Frequently Asked Questions
We understand that you may have a number of questions regarding our services. We have tried to answer a number of frequently asked questions below but please do not hesitate to get in touch if you would like to discuss anything further.
Can therapy be effective online?
Absolutely! We are baseed in Devon and provide support to families across a wide geographic area. Many families prefer to be seen online in the comfort of their own home and without the stress of having to get to a clinic location. Research tells us that online therapy is just as effective as being seen face-to face, and we are able to offer the same evidence-based care and treatments.
Our skills and expertise mean that we are quickly able to get to you know and your loved ones on screen, and quickly make you all feel relaxed and comfortable with this way of working. Many young people love to be able to cuddle a family pet during their appointment.
Do I need a referral to make an appointment?
No, you do not need a referral to make an appointment to see us. Please get in touch to discuss your concerns and we will quickly give you an indication of if we are able to help.
How do I know you can help me or my child?
This will be something we can very quickly get a sense of at the initial phone consultation, which is free of charge. This allows us to ensure we are able to support you with the difficulties you are seeking help for.
Can a Clinical Psychologist prescribe medication?
Clinical Psychologists do not prescribe medication. Instead, we help people by applying a range of evidence-based talking therapies, to help understand why the difficulties are not going away on their own, and to help support people towards making change themselves.
Who should attend the assessment and subsequent appointments?
It is often helpful for a child or young person to be joined by one or both parents for the assessment. This can help to make sure we cover all of the areas we need to, and can be reassuring for the child or young person whilst they get to know us.
For on-going appointments, we will always talk with you as a family about what feels most useful and what everyone feels comfortable with. We try and be really flexible and make sure we make the most of each appointment, so we sometimes start an appointment with a parent present and then, once the child or young person feels ready, we meet on our own. We also often find it helpful to have a parent-only appointment.
How many sessions will we need and how often will they be?
This will depend on the kind of difficulty you are seeking help for. This will be something we can talk more about once we have completed the assessment and developed a good understanding of the difficulties. Therapy can be expensive, so our aim will be to support you and your loved one to overcome the difficulties as quickly as possible. We would usually start with weekly sessions, so we can get to know each other well and get some change taking place quite quickly, we then often start to spread out our sessions to allow more time in between to work on things independently.
Will you work with other professionals such as my child’s school?
Yes, we are able to offer this service if we agree it will be helpful, but we would not do so without your consent. Please see the fee section for how this work would be charged.
Will my child have to miss school for the appointment?
We do have limited availability for appointments outside of school hours, however, as you can imagine these are very popular. In our experience schools are usually happy to support young people accessing support, and we can provide documented evidence if this is required. We always try and be flexible though to minimise any disruption, so please do discuss this when making appointments.
Are the appointments confidential?
Yes absolutely. As Clinical Psychologists we bound by strict rules of confidentiality. We would only share information about our assessment or therapy appointments if you asked us to liaise with another person or organisation, such as a GP or school. The only other time information must be shared is if we have concerns about your child or someone else being at risk of harm. In this case we would talk with you or your young person first and explain what information would be shared and why, unless we felt that this discussing this would increase the risks.
Do you offer an emergency service?
Unfortunately, we are not able to support you with difficulties in an emergency or crisis situation. In this case you should access support through a GP or by calling 999.