This page describes the scheduling of counselling sessions, where and how often they occur and how much they cost.

Where counselling sessions are held

I see clients both on-line, via Zoom , or face-to-face in my home.

Zoom Sessions
For Zoom based sessions, I email you a link each week that gives the details of the session. I will normally email at least a day before the session.

When we meet via Zoom, it is important for sake of confidentiality and for the effectiveness of the therapy that you find a private space in which to have the session where you will not be interrupted or overheard and that there is minimal background noise.

Face-to-face Sessions
For face-to-face sessions we meet at my home in the village of Newton near South Queensferry. My home, 33 Main Street, is arrowed in the diagram below.

Unfortunately my home is not suitable for disabled access.

Note that there is no public transport to or from Newton and, if you drive here, it is easiest to park in Duddingston Crescent.

When counselling sessions are held

I see clients on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 10am and 7pm. Each session is 60 minutes and we would normally see each other weekly at the same time.

Session fees

I charge £50 per session. At the end of each week I email invoices to clients and the invoice has the bank account details that should be used for payment.

The counselling contract

Before seeing you I will send you a copy of the counselling contract. The contract is a short document that explains things like confidentiality, length and frequency of sessions, fees etc.

It is not necessary to sign the contract before the assessment session (see below) but it must be signed before the first therapy session. If there is anything in the contract you would like to discuss then this can be done during the assessment.

Assessment session

The assessment is a short, normally around 30 minute, session prior to the commencement of therapy. In this session I will quickly go through the contract to give you a chance to ask any questions or discuss any concerns you may have with it. I will explain a little about myself and how I work, and you can ask me any questions you might have about this. I then ask you to briefly say why you feel you need therapy and what you hope to gain from it.

This session is to let you decide whether you think you would like to work with me and for me to decide whether or not I feel I can be of help to you. If I feel I can’t be of help to you then I will explain why and I may be able to point you to a more appropriate service.

Please note that there is no fee for the assessment.

Therapy Sessions

We will agree a mutually suitable time for the therapy sessions and once agreed the sessions will take place weekly at that arranged time. Each therapy session will last one hour.

At points during therapy we will normally take the opportunity to appraise how the work is going. This will involve a recap of the work so far against your expectations and gives us both a chance to feedback to each other and perhaps set a new goal or direction.

Ending Therapy

Normally we would work together to find a mutually agreeable end point, but it is your right to end our therapeutic work at any time.

I also have the right to end the therapy at any time. This could happen if it becomes apparent through our work together that I feel I can’t be of help to you; if you can’t consistently find a safe and private place in which to take part in the sessions; or if you cancel so many sessions that I feel it is disruptive to the therapy. In any case I will explain my reasoning to you so that you know why I feel therapy should end.

Note – If you miss two sessions in a row without contacting me ahead of time to let me know then I will assume you do not wish to continue and so I will end the therapy. If this is the case, I will inform you by email.