Terms of Service

The Grove’s terms of service for therapy

All therapy bookings are deemed to be made in acceptance of these terms of service, whether reserved through The Grove’s website or arranged directly with one of The Grove’s directors: the therapist.

Initial Consultations are suitable for individual clients or for couple therapy.  Robert, Elliot, and Sarah each work with individuals or couples.

Appointments are scheduled for 50 minutes from the start of the booked appointment time. Every session will end at the closure of the 50-minute appointment from the scheduled start time, regardless of the time that the client arrives.

Sessions ordinarily take place at The Grove Practice, 4 Wimpole Street, London W1G 9SH. For COVID-security reasons, currently all sessions are taking place remotely via Zoom or by telephone. We intend to return to face-to-face work when we believe it is safe and prudent to do so, taking into account government guidelines to inform our decision-making process.

Each booking with online payment is deemed by The Grove to be a client commitment to the selected appointment time, mirroring the time commitment being made by the therapist.

The Grove’s policy is that missed appointments, rescheduled bookings, or cancelled sessions are chargeable in full.

In the event of a client being unable to attend their booked appointment, the therapist expects to be notified as soon as the client knows that their attendance is compromised. Depending on the situation, the therapist might be able to offer an alternative appointment, or waive the fee in exceptional circumstances; any such offer is at the discretion of the therapist.

The Grove does not operate a cancellation period such as 24 or 48 hours. We find that often we are holding diary time in good faith, for longer than the notice clients can give us regarding cancellation. We prefer to hold a conversation regarding the applicable circumstances to determine whether discretion can be applied – because we view therapy as a relational dialogue.

The Grove expects the therapist to:

  • Respect confidentiality about the content of client sessions and protect data security, according to professional guidelines.
  • Abide by the code of ethics of their professional association(s), including a requirement for regular supervision and ongoing skills training.
  • Advise you in a timely way before any planned absences such as holiday breaks. 
  • Maintain confidentiality unless there is sufficient concern about the risk of harm to you as my client and/or someone else, or if I am required to give evidence in court.

The Grove expects therapy clients to:

  • Commit to attending regular sessions, usually on a weekly basis, unless alternative scheduling is specifically agreed with the therapist.
  • Attend punctually, given that each session lasts for 50 minutes from the booked appointment time.
  • Pay the fee per 50-minute session, on the day of the appointment, unless alternative payment arrangements are agreed with the therapist, such as private health insurance. Fees are reviewed annually.
  • Provide the private health insurance billing details and authorisation code for any billing direct to the insurer. This is on the understanding that the client commits to pay any policy excess, or to pay the fees privately if the policy cover is deemed by the insurer to have expired.
  • Pay for missed, rescheduled or cancelled sessions, unless a pre-planned absence is agreed at the discretion of the therapist; or in the case of insurance-funded therapy, to acknowledge that any missed, rescheduled, or cancelled sessions can be billed to the insurer.
  • Acknowledge the importance of a therapeutic ending by attending one pre-planned ending session, usually arranged in advance with the therapist. The ending session usually arranged at least one week in advance, to allow time for reflection and preparation in respect of the joint endeavour in the therapy work undertaken.

Complaint and Grievance Procedure adopted by The Grove Practice:

In the event of any complaint, a written submission must be made to a Director of the company who will investigate the matter. If requested to do so, the complainant agrees to attend a meeting with the Director.  

Depending on the circumstances, it may be necessary to involve the therapist and another Director of The Grove as part of the investigation. 

All those involved agree to respect confidentiality and act professionally at all times.  

The Director will aim to respond to the complainant in writing as soon as possible and with the outcome and any recommended next steps.

If the complainant believes that matters have not been handled satisfactorily, an appeal may be submitted in writing without unreasonable delay, outlining the reason/s. The appeal will be reviewed by a next-level Director with no prior involvement or an independent moderator, whichever is deemed appropriate, and an outcome will be given as soon as possible.

August 2019

The complainant may also approach the therapist’s professional membership organisation/s according to the applicable complaint process and code of ethics.