What is the cost of sessions?

 

The Assessment session costs £25.  Further sessions cost £50 for an hour.

 

You can pay in cash at the start of your session, or by PayPal or Direct Bank Transfer.  If you are transferring funds electronically I ask that this is done in advance of the session. Please contact me directly for my BACs details or to request a PayPal Invoice.

 

Fees may be subject to change depending on my overheads such as changes in professional membership fees, insurances, etc.  I will always give at least 28 days’ notice of any changes.

 

How often can I have a session?

 

Sessions will normally be weekly: however, some types of therapy may benefit from a more intensive programme, and if this is the case I will discuss this with you at Assessment.  Often people have financial constraints and prefer to come fortnightly: this is fine, but I would not recommend sessions less frequently than this due to the need to keep up a momentum within the process of therapy.

 

There will be times when I have time off and we will need to re-schedule our sessions.  If I am off for less than a week I will try my best to offer you another appointment within the same week.  If I am off for a week or more I will offer you either your usual appointment time and day, or the earliest appointment I have available on my return.

 

Where are the sessions?

 

Sessions can be either face-to-face, by video call (Teams or WhatsApp) or by phone. Face-to-face sessions take place at my office in Stapenhill.

 

What if I need to cancel my session?

 

I ask for 24 hours’ notice of the cancellation of a session.  If less than 24 hours’ notice is given I reserve the right to charge the full cost of the session, which will be payable before the commencement of the following session. In cases of illness or other unforeseen need for cancellation with less than 24 hours’ notice I may waive the fee: however, this is at my discretion and I reserve the right to charge the full fee.

 

If notice is not given and you do not attend the session, the full cost will be payable before the commencement of the following session.  If you fail to attend more than three sessions without notice I reserve the right to terminate the therapeutic contract.  Notice of this will be given to you in writing.  If I need to cancel a session, I will endeavour to give as much notice as possible.  There will, of course, be no charge made for the session in this case.

 

Do you keep notes?

 

Yes, I do, but only very brief, factual ones.  Client notes are kept in a locked container when not being used.  Client notes will be kept for seven years in accordance with advice given by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Clients may request to see their notes at any time, but they remain the property of the counsellor and will not be released to a third party unless the requisite legal procedure is followed.

 

How and when can I contact you?

 

I can be contacted on 07530 875696.  This is a 24 hour answering service, and I check and respond to my messages at least once every weekday.  I also check my messages before every appointment in case of late cancellation.  I can also be contacted at sarahcounsellor@live.com – however, I cannot answer detailed questions or enter into lengthy correspondence via email.  Your therapy should be kept to your sessions, and email used for brief exchanges of information such as cancelling or re-scheduling appointments.

 

If you find yourself becoming distressed and need to contact someone urgently you should call your GP, or call 999.  I am not an emergency service, and cannot guarantee to get back to you straight away – I may well be working with other clients when you call.