Book a session
Making the first approach is the hardest part
It is also the only part you have to do on your own. Fill in the four short steps below, or simply telephone. There is no waiting list and no assessment to pass.
Everything starts with a free 15-minute conversation. It costs nothing, commits you to nothing, and exists so that you can find out whether this feels like the right place before you spend any money on it.
First call
Free
Fifteen minutes, by phone or video, with no obligation.
We reply within
one working day
From a person at the practice, never an automated system.
Waiting list
None
First appointments are typically available within the same week.
Evening slots
Until 8pm
Weekday evenings and Saturday mornings are available.
Before anything else
What the free 15-minute call is for
It is a conversation, not an interview. Nothing you say on it is assessed, scored or written into a clinical record.
Most people arrive at a therapy website having read six others first, and still have no idea how to choose between them. Fifteen minutes on the phone tells you more than any amount of reading. You will hear how someone speaks to you, whether they interrupt, whether they seem to grasp what you are describing, and whether the thought of sitting in a room with them for an hour feels bearable.
That last one matters more than qualifications, models or methods. The strength of the working relationship is consistently one of the best-supported findings in psychotherapy research — across very different approaches, how well client and therapist work together tends to predict how useful the work turns out to be. So it is worth checking.
You might want to ask
- How do you usually work with something like this?
- What actually happens in a first session?
- How long do people normally come for?
- What happens if I do not want to talk about something?
- What would make you say I should see someone else?
We will ask you
- What has brought you to this now, rather than a year ago.
- What you would like to be different.
- Whether you have had therapy before, and how that went.
- Whether anything is currently unsafe for you or anyone else.
Short answers are fine. There is no need to prepare, and nobody expects you to be able to explain it well — being unable to put it into words yet is one of the most common reasons people call.
What the call is not
It is not a therapy session, and it is not an assessment you can fail. We keep only your contact details and a short note of what you are looking for. If you decide not to go ahead, that information is deleted — the privacy notice sets out how long everything is held.
Enquiry form
Tell us a little, in four short steps
Only your name and an email address are required. Everything else helps us offer you a time that actually works, but you can skip it.
Would you rather not fill in a form?
Plenty of people would not. Telephone, text or email instead — none of it is treated any differently.
- Telephone or text
- 07395 854051
Consulting hours
- Monday09:00–20:00
- Tuesday09:00–20:00
- Wednesday09:00–20:00
- Thursday09:00–20:00
- Friday09:00–17:00
- Saturday10:00–14:00
Calls outside these hours go to voicemail. Messages are not monitored overnight.
Want to know what it costs first? See the full fee list.
What happens next
From enquiry to first session
Six steps, none of them hurried. You can stop at any point and nobody will chase you.
A person reads it
Your enquiry is read by someone at the practice, not sorted by an automated system. We aim to reply within one working day, using only the method you agreed to.
We offer you a time for the free call
Usually two or three options, including evenings. If none of them work, say so — we would rather find a time that genuinely suits you than one you have to rearrange your life around.
The 15-minute call happens
By phone or video, whichever you prefer. No charge, no obligation, and no pressure to book anything at the end of it.
You decide, in your own time
Nobody chases you. If you want to think about it for a fortnight, think about it for a fortnight. The offer does not expire and you will not be followed up unless you have asked us to.
A first appointment is confirmed in writing
You receive the date and time, the address or the video link, the fee, and the cancellation policy — all before you arrive, so nothing on the day is a surprise.
If we are not the right fit, we say so
Sometimes what someone needs sits outside what this practice does well. When that is the case we will tell you straight away and point you towards something more suitable.
Confidentiality
Nobody is told that you were here
Not your employer, not your family, not your GP. The exceptions are few, they are set out below, and you will hear them again in your first session.
What you say stays between you and the practitioner. Sessions are not recorded. Notes are brief, kept securely, stored under UK GDPR, and never shared with anyone — including your GP or your insurer — without your specific written consent.
Clinical work is discussed in regular independent supervision. That is a standard safeguard across UK practice and it is how the quality of the work is kept honest. Your material is discussed without anything that identifies you, and the supervisor is bound by the same confidentiality.
The limits, stated plainly
Confidentiality would only be broken where:
- There is a serious and immediate risk to your life or someone else's.
- A child or an adult at risk appears to be in danger of significant harm.
- A court orders disclosure, or specific legislation such as the terrorism or money-laundering acts requires it.
Even then, wherever it is safe and possible, we would talk to you about it first and involve you in what happens next. Nothing is done behind your back if there is any way to avoid it.
Couples and family work has one extra rule worth knowing before you book: the practice does not hold secrets between people in the room. Anything told to the practitioner separately may need to be brought back into the shared work, and that is agreed with everyone at the outset.
If you need help now, this form is the wrong place
Family Restore Ltd is a private practice with scheduled appointments. It is not a crisis service, the enquiry form is not monitored out of hours, and nobody is watching this inbox overnight or at weekends. If you are in danger, or you cannot keep yourself safe, please use one of the services below instead. They are free, they are staffed around the clock, and using them is not an overreaction.
Emergency services
24 hours, every day
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, or a life is at risk, call 999 now.
NHS 111 — mental health option
24 hours, every day
Free NHS urgent mental health support. Call 111 and select the mental health option to speak to a trained adviser.
Samaritans
24 hours, every day
Free, confidential listening for anyone in distress. You do not have to be suicidal to call.
See the full list of urgent support services, including domestic abuse, under-19s and text-based options.
You do not have to be certain to get in touch
Ambivalence is normal, and it is not a reason to wait. The free call exists precisely so that undecided people have somewhere to start.