Therapeutic Policies 2026
Safeguarding Policy
For everyone under the age of 18:
The key guidance for child protection is working together to safeguard children (Department for Education, 2018) states:
Everyone who works with children has a responsibility for keeping them safe
Everyone who comes into contact with children and families has a role to play in sharing information and identifying concerns
In accordance with the above I will break confidentiality if you disclose that you are:
Actively Abused
In that you are being hit, attacked, isolated, forced into sexual activities, neglected, exploited or are being pressured or forced into something you don’t want to do
Suicidal Intent
In that you have made a formal plan to end your life and intend to do so
In a situation which can immediately cause you harm
In that you contact me and disclose you have run away or are in danger
Criminal activity which may cause harm to yourself and others
Such as drug dealing, money laundering, terrorism, extremism
If I feel you are in danger and choose to break confidentiality for any of the reasons above, I will act to the following:
Contact your parents unless I consider them to be causing or contributing to the danger you are in. From there I will talk to your parents and advise them further
If I believe your parents to not be protective factors, I will telephone the relevant Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub and speak to their duty worker, disclosing to them what you have told me. By agreeing to this policy, you and your caregiver give me consent to tell them your name and date of birth.
If you are in immediate danger, I will telephone Emergency Services
Emergency Contact
If we work together, I will ask you to provide details of one person who can be contacted in an emergency.
Cancellation Policy
I am entitled to charge the cost of a session if I am not notified of The Client’s absence 48 hours before the session. The cancellation must be sent via email from a caregiver or if The Client is over 18.
Location
The Client must be provided with a confidential space to speak to me, where they are not overheard by any other person. The internet should be good enough to hold a conversation between myself and The Client. The sessions should not be interrupted as this mitigates the confidentiality.
I must not be the only adult who knows the whereabouts of The Client below the age of 18. An adult must be aware that the sessions are occurring at the agreed time.
Charges and Payment
I charge £40.00 for an assessment session lasting up to 30 minutes. I charge £80.00 for a standard therapy session lasting up to 60 minutes and book them 6 at a time. I charge £70 for an agreed concessionary cost per session. I charge £80.00 for a one-off catch-up session lasting up to 60 minutes.
Payments are to be made via online bank transfer to the bank account details on the bottom of an invoice I will provide to you, which also confirms the date of sessions booked. Payment should be made in full between the initial assessment and first therapy session, however if this it is not manageable it can be discussed with me to arrange a date for payments to be made.
Session Booking and Refunds
I book 6 sessions at a time, as per an industry standard therapeutic intervention. The sessions are either weekly or fortnightly. The Client will receive the same time slot every session unless agreed otherwise. A session is up to 60 minutes in length, but will end when the Client chooses to end the session.
I strongly recommend The Client receive at minimum 6 sessions. If any sessions are missed, I will offer to re-book them at the cost of additional sessions.
Towards the end of the sessions booked, I will inform The Client (and parent if they are under 18) that sessions are nearing an end, and ask whether the sessions are to be renewed for another 6 sessions or that the 6th session booked will be the final session.
Letters of Support
I will be more than happy to offer a letter which confirms that The Client has had at least 6 sessions of therapy with me. I also offer letters of support which reflect themes and events which have surfaced in the work, such as anxiety around schooling, recommendations for flexible schooling, etc. I will only offer letters which include any details which have arisen in the sessions with the explicit consent of The Client. I will charge an additional cost of a session for this letter, as it will take me some time to construct.
Caregiver Engagement
Due to the confidential nature of the work, I will not be able to provide updates which disclose the content of the sessions without permission given by The Client I am working with. I am available to hear any concerns, insights or important context you feel it would be beneficial for me to be aware of, but I may discuss what you tell me with The Client to maintain trust and help the counseling relationship.
Post-Session Safety
I will usually use the last 10-15 minutes of each session to ground and regulate The Client. Extra grounding time is used in the first session due to the potential overwhelm of opening up about painful issues that may have been carried for a long period of time. I strongly recommend that for the week after the first session extra safety, understanding and consideration is made for The Client who may experience more intensity in anxiety and depression, or feelings such as anger or hurt which have been unearthed in the first session.
Dyslexia Statement
I am a dyslexic person. This means I am creative and good at connecting with people, although it also means I may make errors in written information. I try my absolute best to check and recheck what I send you for any errors, though I would be grateful if you double checked yourself. I always invite you to let me know if you spot any spelling or written errors in anything I send you, so I can correct them as soon as possible.
Confidentiality Agreement
The confidentiality agreement is made up of three parts:
Informed Consent
Before therapy begins, you will be asked to give your consent to have details of our sessions recorded in written records. These records will only be shared with third parties if you request it or if a court order requires them.
Any request for your records will be charged at the agreed hourly rate to cover the time required to locate, separate and make copies of the records, while ensuring the confidentiality of other clients is maintained.
Consent to attend these sessions can be withdrawn at any time.
Confidentiality
What we discuss in our sessions will be confidential unless you or someone you know is in danger, in which case confidentiality may need to be broken.
Your personal information will be stored in written records which are anonymised using your initials. The connection between your initials and your identity is known only to the parties signing the agreement.
Risk Policy and Information Sharing
If disclosures are made which require confidentiality to be broken due to my belief that you are in danger, I will discuss this with you first and explain the basis on which confidentiality will be broken.
The exception to this is if you are in immediate danger, in which case I will act immediately to keep you safe from harm.