Frequently Asked Questions.
Are the sessions fully confidential?
At SafeGround Psychology, we understand that for some clients the fear of exposure is often what prevents them from coming to therapy, even when they recognise that they would benefit from this support. Or perhaps they have had negative experiences in the past when they have revealed aspects of themselves that therapists have not had experience with or understood. SafeGround Psychology believes in providing that safety and stability and therefore transparency with clients is key.
Please be reassured that we understand that having an attraction or sexual interest in children or young people is not a reason to report someone. SafeGround Psychology offer confidentiality so that clients can feel safe to discuss their difficulties openly. Confidentiality will only ever be breached in exceptional circumstances where there is sufficient evidence to cause concern about the risk to the client or to others. Therapists at SafeGround Psychology are experienced in this field of work and in risk assessment, and therefore will only trigger the involvement of others if they consider harm is likely. If you wish to discuss this further, please do get in touch anonymously in the first instance.
What information do you need about me?
After an initial consultation, if you decide to take part in therapy, as part of the onboarding process, you will be asked to provide your name, a contact email address for correspondence. You will also be asked to provide the name of a GP (or your healthcare provider) and an emergency contact in the event that there are concerns about your safety. HCPC Standards of Conduct Performance and Ethics mean that practitioner psychologists “must report any concerns about the safety or well-being of service users, and must take appropriate action if there are concerns about the safety or well-being of children or vulnerable adults”. This information is collected only to be used in exceptional circumstances as a means or securing your safety or the safety of others.
What is a forensic psychologist?
A Forensic Psychologist is trained in various areas such as psychological assessments and interventions, research, consultancy, and training. They often work with individuals that experience a range of complex mental health difficulties and those who have engaged criminal behaviours. Prior to founding SafeGround Psychology, my background training and experience was working with individuals within secure settings (e.g., prisons and inpatient mental health hospital settings) to help them learn new skills to manage the mental health difficulties they were facing and work towards behavioural change. As part of this, I was able to gain significant knowledge and experience of working therapeutically with individuals with a range of difficulties.
How much do sessions cost?
Individual therapy sessions cost £100 per 1 hour session. Payment terms and information are provided following the initial consultation. Other services costs will vary, therefore please do get in touch to enquire further about these.
Where do the sessions take place?
Sessions are currently offered online using a secure video platform. This means that to attend you will need a device that allows video calling. As we will not be meeting in a therapy room, it is important that you have a private and safe space to attend the sessions. By attending sessions remotely, it provides the flexibility to access therapy from different locations.
What is “The Knock”?
“The Knock” is the terms that is often used to describe the event when police arrive at the home of someone who is suspected of engaging in offending behaviour. It is particularly used to describe this experience for those suspected of engaging in online sexual offending. It refers to the knock (note pound, bang, beat) at the door when the police arrive and the subsequent entering of the property. The Knock impacts not only the individual suspected of offending, but anyone else living within the home including partners, family members and children. “The Knock” is often described by those who have experienced it as being a life-changing trauma.
What will happen in the initial consultation?
This is a free 30 minute phone call or video call in which you can share what has brought you to enquire about therapy and what your goals for therapy might be. We can use this time to discuss what treatment approaches might best suit you needs. This is also an opportunity to ask any questions of your therapist that might be helpful in deciding whether to go ahead with therapy. The therapeutic relationship is one of the most important aspects of successful therapy, so it’s important that it feels right for you, and it’s okay if it doesn’t.
Do I need to do weekly sessions?
Sessions are offered on a weekly or fortnightly basis, at least initially. Whilst there is flexibility around this, it is not recommended for them to be less frequent at the beginning. This is to ensure that time can be spent together exploring and understanding the issues, and introducing new practices for out of session. As the therapy progresses it may be appropriate to space the sessions out further.
What is expected of the client?
Whilst it is important in therapy to gain insight and understanding of our experiences (and to do so from a place of compassion rather than criticism or judgement), the next step is using this awareness to make changes. This might be to how we respond to our emotions, or how we interact with others. In coming to therapy, you are asked to make a commitment to practice some of these new ways of doing things outside of session. It is likely you will gain more from the therapy if you are open minded and willing to give things a go (even if that sceptical part of you is not so sure!).