By providing the following information I am endeavouring to be as clear and up-front about the business side of my work as possible. If there is anything I have not covered below that you would like to know prior to booking the assessment session please email or phone me.
Covid precautions
I have had both Astra Zeneca vaccinations and a booster vaccine to protect against Covid. I will be having all vaccinations against Covid as they are offered to me.
I am happy to work remotely if that is your preference.
If you would like to work with me but would need or like me to take additional precautions to make you feel more at ease, please do talk to me about this and I will make any reasonable adjustments to my practice to provide you with the protection you feel most comfortable with.
Working remotely
I currently work with clients on a face-to-face or remote basis according to the preference of the client. When I began my practice in 2002, I worked with clients on a face-to-face basis only. I then expanded my practice in 2005 to work with clients nationally and internationally and from that point on I have offered remote working as an option to all of my clients, regardless of their location.
You can choose how you would like to work with me (via face-to-face sessions, video calls or phone calls). I have no preference for a particular way of working and have consistently found all of these formats to be effective for clients (this is based upon feedback provided by clients and my assessments of my clients’ progress through the years).
The assessment session – this is free of charge.
I offer a free, no-obligation 50 minute initial consultation session to all prospective clients who wish to have coaching, counselling and / or psychotherapy with me.
The free initial session will:
- Give us the opportunity to get to converse and decide if we want to work together.
- Enable us to determine whether we believe I can help you to achieve your aims and objectives.
- Provide you with an opportunity to ask any questions you may have before we commit to working together.
- Give us the time needed to go through the business contract and confirm that you are happy agreeing to it.
From there, if we feel that we will work well together, we can arrange the next session.
Subsequent sessions
Length of sessions:
Each session lasts 50 minutes. Sometimes clients request to have a double session (for one hour and forty minutes) because of the nature of the work and I am always happy to accommodate this if I can.
Time & Frequency of sessions:
Sessions take place weekly and my preference is to work with clients at the same time and on the same day each week. If this would be difficult for you, we can discuss an alternative arrangement.
Changing time and/or day of sessions:
I will try to be flexible if a client needs to change their session to a different time or to a different day but require notice – please see below.
Cost
The cost is £70 per session.
Payment is to be made prior to each session.
I review my fees on an annual basis.
I require 72 hours notice to change a session without charge. If I am not given 72 hours notice, you will be required to pay for the session even if you cannot attend.
Payment for the final session will be taken on the second session, so you will be paying a week in advance for each session.
Number of sessions:
I do not ask clients to commit to a minimum number of sessions – you may only need one. However, once committed to working together, I will work with clients for as long as they need me to. There is no limit on the number of sessions clients can have, as long as the client and I both feel the therapy is of benefit to the client and I am able to continue with the work.
Ending Therapy:
When the client decides to finish therapy, I ask to be given a minimum of one session’s prior notice, if this is possible. This is so that I have time to reflect before the final session on the work as a whole now that it is concluding, and then reflect on this with the client before they leave. This enables me to provide the client with as good an ending as possible. However, I understand that not all clients will be able to face the final session or a client may need to stop suddenly due to factors outside of their control so this is a preference only.
Returning clients:
If you are a previous client and you wish to resume therapy with me, please contact me – I have never worked with a client that I would be reluctant to work with again.
Disclaimer:
Although this has never been something I have needed to do, I reserve the right to stop providing the service at any time. This would typically be if:
- I feel that the service being offered is no longer the most appropriate to the client’s needs.
- If I am unable to continue with the work. (I have to account for all eventualities in my business contract but I have, as yet, never had to stop working with a client and I am in good health.)
I agree to give as much notice to the client as possible should I need to stop working.
Location:
I practice from my home in Altrincham, just off the A56 and from a therapy centre in Central Manchester.
My Confidentiality Policy:
All sessions are confidential. This confidence will be maintained, and apply to any and all records, in accordance with the Data Protection Act, except in the following circumstances:
- Where the client gives consent for the confidence to be broken and the client and I feel this is an appropriate course of action.
- Should I be legally compelled to disclose information.
- Where the information disclosed by the client is of such gravity that confidentiality cannot be maintained. Although there may be other times where this is necessary, the most likely scenarios are 1) where there is a possibility of grievous physical self harm to the client (I will maintain confidentiality if self-harm is disclosed as long as it is not of such a serious nature that I fear for the client’s health or life) 2) where there is a strong likelihood of the client causing harm to somebody else 3) in cases of a serious crime being committed (typically where physical harm is involved).
- Where possible, I will always aim to make the client aware that I am considering disclosing information to a third party and will always seek the client’s consent if I can. However, I reserve the right not to. I have, as yet, never had to disclose information to a third party without a client’s consent so this would be a very unusual occurrence.
- I reserve the right to break confidentiality should my interests require disclosure.
- I discuss my work in a formal setting with other therapists as part of my ongoing professional development but this is done in such a way that the client’s identity is concealed and protected at all times.
- I keep a record of attendance, linked to an individual’s first name only for a short period of time following the conclusion of the work. In the normal course of therapy, I keep no other notes relating to my client work. One exception to this that arises frequently in my practice occurs when a client discloses that they have suffered a sexually based attack. I will not keep notes if the client would rather that I did not. However, if the client is ok with it, I will keep notes relating to this sort of disclosure indefinitely. This is so that should a client choose to report the attack to the authorities and provide my details as a witness to whom they have made a previous disclosure, I can confirm to the police and the CPS that the client talked about the attack with me. I will provide the details of the disclosure to the police and CPS in order to support the prosecution’s (i.e. the client’s) case. Any records I do keep are stored in a safe and confidential way and will be destroyed in the event of my death without being accessed by a third party.
- I do not record information pertaining to my clients’ G.P.’s as a matter of course. Should it become apparent that I need to be in contact with a client’s GP or other health professional, I would only initiate this contact after obtaining written permission from my client to do so, which you would have no obligation to provide.
Insurance:
I have always and will continue to maintain appropriate insurance throughout the duration of my work with clients.
Client & Practitioner Responsibility:
The client must agree to take responsibility for their own health and seek medical advice regarding any changes that they make that could impact on their health.
I am not qualified to give legal, financial or medical advice.