Sessions & Fees

What to Expect

Initial Assessment Consultation

Prior to beginning ongoing therapy, we offer an initial assessment consultation with our Clinical Director. This session is designed to develop an understanding of the areas you would like support with, explore the context surrounding your experiences, and begin thinking together about what may be contributing to the difficulties you are facing.

The assessment consultation also gives us the opportunity to start thinking about a potential formulation (see below), what type of therapeutic support may be most helpful, and which clinician within the practice may be the best fit for your needs and preferences. Ongoing sessions may be offered either with the Clinical Director or with one of our associate clinicians — all of whom are qualified, accredited practitioners with experience in perinatal mental health and psychological therapy.

Following the consultation, we will offer a date to begin ongoing sessions if indicated. Wherever possible, we aim to accommodate day and time preferences and begin without unnecessary delay. If we are unable to offer suitable availability, or if we do not feel our service is the best fit, we will always aim to recommend trusted alternative professionals or services.

You can book an initial assessment consultation directly using the booking link at the bottom of this page.

Formulation and Therapy Planning

The first one to three sessions (including the initial assessment consultation, and depending on complexity) are generally focused on developing a shared understanding of your experiences, offering some initial guidance, and creating a plan for therapy (for more information, please see our leaflet: Understanding Formulation).

Together, we will usually be exploring questions such as:

• What are the current difficulties?

• How can we make sense of them using psychological theory and research?

• How may these difficulties have developed?

• What factors may be maintaining them?

• What interventions are likely to be most helpful?

At the end of this initial phase, your therapist will discuss recommendations for therapy, some strategies to begin implementing, and an estimated number of sessions that may be beneficial. We aim for this to remain an open and collaborative discussion, recognising that time, energy, and finances can feel particularly stretched during the perinatal period.

Therapeutic Intervention

The intervention phase forms the main part of therapy. This work is guided by the assessment and formulation process and is individually tailored to your needs, goals, and circumstances. Sessions are usually weekly in nature. The focus and likely duration of sessions will be discussed in the initial sessions, and reviewed as sessions progress. Please see our FAQs page for more information.

At times, therapy may feel quite practical — developing and implementing new strategies, reflecting together in sessions, and practising approaches between appointments. Depending on the therapeutic model being used, sessions may feel more structured or more exploratory in nature.

Our clinicians are trained across a range of evidence-based therapeutic approaches. Therapy may be short-term and focused over a number of weeks, or longer-term where appropriate. We aim to remain transparent throughout the process, with your preferences and goals at the centre of decision-making. For more information, please see our FAQ: How do you choose which therapeutic approach to use?

Ending and Follow-Up

We will regularly review therapy together to ensure that you feel sessions are helpful and aligned with your goals. There is never any obligation to continue for a set number of sessions, and you are free to end therapy at any time.

Towards the end of therapy, we aim to reflect on the work completed, consolidate key learning and strategies, and develop a plan to support you moving forward.