COMPANY POLICIES
Booking Policy
Stepping Stones Psychology operates a 48 hours’ notice policy. It means that an appointment will not be booked until our client has confirmed their appointment by making payment upfront within 48 hours.
Cancellation Policy
No charge will normally be made in respect of sessions being cancelled at least 48 hours in advance.
However, if a client repeatedly cancels sessions, even with notice, we reserve the right to charge the full session fee for all missed or cancelled appointments and to require prepayment for future appointments.
Missed and cancelled appointments where clients do not attend or cancel/change their appointment within 48 hours, will still be charged and are non-refundable.
Late sessions
Services delivered face-to-face will be delivered at the time and place we have agreed. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late, without making prior contact with us, this will be considered to be a non-refundable cancellation on your part.
If services were to be delivered via telephone, Skype or other virtual service you are responsible for making the call or connection. If the call or connection is not received within 10 minutes of the agreed time, without making prior contact with us, this will also be considered to be a non-refundable cancellation irrespective of the reason for the failure.
Emergencies
Occasionally, emergencies may make it impossible for us to deliver a session as agreed. Normally we would have advised you in advance if this is likely, but in any event we would let you know as soon as possible if a session needs to be cancelled. If we cancel a session, no charge would be made and an alternative time would be offered.
We also recognise that emergencies can happen to anyone, at any time. if you need to cancel an appointment at very short notice for reasons of genuine emergency, we will endeavour to be understanding and may waive the cancellation fee so long as you contacted us as soon as reasonably possible. Sessions missed without giving appropriate notice will remain chargeable in all but the most extreme circumstances
Session Frequency and Therapy Commitment
While client autonomy and pacing are core to any therapeutic relationship, it is equally important to consider the risks of infrequent sessions, especially when working with any high-risk mental health conditions. These conditions involve a significantly increased risk of harm, to oneself, to others, or due to severe impairment in functioning, and often require urgent and intensive intervention/support. Therapy can bring sensitive material to the surface, and leaving too much time between sessions may result in emotional destabilisation or re-traumatisation.
To provide effective therapy, particularly for complex trauma, regular sessions, ideally weekly in the early stages (Phase 1 and Phase 2), are essential. This frequency supports in-depth trauma processing and meaningful therapeutic work.
I contract for sessions no less frequently than fortnightly, unless we are in Phase 3 (winding down therapy as part of an agreed discharge plan). Meeting only once a month does not allow for the continuity, containment, or relational depth necessary for the type of therapy I offer.
Monthly sessions are better suited for therapeutic support or review, such as maintaining gains, monitoring progress, and accountability for coping strategies or mental health maintenance. In these cases, we would not be doing ‘therapy’ in the traditional sense but rather engaging in supportive check-ins. This means we would be working therapeutically but we wouldn’t be doing therapy.
I work relationally and developmentally, and a strong therapeutic relationship requires regular contact. If your therapy goals involve deeper or trauma-informed work, monthly sessions are unlikely to be sufficient or clinically appropriate. Continuing less frequently could compromise both the safety and effectiveness of your therapy.
As part of my ethical responsibility to provide clear and transparent expectations, I will be unable to continue sessions on a monthly basis unless we mutually agree that you are in the final stages of therapy. If a different pace feels more realistic for you at this time, we can discuss what goals or support might be appropriate within that framework.
Our other Policies:
—
I hope this is clear; however please do not hesitate to contact me, should you wish to discuss our company policies further.
Thank you.