Contacting me
- You can book sessions when you see me or by calling me on my practice number which is: 07814 002705.
- If I am not available to answer your call, please leave a message. I aim to return calls within 24 hours, except on weekends, bank holidays and my own holidays, when calls are returned the next working day.
Starting to work together
- At our initial session, we will identify whether or not it is appropriate for us to work together. If we feel it is right to work together, I recommend choosing a time and day, once a week, which will be your regular space.
- We will have reviews from time to time to reflect on how our work is going.
Sessions
- Sessions are 50 minutes. This time includes discussing dates for future sessions.
- If you are late for your session, time will not be added to the end.
- Do not drink alcohol or take non-prescription drugs on the day of your session.
Cancellations
- If you are unable to attend a session, please notify me as soon as you know.
- If you cancel less than one week (7 days) before your session, you will be expected to pay for it. This is because I will be unable to fill that space at such short notice. In the unusual event that I do fill the space, I would not charge you.
- If I am unable to attend a session for any reason, I will give you as much notice as I can and would not expect payment. If I am unable to contact you myself, a therapist colleague will contact you and provide you with any necessary information.
- Due to my own continued professional development commitments or holidays, I may sometimes need to rearrange sessions. I will give you at least 2 weeks’ notice.
Fees
- My fee is £80 for individuals and £100 for couples.
- I accept payment by cash or bank transfer, but not credit or debit cards. Payment is due on the day of your session.
- I review and increase my fees once a year, usually in January.
Ending Therapy
- When you start thinking of ending your therapy, talk to me about it in your sessions. This gives us the opportunity to process the ending with a sense of satisfaction and completion. It is an important part of therapy, honours the work and relationship.
- As a minimum, I require one full session for us to make an ending and say goodbye. This means letting me know at least in the session before the last one you intend to have.
Confidentiality, Data Protection and Ethics
- Everything you tell me remains confidential between us. I am in professional supervision, which means I may sometimes discuss issues that arise in our sessions with my supervisor. Your anonymity is preserved.
- I keep no notes electronically, and any notes I might write down will not be made with your name as part of them.
- In the event that you tell me you intend to harm yourself or someone else, I may need to give information to outside agencies. However, I would always discuss this with you first.
- I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) under the data protection act. This means I do not share personal information you give me, such as your name, telephone number, email address and correspondence, with anyone else.
- In an emergency, where I am unable to attend a session at short notice or contact you myself, a therapist colleague can contact you to provide any necessary information. If you agree to me sharing your name and phone number for this purpose only, please email me by return confirming I have your permission.
- I abide by the Spectrum Centre for Humanistic Psychology code of ethics and practice. Spectrum is an organisational member of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP).
- I am an individually accredited and registered (No. 038183) member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (MBACP Accred) and am bound by its ethical framework for good practice. A copy of this is available to download from the website: www.bacp.co.uk