Waiting times
Once we receive your self-referral form, you will be added to our waiting list.
The waiting time for an appointment varies and it is difficult to predict as each application is looked at individually. It depends on your needs, availability and therapist preference. Basically, the more you restrict these factors, the longer the wait will be, and it may take over 20 weeks, in some cases.
Evening appointments (5pm – 8pm) are very rare and we will not accept an application with ‘evening availability’ only, as the estimated waiting time is over one year.
Once you have been added to our waiting list, our skilled clinical managers will assess your self-referral form and allocate you a suitable therapist. You can add your therapist preference while filling in the self-referral form, but please note that this may result in a longer waiting time if your preferred therapist has limited availability.
First appointment
Once you have been allocated to a therapist, they will contact you by email to offer you a day and time for your regular appointment. You have 48 hours to respond. If you do not contact the therapist, we will assume that you are no longer wanting therapy at this time, and we will remove you from the waiting list. However you are free to rerefer at a later date should you wish to.
The first session will be different to the future sessions, as some administrative aspects are covered, such as confidentiality and our confidentiality policy. In addition, we ask for a history which covers aspects such as: previous counselling; mental health / medical / psychiatric history and present medication; expansion on the issues you have identified in your referral; why did you refer at this point; what are you hoping to get out of counselling. You may be asked further questions referring to your private situation to give some context to your history.
This also gives you and your therapist the opportunity to meet and have a sense of whether you feel that you will be able to work with each other and get answers to the questions you may have.
Appointment information
Once you begin therapy, your appointment will take place weekly, at the same time and same day each week. Please take care to make sure that the times you offer us will be convenient for you on a regular basis. Please remember that shift work is difficult to accommodate due to the above conditions, and we will not accept applications from clients who are not able to commit to weekly sessions.
We offer face-to-face and online sessions and the choice depends on you and your circumstances. Hybrid sessions are also an option.