapy can be both challenging and rewarding at the same time and I encourage you, if you can, to allow some time after a session for some self-care, in whatever format that is meaningful for you.

For shorter-term therapy, it can be helpful to allow for at least a 2 session notice, prior to ending, or a longer notice for longer-term therapy. This is so that we can have time to review your journey and discuss anything that may still be valuable for you.

Keeping Things Safe:

Though I do all that I can to keep things safe for my clients, the nature of our digital world brings with it some unavoidable risks that I have sought to minimise. I regularly review these points and update them as necessary, publishing them here in an open and transparent manner. Should you have any concerns I am happy to discuss them and make reasonable adjustments as necessary.

Confidentiality and Records

What we talk about in sessions is confidential within the professional and legal limits. I use clinical supervision to support my work and may discuss our work in this confidential setting. I would normally seek your consent to contact other health professionals involved in your care. I keep brief anonymised clinical notes about our sessions that are stored securely and safely.

Email Communication:

I do not use email encryption as I have found that most of my clients have been comfortable enough using traditional email servers. By engaging via email we both accept the risks that entails including the fact that emails may be vulnerable to viruses or human error. For this reason, it is best to be thoughtful about what you include in emails to me, and which email address you choose to use with me (e.g. a private personal email address is ideal). Ideally emails should be used only for non-confidential communications like logistics (e.g. setting up an appointment time). Material that you consider private and confidential should be avoided in emails unless we discuss it in advance. I will request your preferred email address from our first session.

If you choose to communicate with me by email, be aware that all emails are retained in the logs of Internet Service Providers. Furthermore, they can be vulnerable to viruses and unintended forwarding or replication. If you are concerned about the confidentiality of your emails, you may wish to contact me by telephone instead.

I check emails at fixed times during office hours – I avoid checking them on weekends and holidays. I endeavour to respond to all emails within 24 hours upon opening them. If I am away for an extended period, you will receive an automated response. Emails should never be used in the event of an emergency; in which case you should contact emergency services.

Text or voice messages:

You may feel free to leave a message to alert me if you are running late for a session or for similar logistical reasons. As with emails, it is best to keep private and personal material out of text or voice messages.

Phone and Video Conferencing:

I offer both face to face and remote consultations. If we are meeting each other remotely, I generally use Zoom and I will provide you with a link in advance. When engaging via video conferencing, we both agree not to record sessions. It is also crucial that you’re sure your environment from which you are conferencing with me is safe, secure, and private. If, for whatever reason, your privacy may be compromised, please let me know straight away. If
we encounter any technical difficulties, I will contact you another way – usually via phone.

Emergencies:

Therapy is not an emergency service and I may not be able to respond to you in an emergency. Should you experience an emergency please contact the most appropriate emergency services. If you are feeling suicidal please ring The Samaritans: 116 123, go to your nearest A&E, or ring 999. If you feel that this may be an issue, please discuss it with me straight away.

In order to be the best possible counsellor that I can be for my clients and in accordance with BACP guidelines I work under ongoing professional supervision from a senior practitioner. My commitment to professional and personal development means that I regularly undertake further training in the form of counselling courses, workshops,research and reading.