What can you expect from me?
I am a qualified Person-Centred Therapist & Integrated Therapeutic Coach working with both individuals and couples. I work to a high ethical and professional standard laid out by The British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists. BACP. I am committed to facilitating you to find your own answers, through:
- Placing equally, all contracted parties’ needs at the centre of our work
- Promoting all contracted parties’ well-being and autonomy
- Facilitating honesty and openness, with an additional agreement to help avoid secrets from either party in couples’ work
- Treating all contracted parties with respect, dignity, understanding and compassion
- Protecting all contracted parties regarding confidentiality and the boundaries between counselling and their life
- Reviewing our work together and progress with whatever you are working on
- Keep all contracted parties informed equally of any relevant changes, for example appointment times
- To be neutral and not take sides when working in couples.
- Building a trusting and collaborative therapeutic relationship through the above
Confidentiality
Therapeutic coaching is a safe place for you to talk about what is important to you and so confidentiality is essential for you to feel secure and for us to work effectively together.
Therefore, everything said or that happens in therapy is strictly private and would not normally be shared, except in circumstances where:
I am working with couples as I promote you to have an open and honest dialogue with one another. OR…
- I use the material from our sessions for my supervision or training, however, your identity is always protected
- I record personal details and basic information; GDPR covers this information (please see privacy statement) and normally would not be seen by anyone else. I also take notes about our sessions, which are always anonymised.
- If I feel that you or somebody else is at risk of serious harm, our confidentiality clause would be broken, and I would inform an appropriate person of the risk, as a part of my duty of care. This may be a family member, your GP, the NHS crisis team, line manager, or relevant authority figures. In the case of this occurring, I would strive to let you know.
- Please note if I am working with a couple who is also undergoing individual work with me, Information disclosed not in the presence of the other partner may or may not be shared with the other partner. If you feel something you share with me is confidential to yourself, then this would need to be made clear within our session.
In addition – If I feel this information has the potential to be in the present tense detrimental to the relationship, I would suggest exploring it and ultimately feeling safe enough to discuss it in a session with you and your partner together. If you feel you are unable to agree to this, regretfully I may feel it is unethical to continue our couple’s work and suspend or end this counselling agreement.
I have a legal duty to…
- Report terrorist activity, drug trafficking or serious criminal activity. I am legally required not to inform you.
- Disclose information of the driver of a vehicle if an offence has taken place.
- Report a safeguarding issue if children, young or vulnerable adults are at risk.
Sessions
I recommended a minimum of a block of six sessions with intermittent reviews. In the review, we will assess the effectiveness of Coaching and whether you wish to continue sessions or end therapy. Please be mindful that Counselling, Coaching or Therapy of any kind can be a timely affair, none more so than relationship work, as each party must have the opportunity and time to express their needs for resolution to occur. I can’t, unfortunately, give an estimation of how many sessions will be necessary as each person and relationship is different.
Please be aware that phones must be switched off during sessions.
Payments & Location
Individual sessions usually last 60 minutes at a cost of £75. These can be increased by half-hour increments to a total of 120 minutes. Couples sessions are £105 per hour with a recommended time slot of 90 minutes. (updated Jan 2025) Sessions are generally at the same time and day each week, but they can be flexible.
If you require sessions outside of a normal working week, Monday –
Friday, 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, there is an additional cost of £10.00 per hour.
The sessions can take place via Zoom or at my home office in Lytham. Prices are reviewed yearly in January.
Payment can be made via prior arrangement with BACS. Sorry, it is not possible to pay by cheque.
If you wish to pay cash in person, payment should be made for two sessions at the time of the first session, so there will always be a credit of a week ahead.
If you wish to pay online or by BACS, this is due 48 hrs before the session. If I have not received your advanced payment 24 hours before your session, then unfortunately, I will have to let your slot go.
If you wish to book a block of sessions, payment will be taken for six sessions. These sessions should be taken concurrently with no more than 21 days’ break to ensure continuity of work. If, at any time, you wish to cease the therapy sessions, the outstanding credit will be refunded via BACS. 48 hours’ notice is required, and the refund will be issued within 72 hours.
Bank ac ref. W. Appleyard, Sort code 09 01 32, Ac. no. 93496587
Contact in between sessions
If you do need to contact me in between sessions to discuss anything that is concerning you, please leave a message and I will endeavour to return your call as soon as I am able. Calls of less than 15 minutes will not be charged. However, longer calls will be charged at my discretion, pro rata of the hourly rate. Regarding any reports/letters requested, these will be charged as per the time incurred and charged pro rata of the hourly rate.
Cancellations
If you need to cancel a session 48 hours’ notice is needed to ensure that time can be allocated to someone else. Less than 48 hours’ notice will mean you are charged in full.
For cancellations please ring or text 0797 0618 779 I will endeavour to respond as soon possible. I will endeavour to respond to general enquiries and messages received via phone or email on the next working day whenever possible.
Likewise, I will endeavour to give you as much notice as possible should I need to cancel the session.
If you turn up late for an appointment, I will only be able to offer you what is remaining of your session, so promptness is important. With timeliness in mind I will only be able to see you in person at your allotted time as I have no waiting room available.
Regarding Couples work Initially I may see you individually as well as together at the beginning of our work together if deemed necessary.
Please be aware if we have a couple’s session booked in and only one of you shows up I will not see you and will charge you for the session. I will endeavour not to hold secrets for either of you, but I will help you say things to one another in a safe and controlled way.
The purpose of this agreement is to help you stay committed to coming. As the work progresses there may be emotional times ahead and it is easy to just want to avoid them by cancelling. I believe this is not in the best interest of you or your relationship.
Medication and other therapeutic work
It is useful for me to be aware of any prescribed or recreational drugs you may be taking, as these may affect your therapy.
It would also be of benefit for me to know if you have any other professional mental health involvement for example Psychiatrists, Mental health teams etc. It is not usual to work with multiple therapists or psychological therapies at the same time. If you were to feel that this was necessary, then I would like the opportunity to discuss this with you.
Review & Ending
It is important to review the effectiveness of our work together.
I suggest we work together for six sessions followed by a review. We can then agree if you feel the need to work for a further period or bring the sessions to an end.
It is important that if you feel the need to bring the sessions to an end earlier, that you let me know so that we can bring the therapeutic relationship to a close in a safe way.
If at any time you are unhappy with our work together, please let me know. It is important to find the ‘right fit’ between therapist and client so if at any time you feel our work is no longer benefitting you, I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this and help refer you to someone more suitable.
Responsabilties of the Individual or Couple including withdrawal from therapy.
- To keep appointments by showing up on time and paying the fee by BACS or online 48 hours before the session.
- To take the risk to be vulnerable at whatever level stretches you, but does not break you
- To be honest about your thoughts and feelings as you know them.
- To be willing to take responsibility for your part of the situation.
- To be willing to be open and curious about your partner’s reality if engaging in couples work.
- To be respectful to your partner in and out of the session.
- To express upset and complaints to either your partner or to the therapist rather than to friends and family members.
- To NEVER use material from the sessions against your partner.
- To become your partner’s advocate and support them and yourself in this process.
- Please be honest with your needs during the counselling process so you can experience the best possible outcome of therapy. If we agree your present needs cannot be met by this Counselling process, then I am happy to refer you to another organisation or agency that may be more suitable.
- It is important for a successful outcome of therapy to be committed to a course of sessions. If you do not attend and do not let me know in advance on more than one occasion, our appointments may be discontinued.
- If you are unhappy with me or therapy generally, then please don’t hesitate to contact me. I would appreciate the opportunity to resolve any issues you may have.
- Counselling will be affected if the client is under the influence of non-prescribed drugs, including alcohol so in this scenario the session will not take place, however, full payment will still be due.
- If threatening behaviour is displayed, then the therapy process will be discontinued.
Social Media Policy
I do not accept friend or contact requests from former or current clients on any social networking sites that are in my personal name (E.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram etc).
Adding clients as friends or contacts on these sites can compromise confidentiality and respective privacy. It may also blur the boundaries of the therapeutic relationship.
I do not google clients and would respectfully request the same. However, if there are things you have become aware of about me or my practice, I would encourage you to bring it with you to our session so we can discuss. The same applies to things from your online life that you wish to share with me, please bring them into our sessions, where we can view and explore them together, during the therapy hour.
Recording Sessions
The recording of sessions without the written permission of the therapist is prohibited. This is to help maintain confidentiality.
Working with clients who reside out of the UK (updated January 2025)
Please note when I’m working with clients abroad I am bound by the ethical values of my governing body which is the BACP and also the laws of the United Kingdom.
Please be aware that rules and regulations may differ regarding Coaching in different countries.
The following contains areas to consider when working online in therapy.
Working with International Clients
When providing counselling or coaching services to clients residing outside the United Kingdom, the following considerations apply to ensure a safe and effective working relationship:
- Confidentiality and Online Platforms
- Sessions will be conducted through secure and encrypted online platforms to protect client confidentiality.
- Clients are advised to verify the security of their own internet connection and physical environment to maintain privacy during sessions.
- Legal Jurisdictions
- While I operate under UK laws and ethical guidelines of the BACP I acknowledge that local laws and regulations in your country of residence may differ. I would appreciate you letting me know If there is anything with regards to these legal differences that may affect our work together.
- Furthermore clients are responsible for ensuring that engaging in counselling or coaching services complies with the legal and professional requirements of their country of residence.
- Cultural and Legal Attitudes Toward Counselling and Coaching
- The practitioner acknowledges and respects that cultural norms and attitudes toward mental health, counselling, or coaching may vary. Efforts will be made to understand and adapt to the client’s cultural context, where appropriate.
- Clients should inform the practitioner of any specific cultural or legal considerations that may affect the counselling or coaching process.
- Limitations of Service Delivery
- The practitioner is unable to provide services that conflict with the laws or ethical guidelines of the UK
- If it is identified that counselling or coaching services could pose legal or ethical issues in the client’s country of residence, the practitioner may need to terminate services or adjust the scope of work to comply with all relevant guidelines.
- Emergency and Crisis Support
- As the practitioner is not physically present in the client’s country of residence, the client acknowledges that the practitioner cannot provide immediate crisis or emergency support. Clients are encouraged to have access to local emergency resources and support systems in their country.
- Informed Consent
- By signing this agreement, the client confirms their understanding of the above considerations and consents to engage in counselling or coaching services under these terms.
CLIENT AGREEMENT
- I understand which information is recorded and in what format
- I understand the level of confidentiality offered to me and that this does not include confidentiality between myself and my partner if participating in couples work.
- I will inform my therapist if I am or become involved in any other form of psychological therapy.
- I understand all the information about the terms under which therapy is offered to me and I agree to abide by these
- My signature gives permission for my counsellor to contact appropriate agencies should she believe there is a risk of serious harm to me or others.
- I understand that if I am not happy with the work being done I will discuss it with my therapist.
I am happy to receive Counselling & Coaching resources and tips from Lifecompass via email.
