Terms and Conditions

Last updated - 16.07.26

The Therapy Process - Sessions are offered once a week for 50 minutes and will be on the same day and at the same time every week. These sessions give you (the client) the opportunity to express your feelings and explore the things concerning you. One-to-one sessions usually last from 6 weeks up to 24 months depending on your needs and we will agree this together as we go along.

Initially, we will meet to think about what brings you to therapy and what may be helpful for you. During the first few sessions, you should be thinking about whether you feel comfortable working with me. Because therapy may involve a substantial commitment it is important that you feel comfortable with the therapist you choose. If you do decide to work with me, we will develop goals and a treatment plan together. If you do not decide to work with me, I would be happy to help you find another therapist.

Therapeutic qualifications – I (Fiona McKinstrie) am a qualified psychodynamic psychotherapist working with children, young people, young adults (up to the age of 25) and families. I am also a qualified Dynamic Interpersonal Therapist working with adults or children and young people. I am a member of the BACP and I work in line with its Ethical Framework and Ethical Guidelines. I am committed to the highest standards of personal, professional and ethical practice which means that I have to keep my skills up to date.

I am based in the UK, governed by UK jurisdiction and the agreement is under the Law of England and Wales.

Is my information confidential? Yes. Your information is stored securely in line with GDPR requirements (see Privacy Notice). I care about protecting your information and my policies and systems make sure that the information cannot be accessed by anyone who should not see it.

As part of our work together we will undertake routine outcome measures. These are questionnaires designed to help us think about how you are feeling at various times during the therapy. The measures we will use are CORE, PHQ and GAD. Please do ask if you have any questions, but I will also discuss these in our therapy sessions. These questionnaires are held confidentially in a password protected database.

How can I withdraw my agreement to attend therapy sessions? You can withdraw your agreement at any time by sending an email to fiona@springwelltherapy.co.uk. I advise a minimum 4 week notice/ ending period to enable a safe and appropriate end to our work.

Confidentiality – Therapy can often include talking over very private things with me. So that you (the client) can feel free to talk openly and so that your right to privacy is protected, I have an ethical duty to keep your information and the things we discuss in detail confidential. This means that, with some very limited exceptions, I cannot reveal information about you to anyone else or send out information about you without your permission. If you are under 18, I can provide your parents with general information about our work together but this is usually agreed in advance together.

In order to help me maintain the highest standards I may need to present a report of my therapeutic work as part of my professional supervision and ongoing professional development. This will be completely anonymous and it will not be possible to identify you or your family.

Fees My basic fee for a psychotherapy session is £85. The initial evaluation session is charged at £65 to be paid in advance. You will be invoiced for services rendered at the end of each month. I request that these are paid no later than 7 days from the dated invoice.

If you are under 18 we may review the therapy with parents/ carers periodically. Whilst this is not a therapy session it is an important part of the work and enables everyone to reflect on how they are feeling. These sessions are usually around 30 minutes and are charged at a pro rata rate. These will be included in your monthly invoice.

Cancellation policy - To make the most out of therapy it is very important that sessions are attended regularly and consistently and I hold your regular appointment slot exclusively for you. A fee of 50% of the session rate will apply to any cancelled or unattended session. Where you are able to give me advance notice, I will always try to offer an online session or an alternative appointment time within the same week.

Planned holidays, breaks and exam periods - I will hold your slot during planned holidays, or important events such as exams at no charge for up to six weeks per year in total. Beyond six weeks, a fee of 50% of the session rate per week will apply for my session time to retain your slot. I will give advance notice of any leave I take, and there will be no charge for any days or weeks I am away, including bank holidays.

Telephone Calls - Please note that I only intermittently check messages on my voicemail and I advise email in the first instance. In an immediate crisis, call 999, visit your local A&E department or make an emergency GP appointment.

Email If you choose to contact me by email, you are assuming all risks regarding the confidentiality of any information you send by email. Please let me know any concerns regarding this issue.

Online sessions If we lose connection during an online therapy session we will both attempt to rejoin. If we are unable to rejoin for any reason, then I will contact you via telephone. If I am unable to reach you by telephone within 30 minutes and I have concerns, I will follow safeguarding procedures and may make contact with crisis or emergency services to ensure your wellbeing.

Social media policy To protect your confidentiality and privacy please note that I do not accept friend or contact requests from current or former clients or parents/ carers on any social networking site. It may blur the boundaries of our therapeutic relationship and viewing your online activities without your consent and without our explicit arrangement towards a specific purpose could potentially have a negative influence on our working relationship. If there are things from your online life that you wish to share with me, please bring them into our sessions where we can explore them together, during the therapy hour.

Extremely rare exceptions may be made during times of crisis. If I have a reason to suspect that you are in danger and you have not been in touch with me via our usual means (coming to appointments, phone, or email) there might be an instance in which using a search engine (to find you, find someone close to you, or to check on your recent status updates) becomes necessary as part of ensuring your welfare. These are unusual situations and if I ever resort to such means, I will fully document it and discuss it with you when we next meet.

Finally I encourage you to ask any questions you have about therapy, about my professional background, and about what you have read in this agreement. In the unlikely event that problems arise during treatment that we cannot resolve together, I can refer you to other therapists for a consultation.