Fees and insurance
What each appointment costs, how payment and insurance work, and what happens if you need to cancel.
| Appointment | Length | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Therapy session Adults, children or parents | 60 minutes | £120 |
| Travel fee for home sessions Only where the drive from Ravenshead is more than 20 minutes | Per session | £30 |
| Free introductory call | 20 minutes | No charge |
| Individual clinical supervision, online For qualified clinicians and trainees | 60 minutes | On enquiry |
How payment works
Every session is £120. You pay by bank transfer after each session, or your insurer pays directly where treatment has been authorised. There is no joining fee, no minimum commitment and no package to buy in advance.
Sessions at your home
Where the logistics work out I see people in their own home, because that is usually where the OCD or anxiety shows up. The session fee is the same. Home sessions within a 20-minute drive of Ravenshead carry no travel charge. Beyond that there is a £30 travel fee per session, on top of the session fee.
Insurance
I am recognised by BUPA, AXA Health, Aviva, Vitality and WPA. You contact your insurer first, they authorise a number of sessions and issue a code, and I invoice them directly. Some policies require a GP referral or exclude pre-existing conditions, so check before you start. You remain responsible for anything your insurer does not pay, such as an excess. If treatment runs beyond the authorised sessions, we apply for an extension together.
Cancellation
If you cancel or move an appointment with at least 48 hours’ notice there is no charge. Inside 48 hours the full fee applies, and insurers do not cover missed appointments, so that charge falls to you. Genuine emergency or sudden illness is the exception. The terms give the full policy.
The free alternatives
NHS Talking Therapies is free, you can refer yourself without a GP, and for many adults with anxiety it delivers the same evidence-based treatments, although waiting times vary by area. For children, CAMHS is free but thresholds are high and waits can be long. If the NHS route looks right for you, I will say so on the free call and tell you how to access it.
Qualifications
“Clinical psychologist” is a title protected by law, while “psychologist” and “therapist” on their own can be used by anyone. I am an HCPC-registered clinical psychologist with a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Washington, chartered with the British Psychological Society, and board certified in Behavioural and Cognitive Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology (more about my background).
Sources for the course-length figures
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults: management. Clinical guideline CG113 (2011; checked 2020). nice.org.uk/guidance/cg113 (opens in a new tab)
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Social anxiety disorder: recognition, assessment and treatment. Clinical guideline CG159 (2013). nice.org.uk/guidance/cg159 (opens in a new tab)
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Obsessive-compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder: treatment. Clinical guideline CG31 (2005; an update is in development). nice.org.uk/guidance/cg31 (opens in a new tab)
- Pediatric OCD Treatment Study (POTS) Team. (2004). Cognitive-behavior therapy, sertraline, and their combination for children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder. JAMA, 292(16), 1969-1976. doi.org (opens in a new tab)
- Lebowitz, E. R., Marin, C., Martino, A., Shimshoni, Y., & Silverman, W. K. (2020). Parent-based treatment as efficacious as cognitive-behavioral therapy for childhood anxiety: a randomized noninferiority study of Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 59(3), 362-372. doi.org (opens in a new tab)
Common questions
How many sessions will I need?
It depends on the problem, but these are not open-ended treatments. There is no fixed number. Published guidance gives an idea: NICE describes 12 to 15 weekly sessions for generalised anxiety and 7 to 14 hours in total for panic disorder (CG113), up to 14 sessions for social anxiety (CG159), and more than 10 hours of therapist time for OCD with a moderate impact on daily life (CG31); the largest US trials used 14 sessions for childhood OCD (Pediatric OCD Treatment Study, 2004) and 12 parent sessions for SPACE (Lebowitz and colleagues, 2020). I give you an estimate by the end of the first session, and sometimes further assessment is needed before I can.
Do I need a GP referral?
Not to see me. Some insurers require a GP referral before they will authorise treatment, so check your policy if you plan to claim.
Free 20-minute call
Not sure whether this is the right fit?
Start with a free 20-minute call. We talk through what is going on, I answer any questions you have, and I tell you whether I think I can help. If I cannot, I will try to point you to someone who can. The call is free and there is no obligation to book.
Weekdays, 9am to 5pm. No GP referral needed.