Your privacy
From the moment you contact me to arrange a consultation to the moment we finish our work together, your privacy and confidentiality are paramount. I am legally, professionally, and morally bound to keep everything you disclose to me (including your personal details) in the strictest confidence.
I also abide by GDPR guidelines and am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office. All of your personal data and any information pertaining to you will be stored securely and can be viewed or altered by you at any time. When we agree to work together, I will provide you with a detailed statement outlining my data protection policies and your rights.
Our contract
When we begin our working relationship, we will enter into an agreement, stating when and how often we will meet, how much you will pay, outlining my duties and responsibilities to you, and detailing my cancellations policy. We will discuss this contract at our initial consultation and I’ll ask you to sign a contract before or at our first appointment.
Where we’ll meet — in person & online
In person
We will meet in Melrose, a picturesque, historic town in the heart of the Scottish Borders. Melrose is a quiet town and my office is in a discreet location barely moments away from the town square, ensuring that your privacy on accessing counselling and psychotherapy is maintained. My office is on the first floor, and can only be accessed by stairs.
If you are travelling by car, parking is readily available in and around central Melrose. Melrose is located just between the A68 and the A7, and is:
approx. 10 mins from Galashiels
approx. 15 mins from Selkirk
approx. 25 mins from Kelso
approx. 25 mins. from Hawick
approx. an hour from Edinburgh
There are also regular bus services to and from Edinburgh and other towns throughout the Borders, including Peebles, Jedburgh, and Duns.
A frequent and reliable train service runs between Edinburgh Waverley and Tweedbank, which takes about an hour. Tweedbank is a 20-minute walk or a 5-minute car journey from Melrose. This train stops at Brunstane, Newcraighall, Shawfair, Eskbank, Gorebridge, Stow, and Galashiels on its route to Tweedbank.
My office has easy access to a toilet, which clients are more than welcome to use.
Online
I am also very happy to conduct counselling and psychotherapy with people who cannot travel to Melrose or access my office. If we are meeting online, I will send you log-in details for our very own private, confidential video meeting, facilitated by Zoom. This requires that you have access to a laptop that can run Zoom. If that is not possible, but you would still like to meet online, please let me know and we can look at other platforms that best suit your needs.
Payment
With the exception of our initial consultation, each appointment costs £60, which is payable by bank transfer on or before the day on which we are scheduled to meet (details provided as and when we agree to work together).