What to expect

• Upon contact with Sutton Coldfield Counselling, you will be offered a complimentary phone call. This is an opportunity for us to learn more about you and what you are looking for from therapy.  It is also for you to get to know us and what we can provide.  This is a brief call and some individuals prefer to go into more detail whilst others prefer to wait until they are within the therapy session.  This is also a time to discuss format options, such as in-person or online modalities.  

• Once deciding upon a psychologist and an appointment time, you will be sent an invitation to either attend online or in person.  The fees for the session are due prior to the appointment and if you wish to cancel or rearrange the session, you will need to provide 48 hours notice.  

• If you are funding your therapy through a health insurance, you will need to gain agreement for treatment with them and an authorisation code   

• The initial session will be to set the scene for following psychology sessions.  Here, upon learning more about you, we may discuss therapy goals, which psychological approach appears relevant and the style you wish your psychologist to adopt.    

• Part of the purpose of your first session will be to settle you in so that you feel comfortable and enabled to make guided and informed decisions. There is no pressure and we work at an individualised pace that suits your personal needs.

• There is no obligation to book another appointment and some individuals prefer to reflect upon this decision outside of the session, whilst others wish to book a regular session time in that moment.  Your psychologist should be able to provide you with an estimated length of therapy, availability and therapy process.  

• Whilst everybody's psychological therapy is individual, a typical therapy process would begin with assessing the reasons for accessing therapy, followed by a formulation (discussed understanding of person's difficulties) and then an intervention phase. Interventions are informed by the formulation and can vary from direct strategies to a more explorative format.  

• Psychological therapy is a very personal process and will be tailored to the needs and desires of the individual. 

• Your psychologist will comply fully with the ethical guidelines and codes of conduct produced by the British Psychological Society.  This includes confidentiality and what the boundaries of this are.      

Terms and Conditions for Psychological Therapy

This document details information about my professional services. Upon your signature, this document will constitute an agreement between us.

Fees

Psychological therapy session (50 minutes): £140.00

If you are funding your sessions privately, you will need to pay the session fee upfront in order to secure your session time. 

If you are funding your therapy through an insurance company, it is your responsibility to ensure that your sessions are authorised and that you are aware of the excess fees due. Any direct fees will need to be settled within 28 working days.  

Scope of therapy

Following an initial assessment, we can discuss further whether I feel I am able to provide a therapeutic service to you. I do not provide an emergency service and so a local Crisis Team, your GP or A & E should be accessed in this eventuality.  

Cancellation policy

If you are unable to attend your appointment, please let me know as soon as possible. 48 hours notice is required for cancellation. Where you give me less notice the fee for that session will be incurred.  

If your therapy sessions are funded by a private health care group such as Bupa and you fail to attend a scheduled appointment, or give less than 48 hours notice of your intention to cancel, you will be invoiced personally for the full session.  

I will endeavour to give you as much advance notice as possible of my planned holidays, or any need to cancel a future appointment. There would obviously be no charge under these circumstances.

Upon booking your appointment, you will receive an email with your therapy session details. You will also receive an email reminder of this appointment 15 minutes prior to the start time. If you do not attend your appointment without giving notice, you will still be charged for the session. There is a standard 15 minutes that I will wait at the beginning of a session. After this time, I shall assume that you do not intend to attend and discontinue the session, unless notified otherwise.  

Confidentiality

In accordance with the GDPR legislation (May 2018) the following information will inform you of the purpose of data collection and how this information will be used.

Anything you do disclose to me in therapy will remain confidential. I will not discuss you or your case with any third parties without your consent.  

However, under the following (rare) circumstances, I may have to break confidentiality:

1. If I have reason to think you are at risk of harming yourself or another person

2. If I have reason to think that a vulnerable/incompetent person (e.g. a child, an elderly person) is at risk from neglect or any form of abuse 

3. If I receive a subpoena or court order requesting your record.

4.    If you have been referred by a third party, they may require a report.

5. It is best practice for Clinical Psychologists to receive regular supervision for their work. This means that I will sometimes talk to another psychologist/professional about the work we are doing together. This ensures that you receive the best service possible. During supervision, your identity will be kept confidential.   

Reports

If you require written reports or letters regarding your treatment, these will be charged at the standard hourly fee.  

Record keeping

The records I keep tend to be brief and include information such as the problems or goals you have, the topics covered in sessions, the dates we meet, charges and payments. I keep paper and electronic records; paper records are kept locked in a filing cabinet; electronic records are kept on a password protected computer.

Acknowledgment and Consent

By signing this form (I will sign it too and we will both have a copy), you are acknowledging that you understand and agree to abide by the terms and conditions detailed in Dr. Victoria Crooks’ patient contract, and that we have discussed and clarified any questions you may have about this document.