Are counselling sessions confidential?
Counselling is a confidential process and what is spoken about will not be discussed outside of the therapy room, apart from in clinical supervision. This is a professional requirement to ensure high standards of practice for clients, and is undertaken with another experienced counsellor. I will be careful to preserve your confidentiality unless there is a concern about serious harm to yourself or someone else, when ethical practice and the law sometimes states that confidentiality must be broken - if this does happen I will try to discuss it with you first and may contact your GP for additional support for you. If your sessions are being paid for by your employer there may be some brief reports required that will be explained to you.
How is information about me kept, stored and used?
Records of your personal details, phone numbers etc, are kept on a password protected database for the purposes of contacting you and my records only. This information will not be added to a mailing list. Paper notes made relating to counselling sessions are kept in a locked filing cabinet in a secure location. These are minimal and for the purposes of my reflection and supervision only.
Your personal information will not be shared with any other organisation without your consent, apart from in exceptional circumstances where your safety, or the safety of another person, is at risk and the law dictates. You have the right to request to see copies of records held about you free of charge and also the right to request that such records be deleted/ destroyed. Records will otherwise be kept for 6 years after you have ended your counselling with me.
Your telephone number will be used to send appointment reminder messages only and your email address only used for sharing relevant information that has been discussed as part of your counselling. You have the right not to provide your contact details but this would make important communication about appointments difficult.
'Elizabeth Turp Counselling' processes your information in line with the requirements of with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation (2018) and is registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO).
How many sessions will I need and how often are they?
This will depend on what you need and what your difficulties are, and will be agreed between us at the initial session and reviewed as we work together. I can offer open ended sessions if that is what you would like. However, if your employer is paying there will usually be a limit of 6 or 8 sessions. Counselling sessions are usually weekly or fortnightly depending on your needs, this will be agreed between us and may change, if appropriate, as you progress.
What do sessions cost and how do I pay for them?
Sessions last 50 minutes and cost £80. The first session is an opportunity to discuss your needs and find out whether we can work together. I offer some concessions, please enquire. Benzodiazepine Reduction Therapy costs £95 per hour to include required liaison with your GP.
To book a session, fees are payable in advance by bank transfer. If your sessions are being paid for by your employer or health insurance this does not apply, and will follow their procedures. I am a registered provider for Axa PPP Healthcare, Bupa, Aviva and VitalityHealth private medical insurance.
What happens if I can’t attend a session or I am late?
If you are unable to attend a booked appointment, please let me know as soon possible and we can rearrange. Appointments cancelled within 48 hours (or two working days) have to be paid for in full as it is not always possible to allocate the time to another client. If your sessions are being paid for by your employer missed sessions may be counted towards your allocated total. If you are late to a session the session will go ahead unless you are more than 20 minutes late when it may not be appropriate to do so for your wellbeing. Unfortunately I will not usually be able to extend the scheduled end time of your session as another client will be booked in after you.
How do telephone/video sessions work?
The cost of calls will usually be met by me who will call you on whichever telephone number you prefer at the arranged appointment time.
Telephone sessions are subject to the same points as all other information.
If you live abroad there will be an additional charge for the telephone call unless you have inclusive minutes to the UK and wish to use them rather than incur an increased charge.
Non-attendance at telephone sessions carries the same costs as face to face and if there is no reply I will continue to try calling up to 10 minutes into your allotted session.
Can I contact you via social media?
- My Twitter feed has links to articles, research and information on wellbeing and mental and physical health. It covers topics such as mindfulness, pacing, sleep, and self-care and has links to my latest website articles. Feel free to follow me @lizahpool.
- Facebook: I don’t have a professional Facebook page at this time. My Facebook profile is a private personal account and it is inappropriate for me to accept friend requests from clients.
- LinkedIn: As this is a professional networking platform I don’t connect with clients here. However, all the information on my LinkedIn profile about my work, experience and qualifications is accessible to you on my website.
- Any other media: I currently have no other social media profiles so anything else in my name can be assumed to be another person.
How do I get to you and is it accessible?
My city centre room is on the following bus routes: 75, 80, 80A, 86, 86A, 86C, 86D, 86E, and a short walk from many others including 14, 79 & 82. It is a 15 minute (uphill) walk or short taxi ride from Lime Street and Central Stations. There is some metered on-street parking outside and a large car park on Mount Pleasant. This room is on the ground floor and the building has has 3 small steps up to the front door. For a map of The Therapy Room, 26 Hope Street, City Centre, Liverpool, L1 9BX.
I have daytime and early evening sessions in South Liverpool on Ullet Road near the junction with Smithdown Road. This building is fully wheelchair accessible. It is on the following bus routes: 60, 75, 76, 80, 80A and just round the corner from all the 86 routes. You can park in Lathbury Lane, just on the other side of Ullet Road. For a map see Ullet Road Eco Offices, 125 Ullet Road, Liverpool, L17 2AB and for more information on the building, which is a low carbon environmental project, see website at www.ullet-eco.co.uk.
Online therapy is available via a secure video platform 'Whereby'.
Accessibility
For the information of wheelchair users and people with mobility problems: my South Liverpool Ullet Road clinic is fully accessible. My Hope Street clinic has four steps up to the front door.
I offer online and telephone counselling which can be useful if you live a distance away, are unable to make the times I have available or have health problems that make attendance difficult. These forms of counselling are slightly different to be being together in the same room but are just as effective.
Please contact me for more information or to discuss any of these issues.
How can I contact you?
I can be contacted either by email via the link on the menu bar, or by telephone on 07852507117. If I am not available when you call you can leave a voicemail message with a number I can contact you on, and I will return your call as soon as I can in office hours. If you would like an informal chat before deciding whether to make an appointment, please get in touch.
