Counselling and Hypnotherapy FAQS:
I'd like to work with you, how do I make an enquiry?
Due to me being unable to answer the phone during working hours, if you'd like to work with me, please click on the link to my Contact Form at the bottom of this page to make an enquiry.
I will initially get in touch with you via text or email to arrange a date and time to meet on a video call or a voice call if you would prefer. During this call, which will last around fifteen minutes, we can find out more about one another, ensure that counselling or hypnotherapy is the right approach for you, and that you will feel comfortable working with me. There is no charge for this and you are under no obligation to continue to work with me.
What happens after our initial call?
If you do decide you would like to go forward with sessions, we will then arrange an initial consultation either face-to-face, online, or via telephone.
In my experience, many clients choose to work online as it reduces time spent travelling to sessions, travel costs, and most importantly, they feel more comfortable in their own surroundings. However, if you would prefer to meet face-to-face, my home office will also provide you with the comfort, privacy, and peace you need in order to speak freely and explore what has brought you into therapy at this time.
My office is located up a short flight of stairs, so please let me know if this will present an issue for you. My premises is wheelchair accessible and an alternative setting can be discussed for counselling sessions, but not hypnotherapy.
How long are our sessions and what are your fees?
Each counselling session following our initial 15 minute video or phone call is 50 minutes long, either face-to-face, online, or by telephone. The fee for each session is £45 and they should take place using our agreed method of meeting, and on the same day and at the same time each week / fortnightly moving forward.
Hypnotherapy sessions are 60 minutes long, either face-to-face or online. The fee for each session is £70 and they should also take place on the same day and at the same time each week / fortnight.
Payment for all sessions can be made via BACS and must clear at least 24 hours before our appointment together. I will provide you with payment details before our first scheduled session.
How many sessions will I need?
It really depends on the reasons behind you coming into therapy. Some counselling clients have 6 sessions and feel that they've reached their goals, others attend sessions for up to a year. With hypnotherapy, between 3 - 8 sessions tends to be the norm, but again, it depends on what you would like hypnotherapy for.
I work on both a short-term and long-term basis and you will know when the time is right for us to conclude. We will have regular reviews throughout our time together, so that you can gauge your self-noted progress and how you feel about continuing, however when you do decide that the time is right to leave therapy, please allow time for us to conclude our work together with an ending session.
Is there a minimum time I need to attend sessions for?
Whilst the counselling process allows you to set the pace of both your sessions and the length of time to which you would like to work towards your self-determined goals, I ask that clients commit to a minimum of 4 sessions as this sets expectations, allows coping strategies to become embedded, and allows time for you to become more comfortable and to feel safe to explore your thoughts, feelings, and emotions in more depth. If you wish, these 4 sessions can be paid for as a block booking.
With hypnotherapy, sessions tend to be more structured and solution-focused which gives us a good idea of how much time together we'll need from the outset. Again, agreed sessions can be paid for as a block booking if that's something you'd like to do.
I've got things planned, what happens if I need to miss some sessions?
That's no problem! As long as we both know what your upcoming plans are, we can arrange our sessions as we go. On my part, I will also let you know, a month in advance if possible, if I have holidays or courses booked.
If you have block booked or paid for an individual session and give > 24 hours notice that you will not be able to attend, we can rearrange our appointment at a mutually agreeable time and you will not be charged for the missed session.
Do you have a cancellation policy?
I ask that all scheduled sessions are paid for at least 24 hours in advance to allow time for funds to clear via BACS. If you do not attend (DNA) or cancel the session you have paid for within 24 hours of the scheduled start time, then the session fee will not be refunded or carried forward. This forms part of the agreement in our Therapeutic Contract, so please read it carefully before committing to therapy.
What is a Therapeutic Contract, and why do we need one?
During our initial session, we will discuss the Therapeutic Contract that will be emailed to you prior to our first appointment. The Therapeutic Contract forms an agreement between us; setting out how, when, and where we will work together, what we can expect from one another, and provides assurances around confidentiality, GDPR, and ethical compliance on my part. The contract also explains my fees and my cancellation / DNA policy in more detail.
In short, it provides assurances for both of us during our time working together. Although there are many components of the contract that I must let you know about, I will also invite you to contribute to it if there is anything you would like to add.
What can I expect to happen in our first session?
During our first session, as well as contracting, we will also have the opportunity to discuss and assess your needs, explore what has brought you to therapy, and what you would like to gain from our work together. There will also be a couple of assessments that we will complete together which will look at your present difficulties and how much these are impacting upon your day-to-day life.
Following this, we will collaboratively build a case conceptualisation, looking at how we might best work together to achieve the goals you have set for yourself. I firmly believe that the best results come from a strong, genuine, and trusting therapeutic relationship and mutual efforts - therapy is not something which is done to you, it is something which you undertake for yourself with support, expertise, and guidance on my behalf.
Will anyone else be told that I'm having therapy?
Confidentiality is an area that we will discuss in depth during our initial session as it forms the bulk of our Therapeutic Contract. No one else will be told that you are engaging in therapy if you don't want them to know. I do ask that next of kin details are provided and that they are made aware that you are attending therapy just in case I need to notify someone you trust if you should become unwell during a session. This being said, I do understand that there are times where you might not feel comfortable telling anyone that you are attending counselling or hypnotherapy, and we will discuss this further if this is the case.
There may also be times when I request to speak with your GP or another health or social care professional if I feel that multidisciplinary support is needed, but I will always ask for you written consent to do so first. The only caveats to total confidentiality are:
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If you disclosed that you were thinking about hurting yourself or someone else.
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If you disclosed any information around ongoing criminal activity, child protection issues, issues regarding yourself or another if deemed as a vulnerable adult, or if your clinical notes were subpoenaed by a Court of Law.
In either case, this would be discussed with you prior to any action being taken, and your verbal or written consent to do so requested. However, as a mental health professional, I have a Duty of Care both to you as a client and to the wider community, and I reserve the right to disclose information that I believe will protect you and others if necessary - sometimes even if no consent is given. With this being said, these are extreme circumstances and that my primary goal is to always protect you and your confidentiality.