What is the cost of Relate services?
Relate London North West is a charity and we don’t make a profit from our services. We charge a fee for our services to cover the costs of the sessions.
Relate is delighted to be working closely with the following organisations who fund a limited number of counselling sessions for those eligible.
Email us to see if you might be eligible.
Reduced fee for first counselling appointment for limited period
The cost of living crisis is affecting everyone. At Relate in North West London, Herts, Bucks and Berks we have reduced the cost of our Initial Assessment meeting for relationship counselling to a discounted rate of £60. Our goal has always been to offer support to those in need and we feel by reducing our Initial Assessment cost we can offer our services to more people.
This discounted rate will only be available for a limited period so please get in touch with us to book an initial assessment as soon as possible.
Our standard fee for ongoing sessions after the initial assessment will remain at £92.
After this, the cost of ongoing sessions is agreed between you and your Counsellor according to your income.
We aim to support everybody who comes to us for help and we can offer reduced rates if you are genuinely unable to pay the full cost. Please contact us if you would like to know more about the cost of our services.
How do I pay for my appointment?
You will be asked to pay for your first appointment at the time of booking, the first payment can not be done online. You can then make payments online if you wish.
Where can I see a Relate counsellor near me?
We have a number of different locations across eight London boroughs, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and East Berkshire
Take a look at our list of locations to see what’s available near you. When you contact us to make an appointment you can request a particular area and we’ll try our best to accommodate you.
How do I make an appointment?
To make an appointment for any of our counselling or therapy services please call us on 0300 003 2324 (option 1). Or you can email info@relatentc.org.uk.
How do I cancel an appointment?
You need to give us at least two working days notice if you can’t attend your appointment. To cancel or reschedule your Counselling or Sex Therapy appointment please call 0300 003 2324.
Please be aware that if you cancel less than two working days before your appointment, the session fee will still apply.
Do I have to be referred for counselling or therapy by my GP?
No. You don’t need a referral to make an appointment for any of our services. Just contact us and we’ll help you find the right service for you.
Can I come to counselling on my own?
Yes. Our counselling sessions are for individuals, couples or families. You may want to come to some sessions alone, with a partner or with your family members. If you have questions about this get in touch and we can work with you to figure out what’s best.
Can I bring my children with me to my appointment?
Family Counselling often involves both adults and children, so, yes, it’s sometimes recommended that they’re brought along.
Relationship Counselling and Sex Therapy, are services for adults only. We don’t have childcare facilities at our locations, so you will need to make arrangements for your children to be looked after during your appointment, this also applies to online appointments.
Can my child see a counsellor on their own?
We cannot see children for counselling by themselves if they are aged below 11 years, however, we can see them as part of family counselling work with the involvement of their adult family member(s).
Is there disabled access at your Centre?
The majority of our locations have disabled access. If you have a disability please let us know when you book your appointment so that we can advise you about access.
Can I have a counsellor who speaks my language?
If you don’t speak English, we’ll try to allocate a counsellor who speaks your language. We don’t allocate counsellors based on any specific ethnic criteria. Please contact us to discuss your options.
Is what I say confidential?
Yes. All our Counselling and Sex Therapy sessions are completely confidential.
All records are kept securely and are only seen by authorised Relate personnel. These records are subject to the General Data Protection Regulation May 2018. We will not give your name or any other information about you to anyone outside Relate unless someone’s personal safety is at risk.
What if violence or abuse is an issue?
Violence and abuse is an issue for some people who come to us for help with their relationship. We know that in this situation working on the issue together may not feel safe. If this is case, then we would help each person get individual specialist support from Relate or another organisation.
How long is a session?
Counselling sessions are usually at a regular time each week and they last up to 50 minutes.
We know everyone has busy lives so your counsellor will talk to you about what days and times are best for everyone.
How many sessions will I need?
- That all depends on you and your counsellor. You’ll decide together how long think counselling is helpful.
- Most people find between five and ten sessions is about right for counselling; those coming to Sex Therapy can expect to attend for longer.
What training do your counsellors have?
- Relate is a national trainer of relationship counsellors.
- All our practitioners have been assessed as competent to work with their clients on a wide range of issues.
- As with all our counsellors, they are in ongoing professional clinical supervision for the work they undertake.
- Relate counsellors and supervisors are required to comply with the code of ethics and practice that is appropriate to the work they undertake.
- Relationship counselling is covered by the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy’s Ethical Framework for Good Practice. (find out more here)
- Sex therapy is covered by the College of Sexual and Relationship Therapy’s Code of Ethics & Principles of Good Practice. (find out more here)
- Family counselling is covered by the Association for Family Therapy’s Code of Ethics & Practice. (find out more here)
In addition, Relate personnel must comply with Relate’s practice policies and guidance which both complement the external codes and set specific organisational standards for ethical working. Please ask your counsellor if you would like to know more about this.
https://www.bacp.co.uk/events-and-resources/ethics-and-standards/
https://www.cosrt.org.uk/
https://www.aft.org.uk/?
How do I make a complaint?
We want to hear your views. It helps us to learn, improve and provide the best service we can. Please tell us if you’re unhappy with our service in any way and we’ll work to resolve your complaint.
If you’d like give us feedback on our services, please email us at Feedback@relatentc.org.uk
You can download our complaints process below.
Relate LNWHMTB complaints process
What’s the cost of your workshops and courses?
The cost of our training courses and workshops varies. To find out more, take a look at our training programme.
How do I book a place on a Relate course?
Full details of how to book onto our training courses and workshops can be found on our training and education page.
You can book a place by using the online form on the relevant workshop page or if you have questions about a course please email us.
Do you offer placements for student counsellors?
Demand for Relate couple counselling is high so we have to give priority to suitable people who are aiming to qualify as counsellors and work for our charity. This means that we will only consider offering a student counsellor placement at our centre if you have a place on a Relate approved counselling course.
My college course work requires me to obtain policies and procedures from organisations like yourselves, do you share these?
Our charity’s Policies and Procedures are for our clients, staff, practitioners and funders. We are sorry that we are not able to share these documents more widely.
More help
If you weren’t able to find the answers to your questions please get in touch and we’ll do our best to help you.
