Fee

My fee depends on the session time:

• £75 for sessions before 6pm.
• £95 for sessions 6pm onwards.

Payment

I kindly ask you to pay before each session, by payment link.

As a fall-back, you may pay by card within the session. I do not currently offer sessions invoiced in arrears.

Cancelled or missed appointments

Payment is due for sessions that you cancel or do not attend.

I however understand that life is unpredictable. If I have the availability, I will offer you a rescheduled alternative, or the option of doing the the session online or by phone.

Please give me advance notice of any holiday you have planned. If your break is three weeks or more, we may need to find an alternative session time on your return, unless you hold your slot by paying for these missed sessions in advance.

I aim to give you at least four weeks notice of any break I take.

Your details

Once we have an agreement for ongoing therapy, I will ask you to provide the following, in case I’m ever concerned for your health or safety and need to help you get support:

• An emergency contact
• Your GP details
• Your date of birth

Accessibility

An external flight of stairs (with handrails) is at the entrance to my consulting room, which is on the first floor of the building. Let me know if you require assistance in navigating these.

Professional affiliation

I maintain ongoing status as a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

Confidentiality and ethical practice

I am bound by the BACP’s Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions, which includes strict guidelines regarding confidentiality.

Everything you discuss with me is confidential. Nevertheless, there are specific conditions which you should be aware of:

1. I may discuss aspects of our conversations with a clinical supervisor in order to support my work with you. Your identity will always be anonymised, i.e. no personally identifying information will be shared.
   
2. Confidentiality may be broken if I believe there is plausible risk of harm to yourself or others. Unless there are overwhelming safeguarding or ethical concerns that prevent me from doing so, I will always attempt to speak to you about this first so that your perspective is heard.
   
3. I am legally obliged to break confidentiality without prior notice in three specific cases: terrorism, drug trafficking, and money laundering.

Supervision

I undergo ongoing clinical supervision with a Senior Accredited Member of the BACP. This supervisor has a confidentiality policy equivalent to the above.

Safety, substance use, etc

I cannot allow inappropriate physical contact, violence, or abusive behaviour, and reserve the right to end or refuse our work together at my discretion.

Furthermore, I ask that clients do not attend sessions under the influence of alcohol or substances, as this can affect the safety and effectiveness of the work we do together.

Sessions

Sessions last 50 minutes. There is no requirement to commit to a particular number of sessions.

Your initial consultation

Finding the right therapist is crucial. The initial session is an opportunity to discuss your hopes for therapy, see what it would be like to work together, and assess whether we both think that we’re a good fit. If I think I’m not the right therapist for you, I’ll be upfront about it. And I’ll invite you to do likewise.

Your ongoing sessions

Sessions are scheduled at an agreed time on the same day of each week. As required, and as possible, we may agree to meet more than once a week. I generally do not offer less frequent sessions.

Please arrive on time, rather than early. Do let me know if you will be more than 10 minutes late.

You may find it useful to allocate time immediately following each session to reflect, before returning to your regular activities.

Ending therapy

You may end therapy at any time simply by letting me know. Endings are important to get right, and final sessions are best agreed in advance.

Communication outside of sessions

I ask that any contact outside of our sessions is limited to practical matters such as rescheduling or cancellations.

Also, it is helpful for us to agree how you’d like me to respond if we cross paths in public. By default, I’ll take your lead and wait for you to acknowledge me first, in respect of your privacy and comfort.

Ethics & Complaints

I adhere to the BACP’s Ethical Framework and Professional Conduct Procedure.

Privacy notice

Please see my Privacy Notice regarding use of personal data.