Terms and Conditions

St Martin’s Centre for Health and Healing 
Trading as: St Martin’s Counselling 
Please read these Terms and Conditions alongside our Financial Terms and Privacy Policy. 

Regular attendance and commitment to the counselling process help create the best conditions for counselling to be helpful and effective. 

1. Introduction 

Welcome to St Martin’s Centre for Health and Healing, trading as St Martin’s Counselling. These Terms and Conditions apply when you engage with our counselling service. By booking and attending appointments with us, you agree to these terms. 

2. The Service We Provide 

St Martin’s Counselling provides counselling sessions face to face, online, and by telephone. 

Before starting counselling, clients complete our initial intake process so that we can decide whether the service is appropriate and safe for their needs. This may include a short triage, pre-session information, and/or an initial appointment. 

3. Our Counsellors 

Our counsellors are either: 

• qualified practitioners; or  

• counsellors in training or building practice hours within an appropriate supervised framework.  

Where applicable, practitioners are members of or registered with recognised professional bodies such as BACP or UKCP. All counsellors work within professional and ethical standards and receive regular clinical supervision. 

4. Confidentiality 

We treat information shared in counselling as confidential. However, confidentiality may need to be broken in limited circumstances, including: 

• where disclosure is required by law;  

• where there are safeguarding concerns involving a child or vulnerable adult;  

• where there is a serious risk of harm to you or to another person;  

• where information needs to be shared, on a confidential basis, for clinical supervision or safe service management; or  

• where you have given informed consent for information to be shared with another professional involved in your care.  

Where possible, we will aim to discuss any necessary disclosure with you first. However, this may not always be possible. 

5. Fees and Payment 

Please see our Financial Terms for full details of fees, payment arrangements, and charges. 

Payment is processed securely through Stripe. 

Where auto-payment has been set up, your payment card will normally be auto-charged on the next working day after each attended session. 

If fees remain unpaid, or payment arrangements have not been set up, future appointments may be paused or cancelled unless otherwise agreed by the service. 

6. Appointments 

Appointments are scheduled at mutually agreed times and usually continue on the same day and at the same time each week. Each counselling session lasts 50 minutes. 

We will make reasonable efforts to offer an appointment time that works for you, but cannot guarantee that all preferred times will be available. 

If you need to cancel or rearrange an appointment, you must contact the admin team as soon as possible. 

7. Cancellation and Attendance 

If you need to cancel or reschedule a session, you must notify the admin team with at least 2 working days’ notice. If less than 2 working days’ notice is given, the full session fee will still be charged in line with our Financial Terms. 

If you cancel 2 sessions within a 6-week period, your regular appointment slot will no longer be held and your place in the service will be reviewed. 

If you do not attend 2 sessions within a 6-week period without giving the required notice, or if your attendance is repeatedly inconsistent, you will be discharged from the service. 

For the purposes of these terms, our working days are Monday to Saturday, excluding bank holidays and any days when the service is closed. 

8. Respectful Conduct 

We ask both clients and counsellors to conduct themselves respectfully and appropriately during all contact with the service. This includes: 

• attending sessions on time where possible;  

• working within agreed boundaries;  

• communicating respectfully with counsellors, staff, and volunteers; and  

• not behaving in a threatening, abusive, discriminatory, or aggressive way.  

9. Your Rights and Responsibilities 

You have the right to: 

• ask questions about the counselling process;  

• seek clarification at any stage; and  

• end counselling at any time.  

Your responsibilities are to: 

• engage in the counselling process as far as you are able;  

• attend sessions regularly where possible;  

• work within the agreed session and service boundaries; and  

• meet payment and notice requirements.  

10. Our Responsibilities 

Your counsellor will provide counselling in a professional, ethical, and supportive manner, in line with their training, competence, supervision arrangements, and professional code of conduct. 

11. Ending Counselling 

You may end counselling at any time. 

We may end, pause, or review counselling where: 

• the service is no longer appropriate for your needs;  

• another practitioner or service would be more suitable;  

• attendance is inconsistent;  

• payment terms are not met;  

• behaviour falls outside acceptable boundaries; or  

• there are clinical, safeguarding, or service-related reasons to do so.  

Where appropriate, we may offer reallocation to another counsellor. 

12. Zero Tolerance 

Our staff, volunteers, and counsellors must be able to work without fear of violence, abuse, harassment, or intimidation. 

St Martin’s Counselling operates a zero-tolerance approach to violent, threatening, abusive, or harassing behaviour, including shouting, swearing, discriminatory language, or intimidating conduct. 

Anyone behaving in this way may be asked to leave the premises immediately. Telephone or online contact may be ended immediately. 

We reserve the right to refuse services or end counselling where this standard is breached. In some circumstances, the police may be contacted. 

13. Data Protection 

We comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. 

Your personal data and health-related information will be processed and stored securely in accordance with our Privacy Policy, which is available on our website. 

14. Complaints 

If you have a concern or complaint about the service, you should raise it with your counsellor in the first instance where appropriate. 

If you are not satisfied, or if the concern is not suitable to raise with your counsellor directly, you may contact the Service Manager. If the matter is not resolved informally, you will be provided with details of the formal Complaints Procedure. 

15. Changes to These Terms 

We may update these Terms and Conditions from time to time. The latest version will apply to all counselling provided by the service. 

Updated 14/04/2026