Fees and practicalities
The practical details in one place, so you can decide with everything in front of you. The first conversation is free, and comes before any of it.
The first conversation is free
Before any regular sessions I offer a free conversation of around twenty minutes, so we can get a sense of one another and you can ask whatever you need to. There’s no obligation to continue, and nothing is booked or paid for until after we’ve spoken.
Everything below follows from that conversation rather than preceding it. Nobody is asked to commit to a fee before we have talked.
Fees
Counselling is £70 for a 50-minute session. I keep a small number of concessionary places for people who couldn’t otherwise afford to come, so if cost is a barrier it’s worth asking.
Payment is by bank transfer or card, after each session. Nothing is taken in advance.
Coaching is arranged individually, since the shape of the work varies a good deal, and is quoted differently for privately funded and organisationally funded coaching. I’m happy to talk fees through in our first conversation. If we reached a point where the sessions had stopped being coaching, I’d say so rather than carry on billing for them.
Where and when
I work Mondays and Tuesdays, from 7am to 7pm.
I see people in Kingston upon Thames, a few minutes from Kingston and Norbiton stations. I also work online across the UK, over Proton Meet, which is end-to-end encrypted, and in my experience that works just as well as meeting in person for most people.
For those it suits, I also offer counselling on foot in Richmond Park. There’s more about how that works, and its limits, on the walking therapy page.
Cancellations
If you need to cancel or rearrange, as much notice as you can manage is appreciated. I ask for at least 48 hours’ notice; sessions cancelled with less than that may be charged, since the time has been set aside for you. We’ll go over this properly before we start so there are no surprises.
The same doesn’t apply the other way round. If I have to cancel, whether through illness or a planned break, there is no charge for that session and we’ll rearrange it. I’ll give you as much notice of holidays as I can.
Confidentiality
What we talk about stays between us, with a few limits I’m open about. I discuss my work in regular supervision, where your identity is protected. Where an organisation is funding coaching, we agree at the outset what goes back to them, which is usually very little, and you’ll know before we start. And there are rare situations, mainly where there’s a serious risk to life, where I might need to involve someone else; wherever possible I’d talk that through with you first. We’ll cover all of this at the start.