Assessment:
Your first appointment will be an assessment lasting 50 minutes. This is an opportunity to tell us about your concerns and to ask any questions you may have. We charge a flat fee of:
- £40 if you are working or
- £25 if you are unemployed, a full time student or a pensioner.
We ask you to bring to the assessment proof of benefits, student status or income such as a P60 or pay slip as this helps us determine the weekly counselling fee.
The assessment is payable in advance at the time of making the appointment and is non-refundable. You will be able to reschedule the assessment once, providing you give 24 hours’ notice.
Please be aware an assessment is not a therapeutic session.
Waiting list:
Following the assessment, you will go on our waiting list. The waiting time for referral to a counsellor is usually 4-12 weeks depending on your availability.
Counselling sessions:
Commitment: For your counselling to be effective, it is important to attend weekly.
Counselling sessions last for 50 minutes and take place on the same day and time each week. The length of counselling we offer you will be discussed with you when you start counselling. This will vary from a six weeks to up to two two years.
Fees:
Fees are charged on a sliding scale according to income. Counselling fees are charged:
- from £15 for a daytime appointment
- from £20 for an evening appointment
Payment is taken at each session by debit/credit card, cash or cheque.
All missed sessions must be paid for aside from planned breaks such as holiday or hospital stays. If two sessions have been missed without letting us know we may offer an ending session.
All session fees will be regularly reviewed and are subject to an annual increase.
Our counsellors:
All our counsellors are qualified or in training under supervision.
Confidentiality:
We abide by the Ethical Guidelines of BACP, one of the governing bodies regulating counsellors and psychotherapists.
Referrals:
Although we will accept written or telephone referrals from other agencies, we prefer women to contact us by phone to make an appointment for an assessment.