At Hope Therapy & Counselling Services, we are committed to providing a safe, ethical, and professional environment for all our clients. To ensure the highest standards of care, we have a set of policies that guide how we and the affiliate counsellors within the team work with you.
These policies help create a therapeutic space that is respectful, inclusive, and confidential, allowing you to engage in therapy with confidence and trust. They outline important aspects such as professional conduct, safeguarding, and the way we handle appointments, ensuring clarity and fairness for everyone involved. Our goal is to make your experience with us as supportive and transparent as possible, giving you the reassurance that your well-being is always our priority. If you have any questions about how we work, we’re always happy to provide more information.
Equality & Diversity
Our Equality and Diversity Policy is a key part of how we ensure that every client who engages with Hope Therapy & Counselling Services feels respected, valued, and supported. This policy sets out our commitment to inclusivity, non-discrimination, and accessibility, ensuring that all clients—regardless of their background, identity, or personal circumstances—receive fair and equitable treatment. It highlights our stance on cultural sensitivity, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and accessibility while reinforcing our ethical duty to challenge discrimination and uphold confidentiality. As a team, it’s crucial that we understand and embody these principles in our daily interactions with clients, ensuring that our practice remains a safe, welcoming, and empowering space for all.
Confidentiality
Our Confidentiality Policy is designed to reassure clients that their personal information and therapy sessions remain private and secure. As all our counsellors are independent affiliates, they are solely responsible for maintaining confidentiality regarding session content and client records.
Hope Therapy & Counselling Services facilitates the initial connection between clients and therapists, manages administrative tasks such as payment processing, and provides ongoing support, but we do not have access to session details.
Clients are informed of the strict boundaries in place, as well as the legal and ethical exceptions where confidentiality may need to be breached—such as safeguarding concerns, risk of harm, or legal requirements.
This policy reflects our commitment to ethical practice, data protection, and regulatory compliance, ensuring trust and transparency in the services we provide.
Client Facing: Safeguarding
Our safeguarding policy is designed to ensure that our clients understand how we handle matters of safety and protection. It outlines the roles and responsibilities of both Hope Therapy & Counselling Services and our affiliate counsellors in maintaining a safe environment for all clients. While Hope sets an organisational safeguarding policy, along with various legislative, regulatory, ethical and best practice guidlines, the day-to-day implementation and decision-making in safeguarding matters are the responsibility of the individual counsellor.
The counsellor will act in accordance with statutory, regulatory, ethical and best practice requirements, and in cases of immediate risk, they may need to make decisions independently of Hope.
Hope’s role is to provide support, guidance, and oversight when necessary, ensuring all actions align with best practice standards. This policy also addresses the limits of confidentiality, making it clear when and how information may be shared for safeguarding purposes.
Data Protection & Confidentiality
Our data protection policy is designed to reassure clients about how their personal information is collected, stored, and used. It emphasises our commitment to protecting client data in line with the UK GDPR and other relevant legislation. The policy clearly outlines the roles of both Hope Therapy & Counselling Services and our affiliate counsellors in managing and safeguarding client data. While Hope is responsible for administrative tasks such as processing initial referrals and payments, the counsellor is responsible for the secure storage and confidentiality of session-related data. The policy also explains clients’ rights to access, rectify, and delete their data and describes the exceptional circumstances when data may be shared, such as in cases of safeguarding concerns or legal requirements. This ensures transparency with clients and aligns our practices with regulatory standards.
Cancellation & Refund Policy
Our Cancellation & Refund Policy is designed to provide clarity and fairness for both clients and counsellors. Clients are informed that they can stop counselling at any time and must communicate any cancellations or rescheduling requests directly with their counsellor. Payment for sessions must be made at least 48 hours in advance, and cancellations with 48 hours’ notice or more are eligible for a refund upon request or can be rescheduled without penalty. If a client cancels less than 48 hours before their session, the full session fee remains due, with no refund available. This policy ensures that counsellors’ time is respected while allowing flexibility for clients where possible. Our role as an organisation is to facilitate payments, notify counsellors of receipts, and oversee policy adherence, while counsellors independently manage scheduling and session-related decisions.
Client Boundary Policy
At Hope Therapy & Counselling Services, we are committed to maintaining clear and professional boundaries in all client interactions. Boundaries are essential in creating a safe, ethical, and effective therapeutic environment, ensuring that therapy remains focused on the client’s well-being. They help define the roles and responsibilities of both clients and therapists, protecting confidentiality, preventing conflicts of interest, and fostering a relationship built on trust and respect. Our affiliate counsellors and staff adhere to strict professional guidelines, ensuring that therapy remains impartial, client-centred, and ethically sound. If you have any questions or concerns regarding boundaries within your therapy sessions, we encourage open discussion with your counsellor or a member of our team. You can also review our Therapeutic Boundaries Policy and Complaints Procedure for further guidance.
Client Allocation and Matching Process
At Hope Therapy & Counselling Services, we understand that finding the right counsellor is essential for a positive and effective therapy experience. Our client allocation process is designed to match you with a therapist who best suits your needs, based on factors such as their experience, specialisation, location, availability, and affordability. While we strive to make the best match based on these criteria, we also respect your personal preferences—if you have a specific counsellor in mind, we will do our best to accommodate your request. Our goal is to ensure that you feel comfortable, supported, and confident in your therapeutic journey. If at any point you feel your assigned counsellor is not the right fit, we encourage open communication, and we will work with you to find a better match.
Complaints Policy
Our Client Complaints Policy ensures that clients have a clear and fair process to raise concerns about their experience. Clients are first encouraged to address any issues directly with their counsellor, as our affiliate counsellors are responsible for their own professional practice. If a client feels their concern has not been resolved or if the issue relates to administrative matters, payments, or overall service delivery, they can escalate their complaint to Hope Therapy & Counselling Services. While we oversee the complaints process to ensure fairness and ethical compliance, we do not intervene in the clinical decision-making of our affiliate counsellors unless there is a breach of legal, ethical, or professional standards. Our role is to provide support and guidance where needed while respecting the autonomy of our affiliate therapists.