Frequently Asked Questions

Please read the information below carefully as it forms an agreement about how we will work together. At our first consultation I will set some time aside for us to discuss this agreement and answer any questions you may have. 

Contact me for an initial free of charge consultation and mental health support at 

ben.milner.therapy@pm.me.

I am absolutely committed to anti-discriminatory practice. To support all diversity including, but not limited to age, class, cultural, disability, gender, neuro-diversity, race, religion, socioeconomic standing and I am fully LGBTQI+ affirmative.  

There are a variety of approaches to the way Counsellors work with their clients. I am an Integrative Counsellor using the following therapeutic approaches:  The Person Centred Approach, Psychodynamic and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). You can find information on this here: 

https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-therapy/types-of-therapy/integrative-counselling/

"Integrative counselling draws on techniques from different types of therapy to tailor an approach specifically for you.

An integrative counsellor believes there isn’t just one therapeutic approach that can help a client in all situations. Instead, they take into account you as an individual and your circumstances, and use elements of different approaches to help you explore and cope with your problems. (BACP)"

Whilst I will be alongside you in this journey, you have complete autonomy about what you share and we will work entirely at your own pace. 

We will meet every week at the same time. I will discuss the number of sessions with you. We will review our progress together regularly. Counselling sessions last 50 minutes. If you arrive late, your session will still end 50 minutes after the scheduled start time. 

To get the most from counselling I ask that you are absolutely committed to attending. However, I do understand life may sometimes get in the way. If you cannot make a session you must inform me by text, email or voicemail before the start of the session. Once 3 sessions have been missed we may need to terminate our counselling relationship, until you are able to commit more fully. If you do not notify me of a missed session I will contact you on the details provided 15 minutes after the start of the session for a welfare check. If a session is cancelled with less than 48 hours notice the full payment will still be due.

I will give you a minimum notice period of four weeks for any planned holidays or training I may be attending. If I am unable to attend our session for any unforeseen reason, I will give you as much notice as possible. Please also provide as much notice as possible for any holidays or weeks you are unable to attend. If a session is cancelled with less than 48 hours notice the full payment will still be due.  

I reserve the right to end a session if you are under the influence of alcohol, non-prescription drugs, or show direct violent behaviour. 

Except for notifications relating to missed appointments, it is not anticipated that we will have any contact outside of sessions.  If you require urgent professional assistance, please contact NHS direct telephone 111, your GP, the emergency services or the Samaritans freephone 116123. We will discuss in our first session how to handle any chance contact outside of sessions.

If there is anything that you don’t understand about this agreement, or if you would prefer it in a different format, please let me know. We will discuss this in person as well.

Confidentiality in counselling creates a space where you can explore sensitive subjects in the knowledge that the counsellor will not repeat or misuse the information discussed outside of the counselling room. However, there are some exceptions to this, which are worth considering: 

1. I may need to break confidentiality if I think that there is a serious danger of harm to yourself or other people. I will attempt to discuss this with you first, but this may not always be possible. 
2. My full Privacy Notice is available online or by request. 

You also have the right to be informed about my use of your personal data. You have the right to  access your data, rectify it if it is incorrect and the right to be forgotten. If you have concerns relating to my use of your personal data, please contact the Information Commissioner's Office: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/your-personal-information- concerns/  

I am a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and as such abide by their Ethical Framework for your protection. Please see - www.bacp.co.uk/ethical-framework for more information.

If you are not happy with any of our sessions or my work, I hope that you would feel able to talk to me about this in the session. If you wish to submit a formal complaint this can be done by email to Ben.Milner.Therapy@pm.me . 

In the event of a more serious complaint, you have access to the BACP’s Get help with counselling concerns service, which provides confidential telephone and email guidance on what to do if you have concerns about your therapy or therapist. Phone 01455 883300 or 07811 762114 or 07811 762256. Please leave a message or email gethelp@bacp.co.uk , or write to BACP, 15 St John’s Business Park, Lutterworth LE17 4HB.  

My BACP membership number is  00977555 .

I volunteer with Counselling Plus in Hastings, who offer low cost and fully funded sessions to local residents. You can refer yourself to Counselling Plus here: 

https://www.counsellingplus.org/