What to Expect and Fees
Fees and What to Expect 

Thank you for wanting to promote and invest in the well-being of your child and family. Sometimes parents contact me with questions to seek feedback and clarity or help with anything to do with parenting. We get to know each other through a one-hour-and-a-half (90-minute) consultation. I am happy to offer a free 15-minute telephone call to respond to any questions you may have before booking.

My offering to you in our work together: Connection, listening, reflection, insight, and guidance.

Initial consultations are typically conducted in person or online via Zoom, with follow-ups taking place either face-to-face or online.

Consultation Fee

  • £130 for an hour and a half (90 minutes) Individualised in-depth consultation, face to face, via the telephone or Zoom. (Keyworkers, nurses, social workers, paramedics, and teachers will receive and 10-percent discount).
  • In the first instance, it is without your child. (For confirmation, payment needs to be made within 48 hours by bank transfer to Bristol Child Parent Support business account. You will receive an invoice. (I need your address to invoice you).
  • It is not refundable. However, I am happy to rearrange if you give me 48 hours notice, but I will hold the payment if cancelled less than that time.) This is a space to think about the best shape of therapy going forward.
  • There is no requirement for the two parties to collaborate following this meeting. I may suggest different courses of action, such as referring to other services. Please be aware that I do not accept health insurance.

What happens in a Consultation:

At the initial consultation meeting, you will be invited to talk about yourself, your difficulties, and what you feel is important about your situation. You may also be asked to describe anything you have tried to do to help yourself or your child, and what change you want to see.

I also take pregnancy, full-birth, developmental, and family history, and think about parental emotional and family mental health. We think about your parental conditioning and your child’s temperament. I believe this can impact the relationship. At the end of the consultation, I offer my perspective (a viewpoint) and guidance for the shape of therapy. Generally, I ask parents (parent, work, or children) to commit to six sessions, and we review at the fifth.

The initial consultation will help decide the best approach, for example:

Individual therapy for the child, adolescent, or adult

Following the consultation, I generally offer a six-session assessment in the first instance.

For children and adolescents

I often start with a six-session assessment. I arrange a meeting with the young person and their parent or caregiver, followed by three additional sessions. Following that, a meeting will take place to review with the parents, and we will either conclude our work together or continue depending on each person’s unique requirements. It will be easier to determine the duration of the work together following the initial assessment.

Parent feedback sessions are in parallel to the work with any child. Please note, I do not tend to see children online. Consistency is key in the development of a trusting therapeutic relationship.  There will be practical agreements to support this.

I will meet the child/you on the same day, and in the same place each week with the same play materials if your child is younger.

Timing of Therapy

There are times when it is unhelpful to start therapy.  Therapy can give children the opportunity to explore their deepest and most traumatic feelings and experiences. Therefore, it is not suitable to subject them to this unless they are in an environment where others can manage their feelings..

Additionally, it should be emphasised that therapy may cause a child’s behaviour to become heightened outside therapy sessions and may also result in them reverting back to earlier stages of development. It is essential for the caregivers in the child’s life to have a stable foundation and work together to provide sensitivity and support during what may be a difficult period.

Examples of when it is not always helpful to start therapy include:

  • When the child is at risk of harm
  • If the child’s carers lack stability in their own presentation and lack an effective support network around them
  • When a child’s surroundings are changing, such as switching schools, moving homes, or adjusting to a new caregiver.

What if my child is reluctant to attend therapy?

It can be tempting to persuade your child to access counselling, because you see it would be beneficial. However, counselling will only help if they are willing and engaged. One way to approach this is to inform the child that they can try just one session at first and then decide if they want to continue. If a young person attends their initial counselling session and decides not to continue, it is crucial to honour their choice. It is vital for them to have a beneficial encounter with therapy, so they are encouraged to seek it out in the future. Allowing them to make their own decisions grants them the confidence to return when they feel prepared. I am always happy to work with parents or carers if this is the case.

Parent work

Sessions to support parents who feel challenged or worried and want to understand their relationship better. This is also helpful if the child does not want to attend and is young.

Family work

Family therapy addresses the child or young person’s difficulties within the family context, where the primary reason for the therapy is to explore family relationships. Family therapy is not effective when there are high levels of conflict between the child and parents and between parents. In this instance, it’s helpful to have some parent sessions to de-escalate tensions and then re-introduce the child.

Additionally, it is not helpful to offer family work with younger children and parents.

However, parent work is often helpful in the first instance for these contexts. For example, if the child has behavioural or emotional difficulties, or if you are trying to come together as a blended family, parent, work may also be helpful in the first instance.

Following the consultation, ongoing work fees

Whether I am seeing parents, children, or families. It is important to note therapy is a process where difficult thoughts and feelings arise for you or your child to develop skills in managing them so there is less impact of them within yours or your child’s lives. An agreement will be sent out outlining terms and conditions before therapy begins.

You can book a block of six:

  • £425 for six sessions (if you pay in advance, the sessions include any therapy shape).
  •  Sessions fees for block bookings are reduced if paid in advance. You can spread the cost in two instalments; this payment method has terms and conditions. (The multi-session discount is non-refundable, and sessions will be used for cancellations and sicknesses. Therefore, I reserve the right to withdraw the reduction if there are multiple and repeated cancellations).

You can pay for each session as you go (you need to give 72 hours notice to rearrange a session):

  • £85 per session if you pay per session.

Sleep Consultations:

  • £130 for an initial consultation

Workshops:

what to expect/fees

What to Expect:  

Thank you for thinking about committing to work together. Email me by completing my contact form to book a consultation.

The consultation is generally without your child in the first instance. I will email some dates, times, and availability to see if they are convenient. They are first-come, first-served, and will be secured within 24 hours of payment. (payment in advance). I have limited spaces for ongoing work. I will send an invite for a secure Zoom link and directions if we meet in person.

Where do I work:

I mainly work in North Bristol, BS7, Ashley Down

Legal and General Reports

I offer a confidential and therapeutic space where everyone can feel safe to talk. Unless agreed at the start of work, I do not want to provide legal reports. These will be charged hourly for therapeutic reports to schools or other agencies and emails over 250 words. This includes telephone calls for liaisons that last longer than 15 minutes.

Safeguarding

Exceptions to Confidentiality:

Safeguarding is everyone’s concern, even in Private Practise. I adhere to Bristol’s Safe-Guarding Concerns

https://www.proceduresonline.com/swcpp/bristol/p_report_concerns.html.

BCPS must pass on any information to the relevant authorities in cases where human safety is concerned, including the following circumstances:

1. If you threaten harm to yourself or another person

2. If I believe a child or protected adult is at risk of harm or abuse

3. If the courts instruct me to give information. I will always endeavour to discuss with you my decision to break confidentiality. Depending on the circumstances, this may be your General Practitioner (GP), a Social Worker, or the Police. However, I have the right to break it if you/your child/someone associated with you are in immediate danger.

Records

I hold notes as long as I am working with you. For more information, click on the link below.

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