Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Clinical Psychologist?

Clinical Psychologists are qualified professionals who are skilled in helping people with their mental health and have undergone many years of training. They have experience of working with people of all ages and walks of life, who are experiencing a range of difficulties which impacts their mental health. To find out about the team and their experience, please see About Me. Clinical Psychologists are required to be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council so you can be assured of our standards. 

What is a CBT Therapist?

A CBT therapist is a someone qualified specifically in deliverying Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). CBT is a type of talking therapy helps you to learn more helpful ways of thinking and reacting in everyday situations. Changing the way you think, and what you do, can help you to feel better. It aims to improve your state of mind by teaching you to spot the links between your thoughts, actions and feelings.

A CBT therapist has undergone specialist trianing in CBT and can work with a range of difficulties. It has been shown to be effective for Anxiety, Depression, Sleep Difficulties, Self Esteem, Anger and many other conditions, for both children and adults. It is often the first line recommended treatment by NICE.

Do I need therapy?

Only you can decide if you need therapy and more importantly are ready for therapy. Sometimes if you are unsure, it is helpful to know how therapy can help you. Therapy aims to offer you a space where you can talk about and explore the things that you are finding difficult in life without judgement. Sometimes this can be a specific problem, for example anxiety or low mood, or even day to day issues such as struggling to sleep or stress, but other times it is not so clear. As a result, we often develop ways of coping with situations that work in the short-term but create problems in the longer-term. Therapy can help you to understand what the cause is, how it impacts you and the strategies you are currently using and how to manage and overcome it.

Sometimes things that are happening now and in the present, can bring up thoughts and feelings of our past and what we have experienced that we may or may not be aware of. The impact of our early experience can result in problems with the way we manage stress, leave us feeling anxious or low, have an impact on the way we relate to others and many other issues. Gaining a better understanding of this and being able to recognise the impact give us the ability to make room for new healthier coping strategies. We can’t change the past, but we can learn to move on from it.

If you are unsure whether therapy is right for you, feel free to Contact Me for a free 20-minute consultation.

What happens during therapy?

Therapy can feel scary, but more often that not, you find a creative way to think about your problems. Sometimes this with be through talking and applying psychological knowledge to your difficulties; at other times this might be through problem solving and carrying out exercises and tasks which help you challenge the problem. What happens in sessions is largely dependent on what the difficulty is and how you want to tackle it.

Psychologists like us take time to understand the problem and create a formulation as to what we think the root is. Formulation involves pulling information together and applying psychological knowledge to understand how it impacts you as an individual and forms the foundation of the work. This then leads to the plan of work we do together. The formulation is constantly reviewed throughout our work to make sure we are on the right track and ensure it continues to feel helpful and relevant.

How long are sessions and how long will I need to see you for?

We usually do an 90-minute initial assessment; this gives us plenty of time to gather the information needed to start a formulation (described in the above question) and create a plan of how we will work together. Follow up sessions tend to be 55 minutes, however sometimes people need longer or shorter sessions and this can be negotiated.

Depending on what you bring to therapy, your goals and your wishes, the duration is guided by what we agree in the initial assessment at as we review. It is hard to know exactly how long you will need to or want to attend therapy. Sometimes a short amount can go a long way and that is enough; other times you may need / want more sessions. We hope that in our time together, you will feel empowered to move on and my goal is to teach you how to live your life in the way you want. We frequently review our progress with you and always ensure that we can support you to move on as soon as you feel able to do so.

When and where will I be seen?

Our main base is Sutton Coldfield, however we can occasionally arrange clinics in other locations including Coventry. We can also offer therapy online via Zoom. Occasionally, it may be that other venues or home visits can be arranged, but this will depend on your needs and whether there is availability for this. Please see the Contact page for details of the clinics and to get in touch if you have any questions.

Our clincians offer a range of day time and evening appointments during the week. Naturally evening appointments are the most requested and it may be difficult for us to fit this in. We will endeavour to find a suitable time for you. Please get in touch to find out our current availability.

How much does it cost and how do I pay?

We offer an initial 20-minute telephone consultation with Dr Lakshman (Lucky) Ganatra, free of charge. This will help you decide if therapy is the right option, what availability we have and if you feel that we are the right fit for you.

Fees will vary depending on the work being requested and whether you are self-funding or funding through private medical insurance. Contact me for our fee schedule.

Self-funding

If you are self-funding, payment is required at least 48 hours prior to any session. Payments can be made by bank transfer. It may be possible to pay in cash at the end of each session but must be agreed in advance.

Private Medical Insurance (PMI)

If you are being funded through PMI, the payment method varies depending on your insurance provider. Some will require you to pay for the treatment yourself and then claim the money back (reimbursement policy); or some insurance companies will allow us to invoice directly (usually requires registration).

Only Dr Lakshman (Lucky) Ganatrs is currently recognised as a provider for AXA PPP, Aviva and WPA. If you have insurance with another provider, please find out if they accept independent providers or if you have a reimbursement policy. Alternatively, contact me and we will advise whether we are able to apply for recognition with the insurance provider. If you are intending to use PMI, you must speak to your insurance provider first to request authorisation before any sessions can be offered. They may require some form of referral letter to confirm that you require psychological therapy; please check your policy or speak with your provider. If the insurance company is refusing to pay the fee, you will be liable for the full fee.

 

Payments need to be made via bank transfer at least 48 hours prior to the appointment. Bank details will be provided to you to make payment.

What if I need to cancel my appointment or I can’t attend?

A minimum of 48 hours’ notice is required to cancel an appointment. The full fee is chargeable for appointments cancelled at short notice (within 48 hours). If you have an unexpected emergency whereby you can’t attend the appointment, please contact us as soon as possible; we always try to be understanding and will attempt to re-arrange. Appointments missed without notice are charged at the full rate and are non-refundable. Where you are paying through PMI, please check your non-attendance policy, usually PMI companies will expect you to pay for cancellations or non-attendance.

Will my sessions be confidential and what happens with my information?

We take confidentiality very seriously and this will be discussed with you in your first session. At a basic level, all that is discussed in sessions and all associated written notes will be kept confidential.

Work with under 18s is slightly different as usually it is the parent/adult who has asked for support. Where the young person is seen on their own, we often ask parent/adult to attend for the last 5-10 minutes of the session to provide a summary/overview of what was discussed. We will always discuss with the young person what is shared if it helpful.

There are, however, a few exceptions to confidentiality. Some referrers or PMI companies require a report about the outcome of assessment or interventions, although what is included in those reports can be negotiated.

There may also be times where sharing information with other healthcare or social care professional may be useful and required by law. For example, if someone discloses information that indicates they may be at serious risk to themselves or others, we would be required to pass this information on to the relevant authority. Whilst we would aim to discuss this with you, this is not always possible.

We keep notes during our sessions. We will always keep your information confidential and secure and my systems are GDPR compliant. You can read more information about our Data Privacy Policy here.