Frequently Asked Questions

There are many reasons to see a psychologist. You might be going through a difficult time in your life; you might feel frustrated with certain repeated patterns in your life; or would like to understand yourself better and make more choices that work for you. Additionally, you might be experiencing physical, emotional and mental challenges and need help with those or would like to develop new coping skills. You can also see a psychologist as part of your own personal development process. Contact us to discuss any issue(s) and we would offer you an initial consultation to help you understand how psychological therapy could be of help and how we might address your concerns.

Psychologists can offer various psychological therapies and they are trained to choose the most appropriate therapy to meet your needs. Psychologists are trained to doctoral level to apply multiple therapeutic models in order to offer the right approach for specific difficulties rather than a more ‘generic’ approach. With the difference in training, level of experience and quality of our clinical treatment, psychologists’ fees are higher than that of counsellors or therapists. The psychological treatment you receive has a much greater likelihood of a positive outcome because it is scientifically researched and evidence-based. 

MakingWays is a community of psychologists who recognize the need to offer a service to people from all walks of life. We believe that each person we meet becomes a key part of our community and strive to support you to reach your desired potential. All our psychologists are highly trained and as a group, we aim to represent the communities we serve. This allows us to offer a high quality therapy service to our clients, with the highest standards.

We aim to contact you within 48 hours of your initial contact and offer you an initial free consultation within 7 days, followed by your psychological therapy sessions. 

MakingWays accepts payment via private insurance.

Our psychologists accept payment with all major private insurance companies like Bupa, AXA, Cigna, Aviva, Vitality, Healix, WPA, and Aetna

Once you meet with your psychologist, you will discuss what has happened, how it has impacted you and what you would like to work on. Your psychologist will then make a clinical decision with you in regard to what type of therapy would work best for you.  If you are not satisfied with our therapeutic approach, we are happy to discuss this with you and consider an alternative approach that fits with your needs.

The online sessions are comparable to face-to-face sessions. We offer the same type of interventions in both settings by our highly qualified psychologists.

People who choose online therapy can have the session wherever they are, as long as they have privacy to engage in a conversation. Face-to-face is often preferred by people who may lack privacy in their own homes. 

There is research evidence that suggest that online therapy is just as effectively as face-to-face therapy. In both settings, we endeavor to offer the human connection that is a key to the therapeutic process. 

Psychologists study for a minimum of seven years to achieve their first degree of Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology and then a Doctorate in a form of applied Psychology. Psychologists are trained in a range of  therapeutic approaches. They also undertake research and evaluation of the efficacy and effectiveness of treatments. This enables them to take an evidence based and a scientifically informed approach to the treatment of mental and emotional difficulties.

Therapists and counsellors have different training routes and are often only able to deliver a single therapy model rather than multiple approaches.

A psychiatrist is a qualified medical doctor who specialises in the field of psychiatry. This means that a psychiatrist can explore the physical cause for your difficulties as well as also suggest tests and prescribe medication, which only medical doctors are trained to do. 

The first session will help you and your therapist to get to know each other before you make a decision as to whether you feel that they are a good fit for you. You can develop a therapy plan for further ongoing sessions. The psychologist talk you through all the information you need to know about how the psychological therapy sessions will work. You will agree on the goals of your work together and the number of sessions you would like to have start with. 

When you will see progress varies from person to person as this depends on the nature of your difficulties. Some people may require short-term therapeutic approaches and they may start to notice progress sooner. Others may need to address long-standing issues and patterns, which would need long term therapy.  Your psychologist should be able to give you some guidance about what therapeutic approach is most suitable for your needs and the likely duration.

An initial session with your psychologist will give you an opportunity to see whether therapy is for you. You attendance is completely voluntary and you are not obligated to continue if you start and then think that you are not ready.  Often people find their first experience useful in helping them decide what they need from psychological therapy. You can discuss with us and can request to see another psychologist, although we encourage everyone to give the sessions some time before finalising any decisions.

What you talk about is confidential within the MakingWays Psychologists team and their supervisors. An exception to confidentiality is that if your psychologist thinks that you are a risk to yourself or to/ from others, they may contact other professionals involved in your care such as your General Practitioner or a next of kin. You will be involved in this process and a discussion will be had with you in the first place. At your first session, your psychologist will cover all these agreements with you to ensure you given have informed consent.

MakingWays is a private practice so we will not be communicating with outside parties and agencies about your care unless you give us permission to do so. In the section about confidentiality, we have highlighted the exception to this.  We request for GP details should we ever need to contact them, as part of our professional and ethical practice. We will not contact them without your informed consent. Please discuss any concerns you may have with this during your initial session. Your decision and your confidentiality will be respected.

You can cancel your appointment with 3 days’ notice. An appointment cancelled with less than 3 days’ notice will incur the full fee .

The general advise is that you would be in contact during your sessions. There may other situations where out session contacts may be required such as arranging appointment or depending on the therapeutic models. If you are experiencing a crisis, mental health emergency or are in danger due to thoughts of suicide, please go to your nearest emergency room (A&E) or call 999 or 112.