Frequently Asked Questions
A Clinical Psychologist is like a therapist, so the work together involves talking and, for younger children, playing. Together we work on emotions and behaviour, until they become much easier to manage. A psychiatrist is trained as a doctor and can prescribe medication. Sometimes they might also be therapists and they work with higher risk young people.
It depends. After a first consultation/assessment, a treatment plan will be drawn up. Generally, I see people every fortnight for at least 6 sessions. After this we review. Some children, young people and parents need longer term work, and I am happy to offer this for as long as it is needed. I like to encourage children and young people to be able to manage their difficulties without my help in the long term as I like to encourage my clients to learn skills they can apply for the rest of their lives, without needing paid support.
An initial consultation is charged at £175 for one and a half hour appointment. Subsequent appointments are charged at £125 for 50 minutes.
- Individual therapy for adolescent or child: £125 for 50 minute appointment
- Family work: £175-£200 per 50-minute appointment
- Parenting or Carer support: £150 per 50-minute appointment
- ASD assessment - £1500 (including all appointments, school liaison, diagnostic report and recommendations for treatment)
- Reflective Parenting Groups: £150 per parent per group session over 8 sessions. Sessions are for 2 hours.
- Consultation and Supervision - £150-£200 per hour
- Bespoke Services - By arrangement
- Reflective Parenting Training (two days) for professionals: £500
- Reflective Parenting one-day course for parents: £200
This is a competitive fee, given my experience as a consultant clinical psychologist for nearly 30 years, but I try to make my services available to a wide range of clients. Some people will be able to use health insurance to cover the cost of the appointments and adoptive parents can access the Adoption Support Fund, as I am a registered and recognised practitioner with the ASF.
Please note that there is a 48-hour cancellation policy for all sessions. I have a limited number of spaces available for lower fee paying clients.
An ASD assessment costs £1500. This involves a number of clinical appointments with the child/young person and separate appointments for the parent/carer. I use standardized measures; the ADOS (for the child/young person) and ADI for parents. I liaise with the school or college and write a diagnostic report with recommendations for support where a diagnosis is made.
The 50-minute sessions involve talking, playing and being curious about how things look and feel from the child or young person’s perspective, as well as from the parents. With my support, we start to work out, a bit like detectives together, where the difficulties are coming from and why they are causing distress. With younger children this can be done through play and drawing, alongside talking. We will set goals for treatment and regularly review these together.
The sessions take place either face to face in my garden office, which is well ventilated and allows for 2-meter distancing, or online using either Zoom or Teams. It is preferable to have some face to face contact if possible as this builds a stronger connection.
Get in touch
Feel free to email me with any questions or to arrange an initial assessment. This will help us explore your reasons for seeking therapy, whether it may be helpful, and if I am the right therapist for you.
Please also use this contact form to register for Reflective Parenting Training.
Alternatively, you can leave me a message on 07774 222241, but I may respond quicker via email due to the high volume of calls I receive. Unfortunately I am unable to offer a consultation over the phone prior to our first meeting (which may be in person or on-line). I aim to answer all enquiries within 24 hours. All contact is strictly confidential and uses secure email services.
©2025 Sheila Redfern