How much does it cost?

Each session costs £55 per session. 

All fees are payable within 24 hours (before or after) by bank transfer or by cheque at the end of the session if we work face to face.

Fees are subject to review and may be amended subject to at least 28 days’ notice.

How long is the session?

Sessions last for 50 minutes, and we will usually meet once a week, times to be mutually agreed. If your circumstances change and the session time is no longer suitable, I will do my best to accommodate this and offer you an alternative time.

How many sessions will I need?

The therapy I offer is open-ended which means there is no set timescale.  This is something we will negotiate between us. We will discuss your needs during our initial session and will continue to monitor this during our work together

From time to time we will review our sessions together.  Having a review does not mean there is a problem but allows us to assess whether your needs are being met and, if required, carry out the necessary adjustments and/or establish new goals. It is also important to bear in mind that painful emotions or feelings may arise during counselling, which may make you doubt the benefit of the counselling.  I see this as a positive sign – by acknowledging and exploring these feelings and emotions that arise, which have previously been hidden or ignored, it enables a new self-awareness and an ability to change and heal.

Sometimes you may feel the counselling is not helping you.  In these circumstances it is best if you can come and discuss the difficulties rather than abruptly ending the counselling.  Many of us have experienced difficult and sudden endings.  If this happens in counselling, this loss does not have the opportunity to be understood and resolved.  I ask that you give one week's notice before finishing so we have the chance to discuss your decision, however there will be no pressure on you to continue with counselling.  You will normally know when you are ready to finish counselling and we can address this within a session. 

I will not suddenly or without warning terminate our contract, except in exceptional circumstances, which would become clear in the course of our work together.  We would fully discuss this at the time. It is important for you to know that it is you who has the deciding say on whether or not to continue.

Is it confidential?

I am a British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy Registered Counsellor (BACP) and work within their Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy.  I am also an Accredited Registrant with the National Counselling Society (NCS) and adhere to their Code of Ethics. I adhere to both of these codes of practice in all of my client work, which means that confidentiality is maintained at all times.  This is a very important aspect of the counselling relationship. 

Everything that we discuss in the counselling session is kept in the strictest confidence.  As a Member of the BACP and NCS, I am required to have regular supervision and I will need to discuss our work with my supervisor from time to time.  However, I will not disclose anything that could enable you to be identified.  If you are being treated by your doctor for emotional difficulties, it is important that you inform him or her about me, and vice versa.  I will not confer with your doctor without your knowledge and permission. 

There are a few exceptions to this however and those would be if I felt that you may cause immediate significant harm to yourself or to another person once you leave the counselling room.  If I were to ever need to break our confidentiality for the above reasons then I would always try to discuss this with you first so that you would have control over any appropriate action if needed.

I will keep brief notes after a session, which will be securely stored, and there is no way you would be able to be identified from the notes. After our work together and once I have spoken about the ending of our work with my Supervisor I will destroy the notes and only keep a brief summary on file - this will be destroyed after 3 years. Under GDPR regulations individuals have a right to have personal date erased.  The right to erasure is also known as 'the right to be forgotten'.  Individuals can make a request for erasure verbally or in writing.  I will resond in one month to any request.

What if I need to cancel or I am late?

Cancellation of an appointment with less than 24 hours’ notice, or failure to show for an appointment, will incur the full fee.  Appointments missed because you are ill and you have given me 24 hours’ notice, or because you are on holiday are not charged for.   If you have an on-going sickness (provided you have cancelled the sessions) there won’t be any charge. If you are late for the session, then by all means still come, however the session will finish at the usual, previously agreed time.

I will be available for you with the exception of my holidays and occasional times when I might attend a training workshop or a conference.  I will give you as much notice as possible if I am unable to make a session.

In the event where I need to miss your session because of illness, I will give you as much notice as possible, and will try to offer you an alternative time.

Sessions will be declined or terminated if I believe you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs but the fee will still be payable.