HW Psychology LTD - Terms and Conditions

Clinical Psychologist (HCPC Registered) HW Psychology Ltd

Service: Private psychological assessment and therapy (remote and in-person)

Clinician: Dr Helena Widdrington

HCPC Reg: PYL 044398

Contact: helenawid@hwpsychology.com

Professional indemnity insurer: Howden.

Effective date: 19/01/2026

Following your initial contact, you have asked to meet with me, remotely or in-person, for assessment and/or therapy. I enclose some details about my practice, including terms and conditions of service and terms of engagement or contract.

These Terms and Conditions set out the basis on which I provide private psychological assessment and therapy. Please read them carefully. By booking and/or attending an appointment, you are agreeing to these terms.

1) Nature and purpose of the service

1.1 I provide psychological assessment and therapy to adults in private practice.

1.2 I reserve the right to choose not to offer you a service (e.g., not within my scope/competence, existence of conflicts of interest, for risk/safety or capacity issues). Where appropriate, I may recommend alternative services or referral onward.

1.3 Our first meeting (and sometimes the first few) is used to clarify what you are seeking, explore relevant history, and agree whether it is appropriate for us to work together.

1.4 If we agree to proceed, we will usually develop an initial formulation (a shared understanding of the difficulties and maintaining factors) and agree goals and a plan for appointments.

1.5 While I will use reasonable care and skill and act in line with professional standards, outcomes cannot be guaranteed.

1.6 Benefits and risks. For many people, psychological therapy can be powerful and lead to positive changes. However, there are also possible “side effects”(usually temporary), including strong/uncomfortable feelings raised during appointments and sometimes these may linger in between appointments (this tends to happen at the start of a course of therapy but may last some time).

1.7 I encourage you to give me feedback throughout our meetings so that our work can be maximally optimised. We can regularly review how we believe the appointments are progressing.

2) Appointments, appointment length, and format

2.1 Standard appointments are 50 minutes, unless agreed otherwise.

2.2 Extended appointments (e.g., for EMDR where clinically appropriate) may be up to 90 minutes and are charged pro-rata.

2.3 Appointments are all delivered either remotely via video or in-person.

Remote appointments (additional terms):

2.4 You are responsible for ensuring a private space where you cannot be overheard, using appropriate headphones where possible, and having a stable connection.

2.5 If a remote appointment disconnects, I will attempt to reconnect. If reconnection is not possible, we will need to reschedule. The cancellation policy also applies in relation to technical problems.

2.6 For safety and safeguarding, I may ask at the start of a remote appointment where you are located (address/area) and confirm an emergency contact.  If I believe privacy, confidentiality, or safety is compromised during a remote session, I may pause or end the appointment.

2.7 I do not routinely record appointments. If we agree that a recording is permitted, it is normally for your personal use only. Unauthorised recording may lead to review or termination of the therapeutic relationship.

3) Fees, invoicing, and payment

3.1 My current fees are:

·      Assessment/therapy (50 mins): £130

·      Extended appointments: charged pro-rata to the 50-minute fee

·      This same fee rate also applies, pro-rata, to any additional professional work outside of appointments, such as reading reports or letters, report writing, or professional liaison (e.g., communication with GPs, or other professionals), and any phone consultations over 15 minutes.  Where practical, I will discuss likely time requirements and obtain agreement before undertaking substantial additional work.

3.2 Payment method: Bank transfer (BACS). Payment must be received before the start of each appointment. Please allow for bank processing times (some transfers can take up to 48 working hours, on working days).

Please be aware of the risk of fraudulent emails. If you are unsure whether an email is genuinely from me, please contact me using my usual contact details to verify it before acting on it. In particular, do not click suspicious links and do not make any payments to “new” bank details unless you have confirmed the change with me.

3.3  If payment has not been received by the appointment time, I may not be able to proceed and may need to postpone the appointment until payment is received.

3.4 Where we have been meeting regularly, I may (at my discretion) accept evidence such as a screenshot confirming the transfer has been made, where the delay appears to be bank processing.

3.5 If an appointment cannot go ahead due to non-payment and this occurs within the 48-hour cancellation window, the late-cancellation fee may still apply, unless there are exceptional circumstances which we can discuss.

3.6 Fee reviews: Fees are usually reviewed annually at the start of the tax year. Where you are in open-ended therapy, I will provide reasonable notice of any fee change (e.g where possible a minimum of 4 weeks notice). Fee changes typically do not apply to a clearly agreed time-limited block of therapy.

3.7 If you request appointments within 14 days of first contact, you acknowledge the service begins then (and any statutory cancellation rights are affected only to the extent permitted by law).

3.8 You are not committed to a specific number of appointments with me; you can end our work any time you wish.  If we have been working together for several appointments, I would recommend we plan the ending to include having an agreed last appointment and to discuss the learning from the work that we did together. However, you do not have to do this.

4) Cancellations, changes, and lateness

4.1 Regular attendance supports effective work. If you need to cancel or change an appointment, please provide as much notice as possible.

4.2 Cancellation policy: At least 48 hours’ notice is required to avoid the appointment fee being payable.  This reflects time reserved for you and administrative preparation.

Cancellations with less than 48 hours’ notice are charged at the full appointment fee, except in exceptional circumstances (which we can discuss).

4.3 Notice should be given by email. Notice is treated as received when it arrives in my inbox (not when it is sent).

4.4 Lateness: If you are running late, please let me know by email where possible.

If you arrive late, the appointment  will still end at the scheduled time and the full fee is payable. If you arrive so late that meaningful work is not possible, I may not be able to proceed and the appointment will be treated as a late cancellation.

4.5 When an appointment is booked and paid for less than 48 hours in advance, the same cancellation rules still apply.

4.6 Clinician cancellation: If I need to cancel, I will give as much notice as possible and offer a suitable alternative appointment. If I have to cancel an appointment eg., at short notice due to illness, then no fee is payable and pre-payments are credited towards our next appointment.

4.7 Please note, I may not be able to proceed with the appointment if you arrive at the meeting (in person or remote) appearing to be under the influence of alcohol/non-prescribed medication.

4.8 If you miss an appointment without notice, the fee is still payable.

I will contact you by email to check your welfare and to agree on next steps.

However, if I do not hear back within 7 days, future bookings may be paused/cancelled.

At your earliest opportunity, please let me know if you wish to resume appointments, if you need to request that appointments be temporarily paused or if you wish to end and have no further appointments arranged.

4.9 Following a missed appointment by you, (missed without notice), I will require payment before further appointments are booked.

5) Between-appointment contact and boundaries

5.1 You may contact me by email or phone for administrative matters (e.g., scheduling). I do not monitor email continuously nor regularly and so cannot guarantee that I will always be available to reply. I aim to reply within 7 working days.

5.2 Email is intended for administrative communication only and is not monitored continuously. It should not be used for urgent or emergency matters.

5.3 I do not accept social media requests from clients( e.g., friend/follow); I do not engage in therapeutic discussion by social media; if we meet in public, I will not acknowledge you unless you do first.

6) Letters, summaries, and reports (and medical-legal work)

6.1 Routine reports: I do not routinely provide reports as part of therapy.

6.2 Clinical letters and summaries (by request): If you request a letter (e.g., to a GP, consultant, employer, university) or a written summary, this is chargeable. I would usually discuss the contents therein before sending, as/if appropriate.

Letters are for the named recipient and stated purpose only.

Reports/letters must not be edited; if you need amendments, request them from me. You may request factual corrections and any amended version must be issued by me.

Reports are based on information available and are not determinative of legal/benefits/employment decisions.

6.3 Charging model: Letter/report writing time and time spent reading external documents is charged pro-rata at the appointment rate set out in section 3.1 per 60 minutes (or the equivalent proportion). Any calls, conferences, or extended liaison beyond brief administration are also chargeable pro-rata.

6.4 Scope and limitations: Any letter/report is based on the information available to me, attendance, and the agreed purpose. Drafts (if provided) are for factual accuracy checking, not negotiation of clinical opinion.

6.5 Third-party / formal medical-legal reports: If you require a formal medical-legal report (e.g., for litigation, insurers, instructed reports, expert/independent opinion), this is provided under separate conditions which I would provide to you before proceeding.  Letters/reports are normally issued once the associated fees have been paid.

6.6 Dual-role considerations: In some circumstances it may be clinically or ethically inappropriate for me to act as both therapist and formal instructed report writer for the same person. Where this arises, I will discuss options and may decline one of the roles. I may recommend you seek an independent psychologist for medico-legal work.

7) Confidentiality and its limits

7.1 Confidentiality and disclosure: Information you share is confidential. I will only share information without your consent where (a) the law requires or permits disclosure, (b) it is in your best interests, (c) it is in the public interest (for example, to reduce a risk of serious harm) or d) I have permission. Where practicable, I will discuss this with you first. Any disclosure will be limited to the minimum necessary information.

If I have serious concerns about immediate safety, this may involve contacting appropriate services and/or your GP/emergency contact, and I will share only the minimum necessary information.

7.2 Please note, for remote appointments complete confidentiality cannot be guaranteed over digital platforms.

7.3 I reserve the right to refuse to disclose information to third parties even at your request unless legally required.

7.4 As part of professional governance and good practice, I undertake supervision/peer consultation. I take steps to avoid sharing identifying details and share only what is necessary for supervision.

8) Data protection and records (summary)

8.1 I keep records relating to assessment and therapy (e.g., contact details, appointment dates, invoices, and clinical notes). Records are stored securely and confidentially.


8.2 Further information is available in my Privacy Notice document.

.8.3 Retention: Clinical records are retained for a finite period, usually at least 7 years (and longer where clinically/legally indicated, such as work with children or where there are specific safeguarding considerations). This is in line with BPS Practice Guidelines (2017). Financial/accounting records are retained for the period required for tax purposes.


8.4 You may request access to information held about you, subject to applicable legal and clinical limitations (for example, where disclosure could cause serious harm or reveal third-party information).

• I am the data controller for my private practice records (details are set out in my Privacy olicy)

9) Risk, emergencies, and crisis support

9.1 Private practice appointments are not a crisis or emergency service.

9.2 If you are at immediate risk of harm, or you cannot keep yourself (or someone else) safe:

Call 999 or go to A&E.

If you need urgent advice or support but it is not an immediate emergency:

Contact NHS 111 (the mental health option)

For urgent clinical support:

Contact your GP practice, out-of-hours service, and/or your local crisis team if you are under NHS care.

9.3 You may also want to reach out to the voluntary sector such as contacting Samaritans (call 116 123 free from the UK); Mind – 0300 123 3393 or. Shout (text “Shout” to 85258)

9.4 Please could you provide me with emergency contact details as follows, if you have not already done so.

Your full name, date of birth, address and telephone number.

Full name of your next of kin and telephone number.

Your GP name, address and telephone number.

This is for me to use as an emergency contact, e.g., in case of any medical emergency arising during our meetings.

9.5 If additional appointments are requested at short notice, I may be able to offer an extra appointment subject to availability; any fee implications will be agreed in advance.

10) Contact with your GP or other professionals

10.1 It is often clinically helpful for your GP to know you are receiving psychological care. However, contact with your GP (or any other professional) will only take place with your agreement, unless disclosure is required under the confidentiality exceptions in section 7.

10.2 If agreed, we will be clear about what will be shared and why.

11) Ending therapy

11.1 Therapy may end when: goals have been met, at the end of a time-limited block, if it becomes clear the work is no longer helpful, if inappropriate behaviour (such as threats/violence occurs or appears as if it could occur) or if appointments are not attended/paid for in line with these terms.

If I consider your requirements beyond my competence, I reserve the right to end our appointments. I will discuss this decision with you in the appointment and, if appropriate, make recommendations regarding where else you might get help.

11.2 Wherever possible, reviews happen periodically. We will plan endings in a considered way and hold a final appointment to review and consolidate progress.

12) Complaints and concerns

12.1 If you have concerns about the service, please raise these with me in the first instance so we can try to resolve them promptly. Correspondence about any complaint is retained to track and resolve issues.

2.2 If concerns cannot be resolved informally, you may use external routes relevant to my professional registration (for example, HCPC for professional conduct/fitness to practice concerns, and the ICO for data protection concerns; details available on request).

13) Equality, accessibility, and reasonable adjustments

13.1 I aim to provide an inclusive service. Please tell me about any accessibility needs or reasonable adjustments that would support your engagement with assessment or therapy.

I welcome discussion about reasonable adjustments to support your access to the service. If an adjustment requires additional time (e.g., longer appointments) or the involvement of a third-party service (e.g., an interpreter), we will agree the practical arrangements and any associated costs in advance.

If you require an interpreter or other third-party support, we will discuss this in advance. Unless agreed otherwise, the cost of external services (e.g., interpreter fees) is the responsibility of you the client/funding body. Any additional clinician time required will be charged in line with my usual rate.

14) Governing law

16.1 These terms are governed by the laws of England, and disputes are subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of England.