Frequently asked
questions
If you still have questions after reading this page, then please feel free to ask me a question by completing the Form, below.
No, you don’t need to do anything before starting therapy. However, you might find it useful to think about your situation and how you would like counselling or therapy to help. You might ask yourself some important questions like what has led you to seek help? What are the things you wish to change? Are there any issues in your current relationships or from the past you want to understand? These sorts of questions will be explored with you in your first appointment.
Two-Doves-Therapy is aiming to provide therapeutic help for people whatever their income. For this reason, the fee structure has been worked out to try and allow everybody the chance to get some help. For those on low income there is a sliding scale rate available, which starts at £40 per session for ongoing sessions. For those in employment the fees structure ranges from £50 upwards, although there is a maximum fee of £150 for ongoing sessions.
Your initial appointment
The fee for your initial appointment is £50. This may be higher than the fee you agree for your ongoing sessions, this reflects the longer time spent at this point to ensure you get the help you need. During the initial appointment we will discuss the ongoing fee.
Cancellations and Therapist Holidays
As your therapy is a regular weekly session that is reserved exclusively for you, we have to charge if you miss or cancel a session. If the therapist cancels a session for any reason you will of course not be charged. The therapist will give you advance notice of any upcoming breaks or holidays that they are taking, which normally you can expect to be at Christmas, Easter and during the summer period.
Yes. Two-Doves-Therapy has been built on the basis of excellent training and research in psychodynamic psychotherapy within accredited organisations. I am an accredited BPC (British Psychoanalytic Council) therapist and registered member of the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy). I have undertaken rigorous training, with substantial supervised practise, which represents the highest standards of professional training in counselling and psychotherapy. As part of my commitment to professional development your counselling sessions may be seen under specialist supervision.
After your initial appointment Two-Doves-Therapy will carefully consider the most suitable way forward for you. This will be initially discussed with you in your first appointment or sometimes it may be recommended that we have a second appointment before commencing regular ongoing sessions. It may be that psychotherapy or psychodynamic counselling might not be the best modality for you and if this is the case recommendations will be made. However, assuming that the initial appointment meets your expectations we will discuss availability, suitable days and times with a view of working together.
Two-Doves-Therapy is committed to protecting and respecting the privacy or our clients. We comply with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulations. We have a regularly monitored and updated privacy policy, which you can read in full here
Yes. Two-Doves-Therapy adheres to a professional code of ethical standards and includes the principle of confidentiality. This professional code of standards is in compliance with the BACP ethical framework for the counselling professions 2018, which you can read in full here
https://www.bacp.co.uk/events-and-resources/ethics-and-standards/ethical-framework-for-the-counselling-professions/
In order we can continue to offer you the best service possible Two-Doves-Therapy are very keen in hearing your thoughts comments and views. This might be on visiting our site, your initial FREE 15-minute telephone consultation, initial appointment or anything else that might come up. If you are unhappy with the therapy or with any aspect of your contact with Two-Doves-Therapy, it may be helpful to discuss this with me during one of your sessions in the first instance. To drop us your thoughts please complete our Feedback Form.
It might feel difficult or unfair to pay for a session you are not able to attend. This however is important as the therapeutic process requires a regular commitment, one that over time you can rely upon. In order for us to provide a reliable consistent framework your appointments are offered regularly on a weekly basis at the same time, on the same day each week. This means that we reserve your slot exclusively for you and when you cancel your session your slot is not then offered out to anyone else. If however due to unexpected illness or scheduled holidays your therapist is not able to be there, you are not charged for those times.
This is of course a very important but also complex question. In simple terms the answer is that therapy is very likely to help you. This answer is based not just upon my own personal experience of working successfully with clients both on a short term or over many years but also aligned with statistical evidence provided more generally by organisations providing feedback statistics. As a therapist I measure your well-being, mental health symptoms, shifts and movement throughout the work and can confidently offer that in short coming into therapy tends to be a very important and helpful experience.
When you request an initial 15-minute session we will agree a suitable time and day to speak by telephone. At that time, I will call you so we can meet. Once we have spoken and agreed to meet for the first appointment an email will be sent to you with a Zoom online video link. This first appointment is for 50-minutes and at our agreed time I will be waiting to meet you online.
Making the decision to tell family or friends is up to you and is not a requirement. If you are worried about telling your partner this may be something of importance to be discussed in our first appointment. Some people feel worried or anxious about telling others, but you might be surprised how many people will admire and support your decision to get some help and sort out your issues. Sometimes it might be difficult to ask for time off work, although some employers are very understanding about offering a longer than usual lunch break to allow you time for your appointment. Two-Doves-Therapy understands this which is why sessions are offered from 10am to 9pm Monday – Friday.
If you decide you want to stop your sessions or feel unhappy with the therapy, we encourage you to talk through your concerns initially with your therapist. Often, being able to explore these feelings can be very important and may be linked to the reasons you came to seek help in the first place. Often, such discussions lead to helpful change.
However, this is your therapy, and should you still feel you wish to stop then an ending will be discussed within your sessions. Have an organised ending is an important part of the therapy and can be as emotionally powerful as starting therapy in the first place.
After you have had your first session and thought about whether therapy is right for you, you will be offered a regular weekly appointment. This will be at the same time and day each week.
These sessions will continue for as long as both you and the therapist feel is helpful for you. In the initial appointment the length of the therapy will be discussed with the view to a shorter or open-ended piece of work.