Request a private assessmentI Want to go Ahead with a Referral: How do I do this?
Bristol Psychology Services is a referral service which matches clients seeking private therapy with a network of experienced, highly qualified therapists working independently across Bristol and the South West. In addition to face-to-face therapy in Bristol, we are able to refer Bristol clients, as well as those based across the UK, for E-Therapy / Online Therapy via online video call platforms such as Zoom or Skype.
We have provided some important information below about how our referral matching service works. We strongly recommend you read the question and answers below before completing the referral form.
Can You Help Me?
On the services page, we have outlined the main types of experiences the therapists affiliated with the service can help with for adults and children. If you have a concern which doesn’t seem to be listed, please send an enquiry via the website and we will let you know if it’s likely we can match your referral.
How Much will it Cost and How Do I Pay?
The psychologists and therapists affiliated with the service work independently so they set their own fees & these vary. The average fee charged is approximately £110 and the range of fees is around £90 to £180.
Self Funding
Most clients fund treatment themselves. Once you have arranged the first appointment, your therapist will let us know and Bristol Psychology Services will issue you with an invoice for this first session. The payment for the first session is due in advance of the scheduled appointment. You will need to pay your therapist directly for all subsequent sessions.
Health Insurance Funding
Some clients use private health insurance to pay for sessions. A limited number of therapists affiliated with the service are registered as approvided providers with leading private healthcare insurers, such as AXA PPP, Simply Health, Vitality (formerly PruHealth) and AVIVA. If you are funding with insurance, the therapist will liaise with your insurance provider to arrange payment.
If you are hoping to fund via insurance it’s worth contacting us in advance of completing a referral form to check if it’s likely there is a suitable affiliated therapist with the right insurance registration.
Other Third Party Funding
Some clients’ treatment is paid for via a third party, having been referred via solicitors or rehabiliation agencies. If such cases, we will normally liaise with the solicitor or agency before getting in touch with you.
Once the Referral Form is Completed, what Happens Next?
The Referral Coordinator for the service, or the Service Lead – who is a Clinical Psychologist – will carefully review your referral form and you / your child will be matched with an appropriate therapist affiliated with the service, based on your / your child’s individual needs and preferences. The therapist will then get in touch with you directly to arrange the first appointment.
Bristol Psychology Services will issue you with an invoice for this first session. The payment for the first session is due in advance of the scheduled appointment by bank transfer.
If a suitable therapist is not immediately available, we will hold the referral on our waiting list. The referral will then be matched with the next suitable available affiliate. The therapist will get in touch with you directly to arrange a convenient time for an assessment. All the therapists manage their own diaries so we are unable to book any appointments directly.
In the event that there is no suitable therapist that meets your needs, we will let you know and try to suggest alternative services.
Which Therapist will I See and Where do they Work?
A wide range of experienced Clinical Psychologists and Counselling Psychologists are affiliated (registered) with the service, along with a CBT Therapist and a Play Therapist. These affiliated therapists work independently (they are not employed by us), but they are selected based on their extensive training and the range of therapeutic services they can offer clients. Some of the affiliates work with adult clients only, some with children / adolescents only; some work with both children and adults.
Most of the affiliated therapists work in Bristol in the following areas: Central Bristol (Clifton, Cotham, The Harbour, Redcliffe); in South Bristol (Southville); and North / West Bristol (Redland, St Andrews, Bishopston). We also have affiliated therapists working with adults in South Gloucestershire and therapists working with adults and children in central Bath. Most therapists work from clinic rooms or therapy centres, some therapists practice from their own homes. In addition, many of the affiliated therapists offer E-Therapy / Online Therapy via video call platforms. Some of the affiliated therapists work entirely online.
Can I Choose Which Therapist I See?
We have extensive knowledge of the affiliated therapists’ training, skills and experience so we are very well placed to allocate the referral appropriately. However, some people contact us having identified a specific therapist they would like to see. We find it works best if you are willing to consider a range of therapists as waiting for one specific therapist can significantly increase wait time and can be problematic if that therapist pauses their clinical work during the time you are waiting to be matched with them. In addition, the prefered therapist may not have the required expertise, or they may not have clinics at the times you are able to attend appointments. That said, if you are very keen to see a specific therapist, we will do our best to facilitate this where possible.
What Information do You Need from Me?
On the referral form you will be asked to provide the following details about you or your child: name; date of birth; address; contact details; GP; an outline of the concern for which you would like to seek therapeutic support or psychological assessment.
We also ask you regarding the times you are available to attend appointments, if you have any preferences for the location of the clinic and if you prefer a therapist of a specific gender. The information you give us will help us to ascertain if there is an affiliated therapist with the required skills to support you, and if so, who might be best placed to work with you.
How Long will I Wait?
Unfortunately it’s very difficult to predict wait time as this fluctuates considerably. In addition, wait time is very dependent on the nature of the an individual client’s specific needs and the number of suitable therapists that would be a match for them. Please note, even at quieter times, we cannot offer immediate i.e. same week appointments because most therapists will have pre-booked appointments in advance with their existing clients.
Generally, once reviewed, referrals are placed on a waiting list, at least for a week or so, rather than being immediately matched. At times of high demand, wait time can be considerably longer. When a suitable therapist has appointments available they will get in touch with you directly.