Frequently Asked Questions

Payment: 

Q: how much is a session: a session is £60.00 for 50 minutes 

Q: How can I pay for my sessions? A: I offer a few convenient payment options. You can pay by bank transfer, in cash at the time of your session, or securely online through Zandahealth.

Q: When is payment due? A: Payment is typically due on the day before your scheduled session.

Q: Why do you require payment for a session before it starts?

A: I require payment prior to the start of each session for several reasons, and this has become a standard practice across the therapy industry. This policy ensures that the administrative aspect of payment is handled smoothly and efficiently, allowing me to dedicate the entirety of our session time to your therapeutic needs without interruption. It also helps to clearly define the professional nature of our service, similar to how many other professional and healthcare services operate. Many major therapy companies and individual practitioners have adopted this model to streamline operations and ensure consistent service delivery, as it allows us to focus fully on providing the best possible support during your session.

Q: Will I receive a reminder about my appointment and how to pay? A: Yes, you will receive an appointment reminder on the day of your session. If you are paying via Zandahealth, this reminder will also include a secure payment link for your convenience. For bank transfers, please ensure payment is made before your appointment time.



Q: Is the Zandahealth platform secure for my personal information and payments? A: Yes, Zandahealth is a secure platform designed with client confidentiality in mind. It uses encryption and other security measures to protect your personal and payment information. Any payment links sent through Zandahealth are also secure.

Cancellations

Q: What is your cancellation policy? A: I understand that life can be unpredictable. If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, please provide at least 48 hours' notice, and there will be no charge. if its an emergency then please do speak to me as soon as possible

Q: What happens if I cancel with less than 48 hours' notice? A: For cancellations made with less than 48 hours' notice, a fee equal to half the session price will apply.

Q: What if I don't show up for my appointment? 

A: If you do not attend your scheduled appointment without prior notice, the full session price will be charged.

Type of Therapy

Q: What does "open-ended counselling" mean? A: Open-ended counselling means that we don't set a fixed number of sessions at the beginning. We will work together for as long as you feel it's beneficial and you are getting what you need from our sessions. We will regularly review your progress and discuss when you feel ready to conclude our work.

Q: How do I know if I have complex trauma?
A: You don’t need a diagnosis to get support. If you feel overwhelmed, stuck, or affected by past experiences—it’s okay to seek help.

Q:Do I need to see a doctor or mental health professional before starting therapy with you?

If you're currently receiving support from a GP, psychiatrist, or other mental health professional, you're welcome to attend therapy with me alongside that care — and I’ll always work in a way that respects and complements your existing support.

However, I’m not a medical professional and cannot diagnose mental health conditions, prescribe medication, or offer crisis intervention.

If you are experiencing any of the following, I gently encourage you to speak with your GP or a qualified mental health professional:

Thoughts of suicide or self-harm

Intense or escalating symptoms such as panic attacks, dissociation, or severe mood swings

Unexplained physical symptoms that may be linked to mental health

A need for medical treatment or medication review

As a trauma-informed therapist, I may gently signpost you to additional support when needed — such as your GP, or other specialist services especially if I believe it will help keep you safe or better supported in your healing.

Q: Do I have to talk about everything straight away?
A: Absolutely not. We move at your pace, with full respect for your boundaries.

Confidentiality and Ethics

Q: Is our work together confidential? A: Yes, confidentiality is paramount in our work together. Everything we discuss in our sessions will be kept private and will not be shared with anyone else without your explicit consent.

Q: Are there any exceptions to confidentiality? A: There are a few legal and ethical exceptions to confidentiality, which I am ethically and legally obliged to adhere to. These include situations where there is a serious risk of harm to yourself or others, or if I am required to disclose information by a court of law. We can discuss these exceptions in more detail during our initial consultation or your first session.

Q: Do you follow a professional code of ethics? A: Yes, I am committed to providing ethical and professional counselling services and adhere to the Ethical Framework for the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). This framework guides my practice and ensures I work in a way that is safe, respectful, and in your best interests.



PRIVACY NOTICE AND DATA PROTECTION NOTICE

Carlie's Healing Space for Trauma

Effective Date: May 19, 2025

Your Privacy Matters

At Carlie's Healing Space for Trauma, we are dedicated to safeguarding your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This notice explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your data in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Carlie's Healing Space for Trauma is a counselling service focused on supporting individuals who have experienced trauma. [Optional: Briefly describe your services].

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of information about you:

Contact Details: Name, address, email, phone number.

Personal Information: Date of birth, gender (optional).

Counselling Session Details: Records and notes from our sessions, which may include sensitive information about your mental and emotional well-being and experiences.

Payment Information: Billing details if you pay for our services (we typically use secure third-party processors and don't store full payment details).

Website Usage Data: Information about how you use our website, such as your IP address, browser type, pages visited, and visit times (usually collected via cookies – see our separate Cookie Notice).

Enquiry Information: Details you provide when you contact us.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal data for the following reasons:

To Provide Counselling Services: This is our main purpose, based on our agreement with you and our legitimate interest in offering effective therapy.

To Communicate With You: Regarding appointments, payments, and administrative matters. This is necessary for our contract and our legitimate interests.

To Improve Our Services: By analysing website use and feedback (our legitimate interest).

To Comply With Legal Obligations: Such as record-keeping requirements.

To Respond to Your Enquiries: Based on our legitimate interest in addressing your concerns.

For Invoicing and Payment Processing: Necessary for our contract with you.

4. Lawful Basis for Using Your Data

We use your information based on the following legal grounds:

Contract: For providing our counselling services to you.

Legitimate Interests: For purposes like improving our services and communicating effectively, as long as your rights don't outweigh these interests.

Legal Obligation: When we are legally required to process your data.

Consent: For certain activities like non-essential cookies. For your sensitive health-related data from counselling sessions, we process this under the basis of providing health or social care, or with your explicit consent when needed.

5. How Long We Keep Your Data

We will keep your personal data only as long as necessary for the reasons we collected it, including any legal or accounting requirements.

Counselling Records: Typically kept for [Specify retention period, e.g., 7 years] after our services end, following professional guidelines and legal requirements.

Contact and Administrative Records: Kept as long as needed for administrative purposes and our ongoing relationship.

Website Usage Data: Kept for a reasonable period for analysis.

6. Keeping Your Data Secure

We take the security of your personal data seriously and have measures in place to protect it from unauthorised access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction, including secure storage, encryption where appropriate, and restricted access.

7. Sharing Your Information

We will only share your data in limited situations:

With Your Consent: If you specifically agree to it.

With Service Providers: Trusted third parties who help us (e.g., for secure online platforms or payment processing) under strict agreements to protect your data.

When Legally Required: If we have to by law (e.g., court order).

To Protect Vital Interests: In rare cases to protect someone's life or safety.

We will not sell, rent, or trade your personal data for marketing.

8. Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

Access: To request a copy of the information we hold about you.

Correction: To ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete information.

Erasure ('Right to be Forgotten'): To ask us to delete your data in certain situations.

Restriction of Processing: To ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.

Data Portability: To receive your data in a usable format and transfer it to another provider.

Objection: To object to the processing of your data in certain situations, including for direct marketing.

Rights Regarding Automated Decisions and Profiling: We don't typically use these in a significant way, but you have rights if we do.

Withdraw Consent: To withdraw your consent if we are processing your data based on it.

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the details below. We will respond within the legal timeframe and may need to verify your identity.

9. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website uses cookies to collect browsing information. Please see our separate Cookie Notice for details on the types of cookies, their purpose, and how to manage your preferences.

10. Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to other sites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices, so please review their policies.

11. Updates to This Notice

We may update this notice occasionally. We will post any significant changes on our website with the updated date. Please check back periodically.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this notice or your data, please contact us at:

[Your Email Address] [Your Phone Number (Optional)] [Your Business Address]

13. Your Right to Complain

If you believe we haven't handled your data correctly, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO): https://ico.org.uk/.

COOKIE NOTICE

Carlie's Healing Space for Trauma

Our Use of Cookies

Our website [Your Website Address] uses cookies, which are small text files placed on your device to help the site work better and understand how you use it.

Types of Cookies We May Use:

Strictly Necessary Cookies: Essential for the website to function.

Performance/Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our site so we can improve it (we may use services like Google Analytics).

Functionality Cookies: Allow the website to remember your preferences (like language).

Targeting/Advertising Cookies: May be used to show you relevant ads [Note: If you don't use these, remove this point].

Third-Party Cookies

Some of our service providers may also use cookies. We don't control these, so please check their privacy policies.

Managing Your Cookies

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies. You can usually find these settings in the "Options," "Tools," or "Preferences" menu.

When you first visit our website, you should see a cookie banner allowing you to set your preferences for non-essential cookies.

Please be aware that disabling cookies may affect how our website functions.

Updates to This Notice

We may update this Cookie Notice from time to time. Any changes will be posted here.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about our use of cookies, please contact us at:

[Your Email Address]

Remember to have a legal professional review these notices to ensure they fully comply with all applicable laws and accurately reflect your specific data processing practices. Good luck!