How do I make an appointment?

To check my availability and discuss arranging an initial appointment, please email me at hannah@theparentwellbeingpsychologist or complete the contact form on my website. I’ll aim to get back to you within 48 hours on working days. Occasionally my emails go to junk mail so if you don’t hear back from me please check your spam inbox.

Do you offer online therapy, in-person, or both?

I offer face-to-face appointments at St Albans Rooms, in central St Albans. I also offer appointments on Zoom. Please note that I only offer appointments Monday - Thursday in the daytime and do not offer evening or weekend appointments.

Do you offer a free telephone consultation?

Yes, if you are interested in working with me, we can arrange a free 15 minute phone call to check if you feel I am a good fit for you. It’s an opportunity for me to hear a bit about what has brought you to see support and check I feel like I’m best suited to support you.

What can I expect in the first session?

The first session is an opportunity for me to start to get to know you, to hear what has brought you to therapy and start to understand and make sense of any challenges. I’ll also ask about your background, your own experiences of childhood, and your family. I find that this usually takes a couple of sessions to explore this before we agree a plan for our work together. We can then start to think together about what you want from the therapy.

How long are sessions and how often will we meet?

Sessions are 50 minutes long. Initially I’d like to meet with you weekly so that there’s momentum in our work, and then over time we might reduce the frequency of our sessions.

How many sessions will I need?

This is hard to answer as it will depending on what you want from the therapy and the nature of the challenges bringing you to seek support. Some of my clients have 10-20 sessions and that feels enough, others have long term therapy . We can discuss this at the outset of our sessions, and agree an initial number of therapy sessions and then a review.

Are sessions confidential?

Yes. The only exception to this would be if there were significant concerns about yours or your child’s wellbeing or risks of you harming yourself or somebody else. Where possible, I would discuss this with you first and we would make a plan together. This is detailed in my Terms and Conditions which I will provide before we agree to meet. I will discuss confidentiality with you in your first session.

What’s your approach to therapy?

Part of psychological therapy is ‘formulating’ or making sense of distress.I draw on different evidence based psychological theory and models of therapy in my work including Compassion Focussed Therapy (CFT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Narrative Therapy and Solution Focussed Therapy to help us together to make sense of the challenges. I draw on multiple different modalities in order to best support your individual needs.

I am trained in Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) to work with trauma, and am offering EMDR to many of my clients.

How much do sessions cost?

Sessions cost £140 for a 50 minute session.

Extended sessions for EMDR processing (90 minutes): £240

Payments are via bank transfer and you will be invoiced after each session

Can I pay with insurance?

I accept referrals from most insurance providers including Bupa, Bupa Gobal and Vitality. Please check with me first if you are able to pay for sessions with insurance. Please note I do not accept referrals from AXA.

Please can you check that your policy will cover my services, whether there is a limit to the total cost or number of sessions and please obtain a pre-authorisation number. A formal referral to me from a medical professional, such as your GP, is often required by Health Insurance providers.

What’s your cancellation policy?

Please contact me as soon as possible if you would like to cancel an appointment. Sessions cancelled with more than 48 hours' notice will not be charged for. Where less than 48 hours' cancellation notice is given, the session will always be charged at the full rate, irrespective of the reason. Cancellations for appointments on Tuesdays have to be made by the previous Friday.