At present I offer a free 15-minute introductory call that we can arrange before you book in an initial appointment. In this call we can discuss the type of therapy that I offer as well as any aims you may have or any goals or any questions you may have regarding the sessions, such as availability and fees. If you are happy with the type of therapy that I offer and you feel comfortable in the call, we can then book a first therapy appointment. The confidentiality agreement will be the same for the any details that are discussed within this call.
I decided to introduce a free introductory call as I understand how daunting it can be finding a therapist and booking in that first therapy appointment. Although the introductory call is not therapy, it will give you a chance to ask any questions about how I work, the therapy I offer and enquire about availability.
At present a large part of my practice is offered remotely, although I do have availability for face-to-face appointments. I have found that remote sessions are as effective as face-to-face sessions and allows greater availability with time for the client as you can fit it in around your day without having to factor in travel time. I do ask that for remote appointments, you are in a confidential space where you are the only person present. I use Zoom for the remote appointments.
I also offer face to face appointments in Bishops Stortford. These are on an availability basis, and we can discuss this in our initial phone call or when a first appointment is booked.
The cancellation policy for the therapy is that 48 hours’ notice is needed when the appointment needs to be cancelled or re-arranged. If the appointment is cancelled after the 48 hours, then the full sessions fee will be due. If the appointment needs to be cancelled of re-arranged by Victoria (for example due to being unwell), then you will not be charged for this.
I adhere to the Ethical Framework and guidelines as set out by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), which includes confidentiality of appointments. Any information that is discussed in the therapy appointments is confidential unless there are safeguarding issues. Safeguarding issues include a concern of risk of harm to yourself or to someone else, or if I am compelled by law. If any of these concerns should arise, the confidentiality will be waivered and your information will be taken outside of the therapy session, (for example to your GP or ambulance service). If you would like further information on the BACP code of Ethics please use this link: BACP code of Ethics
Throughout my career as a therapist, I have worked with a variety of issues. Here are some examples of these issues.
At present I only work with adults (those 18 years and older) on an individual basis. I do not work with children (those younger than 18 years old) and couples.
There is no one answer to how many therapy sessions you may need. Sometimes it depends on the issues that you are bringing. Some clients only require short term therapy, such as a minimum of 10 sessions, whereas some clients feel they would benefit from longer term therapy. With private therapy you have the flexibility as to how many sessions you feel you need. This is something that we can discuss in the appointments. I do advise that you have several sessions initially as it can take a couple of sessions for you to feel comfortable in the therapy space and allows us to build upon the therapeutic relationship.
It is different for every client and what their needs are, but I offer both weekly and fortnightly sessions. I understand there are other aspects that come into the frequency of therapy, such as finances, but I recommend, at least initially, one session per week as I have seen it can be beneficial for consistency with the sessions in building the trust and working towards your goals.
I do not provide a crisis support line so if you feel you are in crisis please do use the following numbers:
If you feel you cannot keep yourself safe, please use the following options:
If you need a confidential space to talk whilst you are in crisis please use the following options:
Here is a link to Minds website that includes information on Crisis support.