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) parent/s only 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.
The initial meeting is usually held either in person or through Zoom. It is recommended to have an in-person consultation with follow-ups happening either in person or online.
Consultation Fee
- £140 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).
Cancellation Policy
- It is not refundable. However, I am happy to rearrange if you give me two days (48 hours notice) Monday-Friday, 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 or a question you want answered.
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 parent/s only 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.
In addition, I gather information on your pregnancy, childbirth, child development, and family background. I also consider the emotional well-being of the parents and the mental health of the family. We take into account the parental influences and the child’s temperament/ personality, as this can have an impact on the relationship. Towards the end of the consultation, I provide my perspective ( there is no absolute truth) and recommendations for the course of therapy.
There will be occasions when is is not suitable for Bristol Child Parent Support to accept a refferal. For example:
- When the child’s / young person’s difficulties require a psychiatric assessment or multi-professional approach
- Where there are safe-guarding concerns or a high level of risk, which may indicate the need for a CAMHS outreach, crisis service, police and or social services involvement.
- When there is an impending or on-going Court case which requires a Court report or to act on behalf of the young person/family as an expert witness.
Following the consultation, ongoing work fees and cancellations
For therapeutic parenting, I usually require a commitment of six sessions from parents and we review the progress at the fifth session. For children, I provide a three-session assessment to determine the optimal length of therapy and their readiness and willingness to participate. Subsequently, I typically recommend 12 sessions and we may work for longer. This is based on each child and family’s unique situation. There are regular parent meetings to discuss your child’s therapy.
Fees
You can book a block of six:
- £450 for six sessions (if you pay in advance, the sessions include any therapy shape).
- You can spread the cost in two instalments of £225.This payment method has terms and conditions. (The multi-session discount is non-refundable, and sessions may be used for cancellations, work, school trips, and sicknesses). Therefore, I reserve the right to withdraw the reduction if there are multiple and repeated cancellations).
Cancellation Policy
You have the option to make payment for each individual session as you attend (In the event of a cancellation, sickness, work etc, please provide at least 48 hours’ notice to reschedule the session).
- £90 per session if you pay per session.
Sleep Consultations:
- £140 for an initial consultation
- Follow-up sessions are the same fees as above.
Workshops:
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.
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.
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. therapeutic reports to schools or other agencies and emails over 250 words. This includes telephone calls for liaisons that last longer than 15 minutes.
Bristol Child Parent Support has a duty of care to identify and report any safeguarding concerns. If there is reasonable cause to believe that an adult or child is at risk, It must report to the appropriate authorities.
Reporting and confidentiality
Maintaining confidentiality and trust is central to the therapeutic relationship. However, taking action to safeguard children and vulnerable adults can take precedence over confidentiality, or over a client’s explicit wishes. This means that essential information-sharing and acting on concerns may involve breaching confidentiality or those wishes.
Duty of Care Regarding Identifying and Reporting Safeguarding Concerns
Sharing the right information at the right time, with the right people can make
all the difference to preventing harm. For further guidance on information sharing and
safeguarding see Bristol Safeguarding Adults Board ‘Quick Guide to Information Sharing’
at https://bristolsafeguarding.org/media/1121/guide-to-info-sharing.pdf and https://swcpp-bristol.trixonline.co.uk/contents/contents#safeguarding-practice-guidance.
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
For more information, click on the link below.
