Welcome to Private Therapy Clinic
This contract details crucial information about our professional services and the business policies of Private Therapy Clinic. Upon your signature (or by attending the sessions), the contract will constitute a binding agreement between you and your practitioner. Private Therapy Clinic is an organisation that manages self-employed practitioners only and is not the provider of services to the client. The service provider shall at all times be the practitioner.
Please read the following contract with care and make a note of any questions you may have. Your practitioner will be happy to discuss anything you are unsure of at your next meeting.
If you wish to revoke the contract at any time, you can do so simply by writing to us.
Psychological Therapy and Psychiatry Consultations
During the initial consultation, we will explore the concerns you wish to address and assess the feasibility of a diagnosis, if applicable. It typically takes a couple of sessions to thoroughly understand the presenting issues, clarify expectations, and establish a treatment plan. This plan may include psychological therapy and, if you are seen by our Psychiatry team, may also involve consideration of medication. Both our Psychologists and Psychiatrists will advise you on suitable psychological interventions where appropriate.
Following the initial assessment, we will provide guidance on whether further appointments are recommended. You will receive comprehensive information about any proposed investigations or treatments, including potential benefits, risks, available alternatives, and the likely outcomes if treatment does not proceed.
Psychiatric assessments may involve obtaining background information from other medical professionals, schools, or family members (with your consent). You may also be asked to complete psychological questionnaires or other assessments to support diagnosis and treatment planning.
Please note that our specific Psychological and Psychiatric diagnostic assessment appointments aim to provide an initial indication of whether a diagnosis can be made within the time allocated. In more complex cases, where symptoms are nuanced or not easily identifiable, additional sessions may be necessary to confirm a diagnosis and to rule out other potential conditions. These sessions would incur an additional cost.
Please feel free to ask questions at any time if anything is unclear or if you require further explanation.
Confidentiality
Your treatment will entail discussing some very intimate things with your practitioner, such as your thoughts, feelings, and actions. To some extent, your practitioner’s ability to help you will really depend on how open you are about yourself during your meetings. Anything that you do disclose will remain confidential. It is important that during your discussions, you feel you can talk openly with your practitioner and that your right to privacy is protected. This generally means that your practitioner cannot discuss you or your case with any third parties without your consent.
Records: It is useful that your practitioner take notes during your sessions. These tend to be brief and include information such as the dates you met, the topics covered and any problems or goals you have. These are really just to document your meetings and are subsequently kept locked in a filing cabinet and protected under the strictest of privacy rules. Records of charges, payments, diagnoses, and any other sensitive information are kept on your practitioner’s computer and are password protected.
Audio-recording: It is also useful for Psychological Therapy sessions to be audio-recorded as it can also be helpful for both clients and practitioners to listen back over sessions. Audio recordings are reviewed by your practitioner for the purpose of treatment planning and clinical supervision and remain confidential. All audio-recordings are kept securely on a recording device which is password protected and are completely erased when your treatment/assessment is complete.
If sessions are conducted online, the platform used will comply with relevant data protection regulations. You are encouraged to ensure privacy at your location to maintain confidentiality.
Exceptions to Confidentiality
There are some situations that may arise where confidentiality can be broken. Although these situations are rare, you should be made aware of what they are:
- If you threaten to harm another person, your practitioner is required by law to protect anyone they feel may be in danger.
- If you threaten to cause severe harm to yourself, your practitioner may intervene to protect your safety.
- If your practitioner suspects abuse or neglect of a child, elderly, or dependent person, it must be reported.
- Court orders or legal requirements may necessitate the release of information.
- Insurance claims may require the release of treatment details.
- Supervision discussions with other professionals will protect your anonymity.
- Information may be shared within the clinic if you book with multiple practitioners.
- Group or family therapy participants are asked to maintain confidentiality, but this cannot be guaranteed.
Fees
All fees are stated in GBP (£). The initial 50-minute assessment session is priced as stated in your booking confirmation email. Ongoing therapy sessions are typically 50 minutes and priced the same unless otherwise agreed. Family or couple sessions are charged at a higher rate. Psychiatry services are charged at a higher rate and will be confirmed in your booking details.
Fees are reviewed periodically and may increase in line with inflation and cost of living. Any increase will be communicated in advance and will only take effect at the beginning of a new calendar year.
Letters that are not included in your session fee will be charged at your practitioner’s standard hourly rate.
All first appointments that are booked and paid for are non-refundable.
Talking therapy fees
We operate a weekly therapy subscription model for talking therapy clients, designed to support therapeutic consistency, continuity, and effective caseload management. This model promotes regular engagement, either through a live therapy session or structured messaging support, and ensures clear communication throughout your therapeutic journey.
Subscription inclusions
By enrolling in our weekly subscription model, you will receive:
- One live therapy session per week with your assigned practitioner (either online or in person)
- The flexibility to pause your subscription for 2, 4, or 6 consecutive weeks at any time by contacting us via email
- The option to change therapists permanently or temporarily switch to another practitioner if your therapist is away
Fees and billing
- Therapy sessions are billed weekly at your individual practitioner’s rate, paid securely in advance
- Billing continues unless your subscription is paused or cancelled
- You may pause your subscription by emailing info@privatetherapyclinic.com
- Cancellations made with less than 48 hours’ notice, or missed sessions without notice, may incur a late cancellation fee
The weekly subscription fee varies depending on the therapist you are working with. Fees are based on the practitioner’s qualifications and level of experience.
Pausing or cancelling your subscription
You may pause your subscription for up to six consecutive weeks. During this time, your subscription will be on hold, and no payments will be taken.
If you do not resume therapy or request an extension after the six-week pause, your usual session time and therapist may no longer be available. To retain your time slot beyond six weeks, you will need to continue payment. Subscriptions paused or cancelled for longer than six weeks without resuming will result in your regular slot and therapist being forfeited and cannot be guaranteed upon reactivation.
Therapist absences
If your primary therapist is unavailable (e.g., due to annual leave), you will be:
- Notified in advance
- Given the option to:
- Wait until your therapist returns (you may pause your subscription during this time), or
- Receive support from a covering therapist during the absence
The covering therapist will receive the payment for that week. Please note that some therapists may offer limited messaging support during their absence, but this is at their discretion and is not a standard feature of your subscription.
Other Services
We will charge the same hourly rate on a prorated basis for other professional services you may require. Other services may include reading or writing reports, telephone conversations exceeding 15 minutes, attendance at meetings, consultations with other professionals upon your request, and preparation of records or treatments.
Litigation
If you become involved in litigation that requires your practitioner’s participation, you will be expected to pay for their professional services, even if they are required to testify by another party.
Our practitioners’ fees for preparation and attendance at any legal proceedings are quoted on a case-by-case basis.
Payment
Payment for your first appointment is required at the time of booking, unless alternative arrangements have been agreed in advance. Your debit or credit card details will be stored securely and will be charged automatically the day before any subsequent appointments, unless you are attending talking therapy; please refer to the Fees section for details on our subscription payment model for talking therapy appointments. All first appointments that are booked and paid for are non-refundable.
Payment must be made on time, in full, and without any deduction, set-off, or counterclaim. If an account remains outstanding, we will refer the matter to our debt collection agents, which will incur a surcharge of 15% of the debt, plus VAT. You agree that you will be legally liable to pay this surcharge, and that payment of the same can be enforced against you in court.
You also agree to pay interest on overdue amounts at a rate of 8% per annum above the Bank of England base rate, as permitted by the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. Interest will continue to accrue both before and after any court judgment until the debt is settled in full.
Insurance
If you are planning to file a claim for your assessment or psychotherapy sessions with your insurance company, you must check your coverage terms with your provider prior to entering into a contract with Private Therapy Clinic. Do not assume that all mental health services are covered. Please monitor how many sessions your insurance company will cover throughout your treatment.
Private Therapy Clinic is not responsible for monitoring your insurance coverage. If you attend sessions which are not covered, you will be responsible for paying for these.
You should also note that some insurers require pre-authorisation before they will cover any services. Many insurance policies focus on short-term therapy and may require continual approvals. If your insurance runs out before treatment is complete, we will discuss possible options, including referrals if needed.
Missed Appointments
An appointment is considered confirmed once verbally agreed with the practitioner. If you cannot attend, please call or email us (020 3887 2866 / info@privatetherapyclinic.com) as soon as possible.
If you do not attend or cancel with less than 48 hours’ notice, the full fee still applies. Insurers do not cover missed appointments, and you will be responsible for the full amount.
Emergency Contact
Please note that Private Therapy Clinic does not provide a crisis service. If you are in immediate distress or at risk outside of your session times, you should contact your GP, the Samaritans (116 123), or attend your nearest Accident & Emergency Department.
Contacting You
If we need to contact you, your practitioner or our admin team will try to speak to you personally over the phone. If this is not possible, we will leave a message by phone or email you. We will not speak to anyone else about your treatment without your permission.
Sharing Information with Your GP
Your patient records are confidential within the practice and will not be shared with other parties without your prior permission.
In some cases, it may be helpful to keep your GP informed about your treatment. However, this is a private service and you have the right to decline GP communication.
When medication is prescribed, we recommend informing your GP unless an alternative plan is agreed with your Psychiatrist. You will be asked for consent before any contact with your GP or referring consultant.
If you agree, a letter may be sent to your GP with an outline of your condition, diagnosis, and treatment recommendations. This helps ensure continuity of care.
Complaints
If you have a complaint about your practitioner, please contact their professional body. This may be one of the following:
– British Psychological Society (BPS)
– Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)
– British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP)
– Royal College of Psychiatrists (RC Psych)
Acknowledgement and Consent
By signing this contract or by attending your sessions you are acknowledging that:
- You understand and agree to abide by the policies in this document
- You have had the opportunity to ask questions
- You have a choice about sharing information with your GP
- By attending the appointments you are accepting the client contract terms.
