FAQ

Deciding to have therapy and choosing a therapist is an important decision. I have found that the

best way to see if we are a good fit is to meet in person in my office. I will ask you to tell me about

what has brought you to therapy, I can answer any questions you may have and we can get a sense

of whether I can help you and if you feel comfortable with me.

You can go away and have a think about whether or not you would like to work with me.

The initial consultation is 30 minutes and free of charge.

After the initial consultation my fee is £60 per 50-minute session which is payable by bank transfer

on the day of your session. I provide my bank details when we have booked our first session

following the initial consultation.

I ask clients to commit to weekly sessions at a regular day and time. This allows for continuity and

momentum as well as providing a container around our work together.

Sometimes clients cannot make their regular session time and ask for an alternative appointment

that week. I am happy to accommodate re-arranging a session if I have an available time that works

for us both.

It is impossible to say how many sessions you will need as it depends on you, your individual

circumstances and what you want from therapy. I work in an open-ended way which means clients

let me know when they are ready to end, or are starting to feel ready to end and together we plan

how many more sessions to have in order to bring our work together to a close.

You are free to end your therapy with me at any time. Occasionally it emerges over the first few

sessions that we are not a good fit. My wish for every client is that they get the help and support

they need and if I am not right for them then it is in their best interests to find a different therapist.

What you share with me during your sessions is confidential, with the following exceptions:

In accordance with the BACP ethical framework I consult with a clinical supervisor to maintain and

improve the quality of my work with you.

If I am seriously concerned about your safety or the safety of a significant other in your world, I may

wish to consult with another professional such as your GP or the emergency services. I will try to

discuss this with you first and look to reach a mutually agreeable outcome. However, in emergency

situations I may decide to go against your wishes, or contact another professional without discussing

this with you first, in order to keep you or a significant other safe.

In exceptional circumstances I may be legally required to disclose information you have shared with

me.

I ask for seven days’ notice otherwise I will charge the normal session fee. A therapy practice works

differently to other services such as a hairdresser, osteopath and dentist who are often able to fill

cancelled sessions. I maintain a limit on the number of clients I have on my caseload (i.e. who I am

currently working with) all of whom I hold a weekly space open for within my practice until they are

ready to end their therapy with me.

I currently only offer in-person therapy as that is my preferred way of working.

There is debate about the difference between counselling and psychotherapy. Counselling is usually

thought of as being shorter term and psychotherapy longer term and that psychotherapists have

undergone longer training and achieved a higher level of qualification than counsellors. I use

‘therapy’ and ‘therapist’ as an overarching term as I am a counsellor and psychotherapist who works

with clients short-term and long-term depending on their individual needs and desires.

Therapy is a private and individual process where clients come to work through personal issues.

What makes therapy work is that it is contained within professional and ethical boundaries. Even

with permission and anonymising identifying information it does not align with my professional

integrity with regard to confidentiality and respect to ask clients to provide testimonials for me to

publish in order to attract future clients.