How I work
Counselling allows you to discuss your problems, and any difficult feelings that you may experience, in a safe, confidential environment. I will try to empower you to discover your own solutions, rather than giving you advice. I will try to understand your difficulties from your point of view, and without judging you, in an open and honest way that will help you to safely explore them.
Confidentiality
Anything that we talk about will stay between you and me. The only exceptions are if you tell me that you are in the process of, or imminent danger of, taking your own life, or seriously thinking of harming yourself or someone else. I also have a legal duty to report instances of money laundering, terrorism and other serious crime. If I felt that I had to break confidentiality then I would try to tell you why I was telling someone, who I was telling and what I was going to say. Once every month I attend counselling supervision with another counsellor who is also bound by confidentiality. I attend supervision to assist me to develop as a counsellor, to safeguard the people that I work with and to ensure I am working within the BACP ethical framework.
Length and frequency of sessions
Usually, sessions last for an hour but there are times when it may be beneficial to shorten or lengthen the time. The number of sessions is entirely up to you, as is the frequency of the sessions. Sometimes, once every week feels right, sometimes it is longer. We can talk about that as we continue our work together.
Charges and Payment
I charge £50 for individual work, £55 for couples work and £15 for working with Children and Young People. Payment can be by cheque, cash or BACS payment. If people have difficulty paying then I am open to negotiation on what people feel they can afford. The cost for referrals via BUPA or EAPs are agreed at their individual rates.
Cancellation
I understand that you may need to cancel our appointment due to a variety of circumstances. If you can give me 12 hours’ notice of cancellation then there will be no charge. If it is less than 12 hours and depending on the circumstances, then I may charge the sessional rate that we have agreed.
Complaints
If you have any complaints about the service that you receive, then in the first instance, please let me know and we can try to resolve the issue. There is a formal complaints procedure that can be followed by visiting the BACP web site.
Other
If you are working with another Health Professional or counsellor then please let me know, in order to avoid any conflict of interest.
As we continue to work together we may change this agreement and adapt our working relationship.
If I meet people that I am working with outside of our sessions I acknowledge them if they wish to acknowledge me.
Sometimes we may need to contact each other outside of our appointments to reschedule our appointments or to clarify matters.
