Freedom Counselling is a safe, private space where you can talk openly and be heard without judgement. This guide explains how I work, what you can expect from counselling, and how I keep you safe and supported throughout your sessions. Counselling is a chance for you to explore your thoughts, feelings, and experiences with someone trained to listen and support you. I use a person‑centred, integrative approach, which means I tailor sessions to your needs and work at your pace.

Equality & Respect: Freedom Counselling is an inclusive service. Everyone is welcome, regardless of background, identity, or life experience. You will always be treated with dignity and respect.

Qualifications: I am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and work in line with their Ethical Framework. You can read more about this here: www.bacp.co.uk/ethical-framework.

Confidentiality: Your privacy is very important to me. As a BACP member, I am committed to keeping what you share confidential. There are only a few situations where I may need to break confidentiality, and these are outlined below. If I ever need to break confidentiality, I will explain why whenever possible.

• Risk of Harm: If I believe you may be at serious risk of harming yourself or someone else, I may need to share information to keep you safe. I will always try to talk this through with you first, and with my supervisor, unless circumstances prevent this.
• Legal and Ethical Responsibilities: I may also need to share information if I believe it could help prevent or detect a serious crime. This includes safeguarding concerns involving children or vulnerable adults, significant financial crimes, or acts of terrorism.

Record Keeping & Data Protection: I keep brief, relevant notes about our sessions, as required by BACP. These are stored securely on a password‑protected laptop that only I use. Any paper records are kept in a locked cabinet that only I can access.

I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO number tbc). All information is handled according to the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 18) and UK‑GDPR.

You can find more information here: Information Commissioner’s Office – https://ico.org.uk BACP Privacy Notice – https://www.bacp.co.uk/privacy-notice

Supervision: To ensure my work remains safe, ethical, and effective, I meet regularly with a supervisor. Parts of our work may be discussed, but your name and any identifying details are removed. My supervisor is also a BACP member and follows the same confidentiality standards.

In the Event of My Death or Incapacity: I have appointed a trusted BACP colleague to manage my practice if I die or become unable to work. They will contact clients and securely destroy my notes. They follow the same professional and confidentiality guidelines.

Anti‑Discriminatory Practice: I am committed to offering an inclusive, respectful service. I strive to ensure our work together is free from discrimination and welcoming to all.

How I Work: I am trained in Person‑Centred Therapy, a gentle and collaborative approach that focuses on empathy, acceptance, and supporting your natural capacity for growth. If you’d like to explore other therapeutic approaches, you can find more information at: https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-therapy/types-of-therapy.

Duration: I offer both short‑term and long‑term therapy, if you feel you would benefit from a monthly ‘catch-up’ session once your therapy has been completed, we can arrange this at a time that is convenient to both of us. We will discuss what feels right for you during your first session. We will review your progress every six to eight sessions. If you decide to end therapy, I ask for one week’s notice and a chance to discuss what is not working for you.

Endings: We can plan an ending together when you feel ready, you’ve reached your goals, or your life circumstances change. A planned ending helps you leave therapy feeling supported and settled.

Fees and sessions: My fee starts from £65 for a 50‑minute session and is paid before each session. My fees are reviewed yearly, and I will give one calendar months’ notice of any changes. We will agree together how often you attend; with notice, you can stop counselling at any time; I may suggest pausing or ending therapy if I feel another type of support would be more helpful.

Payment Details: Payment is made by BACS 24 hours before each session. Account name: (tbc) Sort code: (tbc) Account number: (tbc)

Cancellation Policy: I ask for 24 hours’ notice for any cancellation, sent by text or email. If you arrive late, the session will still finish at the scheduled time, as extending it would impact other appointments. For late cancellations or missed sessions, the full session fee will be charged. Please give one week’s notice for any planned holidays. I will offer the same in return.

Contact Between Sessions: My working hours are Monday to Friday evenings and Saturdays. I see clients by appointment and may not always be able to respond between sessions.

If you need to contact me urgently during working hours, you can text or email me. I will reply as soon as I can, although there may be a delay.

If you need immediate support outside my working hours, please reach out to NHS 111, your GP, emergency services 999, or the Samaritans 116 123.

Keep Safe Policy: If you tell me you intend to end your life, or if I believe you may be at serious risk, we may agree on a ‘keep safe’ plan. This might include contacting your crisis team or speaking with the Samaritans to help keep you safe.

Attending Under the Influence: Therapy is not effective if you attend under the influence of alcohol or non‑prescribed drugs. If this happens, we will talk about it and agree on a period of abstinence before sessions, which will be added to our agreement.

Boundaries: To protect your wellbeing and the professionalism of our work: I do not enter dual relationships (e.g., counselling friends or family), I do not meet clients socially or form relationships outside therapy, our relationship is professional and focused on your therapeutic needs

Complaints: If anything in this agreement is unclear or you would prefer it in a different format, please let me know. If you ever feel unhappy with our work together, I hope you will feel comfortable discussing it with me.

If You Have Concerns: If something doesn’t feel right for you, please let me know; your feedback matters to me. If we cannot resolve an issue together, you can contact my professional body for further guidance.

If you don’t feel able to do that, or if you have a serious concern, you can contact BACP’s Get help with counselling concerns service for confidential guidance: Phone: 01455 883300 / 07811 762114 / 07811 762256 Email: gethelp@bacp.co.uk Address: BACP, 15 St John’s Business Park, Lutterworth, LE17 4HB.