How It Works – Know What to Expect
Where We Meet
These are your sessions, so I want to support you in whatever way feels most comfortable.
I offer online therapy across the United Kingdom, via Zoom. I see people who prefer to meet in-person in a lovely calming space in Sussex Mews, Royal Tunbridge Wells.
What To Expect
Initial Enquiry
After I receive your initial enquiry, I will contact you so we can decide whether I’d be a ‘good fit’ to help you. If we agree I would be, I will offer an initial ‘assessment’ appointment at a place and time that suits you. It can be helpful for teenagers to include a parent in this initial meeting.
All appointments with me will be between 50 and 60 minutes. This allows some flexibility to ensure that we end discussions at an appropriate point and that we don’t start talking about something big that we can’t finish, right at the end of a meeting.
First Support Session
During our first meeting, I will introduce myself and allow you time to get to know me a little. I will then ask you some questions, so I can get to know you. We will generally begin by discussing things like your interests and hobbies, before we talk about things that you’ve been finding more challenging. I may also ask you to complete some short, standardised questionnaires. These give me another perspective on how much you have been struggling.
Towards the end of this meeting, I will ask you to think about what you might like to change in your life. I will then give you an idea of how many support sessions you will need to achieve your goals. I will generally recommend that we plan for at least 6 sessions on a weekly or fortnightly basis. I’ll invite you to attend these alone, but teenagers are also welcome to bring a parent if it makes them feel more comfortable.
Subsequent Meetings
Prior to our second meeting, I will reflect on everything you have told me, and I will begin to build a ‘formulation’ of your difficulties. This is like a map, to help us better understand why your challenges might have occurred. It also helps guide us towards what will be most likely to help you overcome them. It is a highly personalised plan. I will therefore continually review it, to ensure that I am supporting you in the best way possible. I will share and discuss it with you during your support sessions and use it to suggest strategies that we could cover.
To help us objectively observe the progress you are making, I might sometimes ask you to re-complete the brief questionnaires you answered in our initial meeting. This also helps us thoughtfully plan in advance for an appropriate time to say our final goodbye.
Fees for Support
I charge a competitive fee that reflects my doctoral level training. My fee is inclusive of the time I spend between sessions, reflecting on my understanding of your challenges and planning how best to support you in our next meeting. It also covers my professional registrations and continuous training overheads.
Psychological Support:
Each support session lasts between 50 minutes and 1 hour. Online sessions are charged at £145. In-person meetings are £160/session.
Liaison:
Where liaison with other professionals, such as school staff, is required, I charge £80 per consultation of up to 30-minutes. I charge pro-rata for longer meetings.
Additional Services:
Requests for letters of support and longer reports are charged pro rata.
How To Pay
You can pay for your support sessions by bank transfer. Once I have received your payments, I will send you a Zoom link for the forthcoming session via email.
I kindly request you do this at least 48 hours prior to each session, to reserve my time.