Personal Meaning Counselling Terms of Working

Everything you need to know about working with Pamela Muir at Personal Meaning Counselling.

My Approach

I offer a supportive, compassionate, non-judgemental and confidential counselling service. I work from a person-centred perspective, which means I believe in each individual's ability to grow and develop in the way that is best for them.

Each client and counsellor relationship is completely unique. My aim is to ensure you feel comfortable and safe enough to share your deeply personal stories with me, and I will listen without judgement.

I am a Registered Counsellor with both the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and Counselling and Psychotherapy in Scotland (COSCA), and I conduct my practice within their ethical frameworks.

Confidentiality

• Everything you share with me will be treated confidentially unless:

• You tell me anything that leads me to believe that you or someone else is at immediate risk of harm. In this case I will need to contact the appropriate emergency or safeguarding service

• I have concerns for your wellbeing and need to refer you to another service such as your GP. I will always attempt to gain your consent before doing so

• I am required by law to report certain disclosures including drug trafficking, money laundering or acts of terrorism

• I am required to provide information by a court of law

• I discuss my work with a registered clinical supervisor as a professional requirement. No personal or identifying information about you is ever shared in supervision.

Record Keeping

All personal information is kept confidential and stored securely in line with GDPR and the Data Protection Act. Records are held for 6 years after your last contact with Personal Meaning Counselling, after which they are securely destroyed. Please see the Privacy Policy for full details.

Sessions

• Sessions last approximately 50 minutes. For most clients, weekly sessions are advisable to begin with.

• Sessions begin and end at the agreed time

• For telephone sessions, please be available to accept my call by my second attempt. For Zoom sessions, please join using the link I will send you in advance

• If you arrive more than 15 minutes late without notice, this may be treated as a cancellation

• Sessions are not recorded by either party unless specifically agreed in advance

• Please ensure you are in a quiet, private space where you feel comfortable discussing sensitive issues

• Personal Meaning Counselling is not a crisis or emergency service. If you need immediate support please contact your GP, NHS 24 on 111, or the Samaritans on 116 123 

Cancellations

• If I need to cancel a session I will give you at least 48 hours' notice and you will not be charged.

• Please give me at least 48 hours' notice if you are unable to attend

• You will not be charged for cancellations due to illness provided you give at least 24 hours' notice

• If insufficient notice is given I reserve the right to charge the full session fee

• In the event of a serious emergency, please deal with your situation first and contact me when you are able 

Fees

• I offer a free 20-minute initial consultation so we can explore whether working together feels right.

• Sessions are £40 to £55 for 50 minutes, on a sliding scale based on your circumstances. We will agree your fee before we begin

• Payment is due in advance of each session by bank transfer

• If you are experiencing financial difficulties, please get in touch and we can discuss options

• If a session is not paid for we will be unable to proceed until payment is made

Ending Counselling

You are free to end counselling at any time. I would ask that where possible you give me some notice so we can plan an ending and review our work together. We will regularly check in on how you are finding the process throughout.

Contact

Email: pamela@personalmeaningcounselling.co.uk

Phone: 07902 332 652

Address: Moyness House, Nairn, IV12 5LB