Appointments

Below, you will find all the information about how to make appointments, session lengths, fees, contact details, data and privacy policy and confidentiality and limits to confidentiality.

My working hours are:
Tuesday 08:00 – 20:00, Wednesday 08:00 – 18:00, Thursday 08:00 – 19:00

I am now offering in person counselling support at 198 Church Hove, or via walk and talk therapy either in the countryside or by the seaside. I am continuing also to offer online counselling using the Zoom video platform. I have undertaken extensive training to work online in order that my clients can feel safe and secure in their sessions with me. Working online can offer the flexibility that you need at this time and removes the concerns you might have about travel or accessibility.

Locations

Location can be a deciding factor in who to choose as your counsellor.  Working on line can also bring a level of flexibility when travelling or meeting inside can be a challenge. I offer telephone and zoom video sessions for those wanting to work on line. For clients who wish to meet in person, I offer “walk and talk” therapy and in person sessions in counselling rooms.

 

Payment and session Fees

I offer a free 20 minute introductory telephone call. This is an opportunity for both of us to ask questions to determine whether I am the right therapist for you at this time.

If you decide to proceed, our first session will last 60 minutes unless it is in person due to room hire constraints. Subsequent sessions will be 50 minutes in duration, unless otherwise agreed in advance.

All outdoor therapy sessions last for 1.5 hours unless otherwise agreed in advance.

Counselling sessions which are held in person or via zoom or telephone are charged at £50 which is payable via bank transfer within 24 hours of the session being held. Outdoor therapy sessions are charged at £65 with the same payment conditions.

I do have some concessionary session availability and we can discuss this during our introductory telephone call.

Scheduling and Cancellation of Sessions

When we begin counselling, building a strong therapeutic relationship is important for our work. I recommend, initially, that we meet weekly for the first 6 weeks, ideally at the same time and day. This will help us to build a level of consistency and therapeutic relationship in order to work at a level of depth as we explore your hopes from counselling. After these 6 weeks, we can discuss the frequency of our sessions.

Our sessions are 50 minutes or 1.5 hours. If you do arrive late for your sessions, we will still need to finish at the scheduled time.

Should you need to cancel or re-arrange your session, this can be done by emailing me in advance. I ask that you let me know at least 48 hours prior to our agreed time in order to avoid having to pay for your session in full. If you do need to re-arrange your session, I will do my utmost to accommodate another session time in the same week.

Contact

  sjscounselling@hotmail.com

Once I have received your enquiry, I aim to respond to you within 48 hours so that we can arrange our initial telephone conversation which will last for about 20 minutes. This is an opportunity for us to briefly discuss your reasons for therapy, to answer any questions you may have and to work out your availability for sessions.

Please contact me via email at sjscounselling@hotmail.com

Confidentiality and limits to confidentiality

Trusting that what you say in our sessions is confidential is a key component within counselling as it enables people to talk about those thoughts, feelings and actions which they may never have been able to speak about.

I will ensure that I protect the confidentiality of our sessions within the limits outlined below.

There are some circumstances where counsellors have no choice and a legal obligation to break confidentiality. These are:

  1. Where terrorist acts are disclosed
  2. Where the counsellor has good reason to believe that serious acts of abuse to vulnerable children or adults are likely to take place
  3. Information is disclosed regarding drug trafficking. Please note this does not refer to drug use.

In addition to the above, I am required, by my registered organisation, to undertake regular clinical supervision where I discuss my work. While I do not discuss information which can identify an individual (name, address, etc.), I will talk about aspects and themes of the work from our sessions. The purpose of clinical supervision is to ensure that the service I am providing to you is safe, ethical and competent.

Also, under exceptional circumstances, where I believe that you or others may be seriously harmed, I may decide to disclose information to other external agencies, e.g. GP or Social Services. I would, however, usually discuss this with you before breaking confidentiality.

Data and privacy policy

I abide by the Data Protection Act and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

I ensure that I store data in a locked cabinet and in password protected format on line.

My website has a privacy policy which details how “cookies” are used so that I can monitor usage of my website by visitors. Please see the full privacy policy here.

Online therapy sessions

You may feel uncertain about having therapy sessions online, but they can be as effective as meeting face to face. My goal is to create a safe and contained space to work with you.

We can discuss together the practicalities of online sessions when we first speak, however, below please find some useful tips which can help make sure the process runs smoothly.

Please make sure that:

  1. If our sessions are video calls, please make sure that your microphone and video features are turned on and that your device is positioned at a sensible height so that I can clearly see your face.
  2. You are in a quiet location, ideally away from background noise, and that if you are using a computer, your mobile is turned off or muted.
  3. You will not be disturbed for the duration of the session and that the door to the room you are using is closed.
  4. There is adequate lighting in the room you are sitting in and, ideally you do not have your back to a window or light as this can make it difficult for me to see you.
  5. You have what you need to hand, possibly a glass of water, and that you have not been drinking alcohol or taking drugs before our session.
  6. You do not record the sessions. I will not be recording our sessions, unless I have your prior consent.
  7. You will not let anyone else listen in to any part of the session, either in person or via any technical device), without prior agreement.
  8. You join the session at the agreed time.

Some people like to use headphones during their session. I have observed that if we can both create a quiet space, there is no need for headphones and that if one person has headphones and the other doesn’t, this can make the sound less effective.

As with face to face sessions, the terms and conditions for our contract are to be agreed at the beginning of our work together. Please provide me with 48 hours’ notice if you wish to cancel or rearrange an agreed session.