Psychological therapy is often referred to as ‘talking therapy’. Your psychologist will offer you a safe, non-judgmental and confidential place to talk about your life and anything that may be confusing, painful or uncomfortable.  It allows you to talk with someone who can listen attentively and to help you improve things.

Sometimes people engage in psychological therapy because they have a specific difficulty such as anxiety, depression, relationship problems or changes in health. Other people choose to engage in psychological therapy in order to learn more about themselves, their patterns of behaviour and to work towards future goals. 

Psychological therapy is a collaborative process; you and your psychologist will work together to identify the patterns of thinking and behaviour that are contributing to your difficulties. Your psychologist may ask you to complete tasks outside of your therapy sessions. These are designed to help you to make meaningful changes that will improve your wellbeing. 

Your therapy will be delivered by an experienced and qualified Clinical Psychologist. They are trained to doctorate level in a range of evidence-based therapeutic approaches (see www.brightsidepsychology.com/therapies for a description of some of the most commonly used therapies offered at Brightside Psychology), and as such will be able to use the most appropriate approach for your needs at any one time. As a member of the Health & Care Professions Council, your psychologist is bound by the highest standards of conduct, performance and ethics. Please visit www.hcpc-uk.co.uk for more information. Your psychologist is also a chartered member of the British Psychological Society and has therefore received appropriate training to deliver therapeutic interventions. More information can be found at www.bps.org.uk. 

The length of therapy will depend upon several things, including how many goals you have for therapy and how many factors are contributing to your current difficulties. It is important to make your psychologist aware if you can only budget for a set number of sessions, as this will allow them to tailor the therapy accordingly. 

Current NHS guidelines for most psychological difficulties (including depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD and anxiety) recommend 12 to 20 sessions. We would recommend a minimum of 8 sessions. Your progress will be reviewed regularly, and the ending of therapy will be planned in advance.

For therapy to be effective, it is important that you attend regularly. It is helpful to start with weekly sessions and these can be spaced out as you progress through therapy. There is no limit to how many times you can re-engage in therapy, and many Brightside clients do choose to return when they experience challenging life events. People often report that this feels like a helpful ‘safety net’, knowing that they can rebook with the same psychologist if required in the future. 

Each session will last for 1 hour and will take place as you and your psychologist agree, either face-to-face, by telephone or online. During the first session your psychologist will ask questions to enable them to understand your current difficulties. You will talk together about current triggers for the difficulties, when and how they started and how they impact your life. You will discuss your goals for therapy. 

In future sessions, your psychologist will review any tasks that you’ve been working on since your last session. You will then agree together how to spend the session, but it may include some of the following:

Psychoeducation: Your psychologist will share information and support to enable you to better understand your difficulties. 

Formulation: You and your psychologist will map out your current difficulties, why they started and what maintains them (any diagrams can be emailed to you after the session)

Psychological Intervention: Different therapies can be used to process traumatic past events, identify and change unhelpful patterns in thinking or behaving, and manage uncertainty or aid adjustment to life changes. With some interventions supporting handouts or links will be provided. 

Mindfulness, grounding and relaxation exercises: your psychologist may conduct these with you in session and, with your consent, make a recording of the exercise to email to you after the session. This will allow you to practice at home.

Values-based Goal Setting: during therapy you and your psychologist will set achievable goals that align with your values. The strategies learnt in therapy can be used to overcome barriers, moving towards the life that you want to be living.

All types of therapy can be effectively delivered by video, including Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR). Zoom is the preferred platform for delivering online therapy, although that doesn’t eliminate the possibility of us using other platforms. 

If you agree to engage in Zoom sessions, they are very straightforward to access. You will be emailed a link prior to your session. You will need to ensure that both your microphone and camera are working before the session commences. You will need to copy and paste the link from the email into your web browser and ‘join the meeting’. 

Please ensure that you are in a space where you can talk about difficult experiences in confidence. This will mean being in a room away from family members and that distractions are minimised.  

In the event you need to cancel or rearrange your appointment it is important that you notify your psychologist by either phone or email as soon as possible. There is no fee payable for cancellation of appointments with more than 24-hours notice. The full session fee will be charged for cancellations of less than one working day and for non-attendance. 

If your sessions are funded by a third party (for example, a health insurer), it is important to check their policy in relation to paying fees for cancelled or unattended sessions. In the event that they do not fund these, you will be charged the fee directly. 

Payment for sessions can be made by cash or card when therapy is taking place face-to-face. If therapy is taking place online, you will be provided with the bank details for making a BACS payment. 

Payment is required at the start of each session. 

The content of your sessions and any records are confidential in accordance with Data Protection guidelines, except in the following instances:

• If the Psychologist needs to contact another healthcare provider (for example, your GP) as part of your care

• When you give your consent for confidentiality to be broken

• If the Psychologist has reason to believe there is a risk of you harming yourself or others

• If information disclosed during a session is of such a serious nature that confidentiality cannot reasonably be expected to be maintained; such as information relating to child protection, crime, fraud, acts of terrorism or safeguarding. 

Should your psychologist be required to disclose confidential information, they will endeavor, where possible, to discuss this with you first.

Your data may be shared with third parties involved in the practice management of Brightside Psychology, such as an accountant or administrator. In these instances, they are bound by the same data protection laws. 

Your psychologist will make notes of your sessions and these will be stored on a password protected database and device. Any paper notes will be shredded immediately following the session. In line with current recommendations, clinical notes will be kept for 10 years, or in the case of children, when the child reaches the age of 25. The Brightside Privacy Policy can be viewed at www.brightsidepsychology.com. 

Further information on data protection can be accessed at the Information Commissioners Office at www.ico.org.uk. 

During your initial telephone consultation, you and your psychologist will briefly discuss your difficulties and what you are hoping to gain from therapy. In some instances, your needs may be better addressed by another provider. The psychologist will be open with you about this and will direct you to where you can locate a more appropriate service. 

Your psychologist is unable to see you if you are under the influence of alcohol or recreational drugs. 

At Brightside Psychology we recognise that therapy is an important investment of time, money and personal resources. We will not encourage you to continue with therapy if we don’t feel that you are benefitting from the experience, or if we feel we are unable to move you towards your goals.  

During your initial telephone consultation, you and your psychologist will briefly discuss your difficulties and what you are hoping to gain from therapy. In some instances, your needs may be better addressed by another provider. The psychologist will be open with you about this and will direct you to where you can locate a more appropriate service. 

Your psychologist is unable to see you if you are under the influence of alcohol or recreational drugs. 

At Brightside Psychology we recognise that therapy is an important investment of time, money and personal resources. We will not encourage you to continue with therapy if we don’t feel that you are benefitting from the experience, or if we feel we are unable to move you towards your goals.  

Occasionally, people experience a sudden deterioration in their mental health and may require immediate mental health support. This is especially important if you experience thoughts about wanting to harm yourself or end your life. If this occurs, it is important that you contact your GP, the Samaritans on 116 123, or visit your local A&E department. It may be helpful for a ‘crisis team’ to become involved in your care, as they can provide immediate support around the clock. 

Brightside Psychology are unable to crisis care, but we will work together with other healthcare providers to provide consistent therapeutic support if you are already accessing our service.