Practice Information and Terms
Appointments and availability
Appointments are available Monday to Thursday between 5.00 pm and 8.00 pm, and on Friday between 5.00 pm and 7.00 pm.
Fees and payment
Individuals: £85
Couples: £115
The initial session is charged at the same rate as subsequent sessions.
Sessions are paid one week in advance. When a session is cancelled with sufficient notice, the payment is carried forward to the next agreed session. Prepaid sessions are not otherwise refundable, and the cancellation policy below applies to late cancellations and missed sessions.
Attendance, communication and boundaries
Each session lasts 50 minutes and usually takes place weekly, unless otherwise agreed.
Please arrive at your agreed appointment time. Sessions cannot overrun, including in the event of late arrival.
Communication between sessions is limited and is normally used only when necessary, for example to book, reschedule or cancel appointments, or for a previously agreed exchange of information. Most therapeutic communication takes place during the sessions themselves.
If you are unsure whether it is appropriate to contact me between sessions, please raise this with me during a session or send a brief message to check. If you need to speak to me urgently, please send a text requesting a brief urgent call and briefly explaining the reason for your request.
I can be contacted by phone between 9.30 am and 4.00 pm, Monday to Friday. You may send a text or email at any time, but I may not read or respond immediately, particularly outside working hours or during annual leave. I aim to respond within a reasonable time, depending on my availability, access to communication, and phone reception.
Cancellation and missed sessions
Cancellations should be kept to a minimum, as continuity and regularity are important parts of the therapeutic process.
If you need to cancel a session, please give at least one week’s notice. If less than one week’s notice is given, half the session fee is payable. If less than 48 hours’ notice is given, or if a session is missed, the full fee is payable. This policy is applied consistently.
In the event of a late cancellation or missed session, your next appointment is secured by paying the cancellation fee on the day of the cancelled or missed session, or by the following day at the latest, by bank transfer.
Where possible, and subject to availability, you may request to rearrange your appointment within the same week. If this is discussed and agreed, the cancellation fee will not apply. Rebooking only takes effect once it has been confirmed.
For all planned cancellations or requests to rebook, please send a text or email. Verbal notice during a session is not sufficient. You may send cancellation or rebooking messages at any time, including outside working hours or during annual leave, although I may not read or respond immediately.
I recognise that cancellation fees can sometimes feel difficult or frustrating. For this reason, I provide a separate rationale explaining why cancellation policies are common in psychotherapy and how my own policy is applied.
Number of sessions and ending
The duration of therapy may be short-term or long-term. The decision about how long you continue is ultimately yours, although it can be useful to discuss this together as the work develops.
I recommend allowing enough time to engage meaningfully with the counselling process before evaluating your progress or deciding how long the work should continue.
When it becomes appropriate to consider an ending, we will discuss this together and, where possible, prepare for it in a way that allows the work to reach a proper sense of closure. You also have the right to end or interrupt counselling whenever you consider this to be the right decision.
There may also be circumstances in which I need to end the therapy, for professional, ethical, practical, or personal reasons. I would not do so without good reason, and where possible I would discuss this with you and help manage the ending responsibly. One reason may be repeated missed sessions or repeated failure to cancel in accordance with the cancellation policy.
Confidentiality and disclosure
Sessions are confidential, in accordance with the BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions.
As part of ethical and professional practice, I may discuss aspects of my clinical work in supervision. Supervision helps support the quality, safety and integrity of the work. When I refer to client work in supervision, identifying details are not disclosed, and my supervisor is also bound by confidentiality.
There are exceptional circumstances in which confidentiality may need to be broken. These include situations where there is a serious risk of harm to you or to another person; where a child or vulnerable adult may be at risk of harm, abuse or neglect; where disclosure is required by law; where I am legally compelled to provide information; or where the information relates to terrorism, money laundering, or another serious crime.
Where possible and appropriate, I would aim to discuss this with you before taking any action. However, this may not always be possible, depending on the particular circumstances.
The BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions is available on the BACP website.
Data protection
My Privacy Notice explains how I collect, store, use, protect and retain personal information in relation to the counselling and psychotherapy services I provide, in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. It also explains your rights in relation to your personal data.
Health, safety and practical requirements
For health and practical reasons, I ask clients to turn off all electronic devices for the duration of their visit. This includes mobile phones, smart watches and other wearable devices. Devices should be switched off completely, not placed on silent or airplane mode. Thank you for respecting this requirement.
A friendly cat (Neo) lives in the house where my practice is situated, although he does not usually enter the consulting room. Please let me know in advance if you have a significant cat allergy.
What to Expect from Your First Session
The accompanying PDF explains what to expect in your first session. You may find it useful if you feel unsure or apprehensive before our first meeting, or if you are simply curious about the process. Reading it is optional.
Address and travel information
Address of my practice
Travelling by car
The main roads leading to the practice are the A12, A414, A130 and A1060.
Parking is usually available on the road outside the practice, on Redmayne Drive, or on Writtle Road. Please do not park on the private driveway. Parking restrictions may apply locally, including between 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm.
Coming by train
The nearest station is Chelmsford. The practice is approximately 15–20 minutes’ walk from the station, or about 5 minutes by taxi in normal traffic.
Coming by bus
There are bus services from Chelmsford station towards the BBC Essex area. Please check current routes and times before travelling, as bus services and timetables may change.