Counselling Terms & Conditions

Headstrong Policies

 

Terms of Use

By accessing and using the Headstrong platform — including any websites or applications owned or operated by Headstrong or third parties on its behalf — you agree to these Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. You consent to Headstrong using your contact details to communicate with you about your assessment and counselling, and for any other purposes for which you provide separate consent.

You agree not to use the platform for any unlawful purpose, or in any way that could damage, overburden, or impair it, or interfere with any other person's use of it. All content on the platform — including text, graphics, logos, images, and software — is the property of Headstrong or its suppliers and is protected by copyright and applicable intellectual property law.

Headstrong reserves the right to update these Terms at any time. Continued use of the platform following notification of changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

 

Our Services

Headstrong Counselling — Trainee Service

Headstrong Counselling provides affordable counselling delivered by trainee counsellors who are clinically supervised by Qualified Healthcare Professionals (QHPs). Session fees range from £25 to £35 per session, depending on income. Higher-income clients are invited to pay a £35 sponsorship fee, which directly supports those who cannot afford the lower rate.

Trainee counsellors work voluntarily and receive clinical supervision, CPD supervision, further training, and safeguarding support through Headstrong Counselling. They adhere to the BACP Ethical Framework.

Where clinical need requires it, Headstrong may refer clients to Headstrong PRO or signpost them to specialist services or their GP.

Headstrong PRO

Headstrong PRO is an allocations and matching service — not a counselling provider. It connects clients with independent, qualified practitioners (including those with post-graduate or equivalent training who are registered with a recognised professional body) through its platform.

Practitioners on the platform have been vetted by Headstrong PRO and remain fully and directly responsible for the client relationship and the quality of their clinical practice. Headstrong PRO does not supervise clinical practice and does not handle complaints of a clinical or professional nature.

Session fees via Headstrong PRO: Up to £40 per session (+£1.20 VAT on the Headstrong PRO service). If the practitioner is VAT-registered, the maximum total cost per session is £49.2.

 

Who We Can Help

Headstrong services are designed for individuals experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties, such as low mood, anxiety, stress, bereavement, relationship concerns, or personal development.

We are not a crisis service or a substitute for emergency or specialist mental health care. If your presentation is assessed as requiring a more specialist level of support, we will signpost you to appropriate services, which may include:

• Your GP

• NHS Talking Therapies

• Adult Mental Health Team (AMHT)

• The Hub or Single Point of Access (SPA)

If you are in immediate danger, please call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. If you are in crisis, please call 111 (option 2) or contact the Samaritans on 116 123 (free, 24/7).

Headstrong Counselling and Headstrong PRO are not substitutes for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Therapists and Trainees Seeking Personal Therapy

If you are a qualified therapist or a trainee seeking personal counselling, your assessment will be automatically directed to Headstrong PRO.

UK Residency

Clients are required to reside in the UK for the majority of their sessions with us. This is in part due to insurance requirements, accreditation standards, and the need to ensure appropriate risk management and compliance.

 

The Client Pathway

Step 1 — Initial Contact

Visit the Headstrong website to learn about our services and begin the registration process.

Step 2 — Assessment Booking

All prospective clients are required to complete a clinical assessment before being matched with a practitioner. The assessment fee is £45, managed through Acuity Scheduling with payment via Stripe.

Step 3 — Clinical Assessment

The 50-minute assessment gives you the opportunity to discuss your needs and for our clinical team to understand how best to support you. All assessments are delivered remotely. Assessments are overseen by QHPs, who review presenting concerns, clinical complexity, diagnoses, medications, and any risk factors.

Please ensure you are in a private, confidential space for your assessment. If this is not possible, the assessor may need to end the session.

A member of our clinical team may contact you before your assessment to discuss information provided in your booking form, and to determine whether the assessment should proceed.

Step 4 — Triage Decision

Following the assessment, the clinical triage team — not the assessor — reviews your information and determines the most appropriate outcome. One of three decisions is reached:

 

Outcome	Details	Fee
Trainee Service	Presentation is mild to moderate and a trainee placement is appropriate.	£25–£35/session
Headstrong PRO	Presentation is mild to moderate, but the triage team determines that a qualified practitioner is more appropriate for the client's presenting concerns. The client will be contacted to discuss this.	£41.20/session
Signposted Away	Needs fall outside Headstrong's scope; client is guided to appropriate services and discharged.	—

 

Step 5 — Allocation

Once the triage decision has been made, you will be matched with a suitable counsellor based primarily on your clinical needs and practitioner availability. We will try to take your preferences into account but cannot guarantee they will be met.

Counsellor Preferences

We take your preferences into account during the matching process, but cannot guarantee they will be met — availability varies and this is a low-cost service. Where your preferred match is not available, we will offer the next best available option. We are able to consider the following preferences:

• Gender of counsellor

• Cultural or ethnic background

• LGBTQIA+ affirming practice

• Therapeutic modality

We are unable to accommodate preferences beyond those listed above, including specific age, religion, language requirements beyond English, or physical characteristics.

Step 6 — Contracting Session

Your first session with your matched practitioner will establish the therapeutic contract, discuss confidentiality and its limits, and clarify your goals for therapy.

Step 7 — Ongoing Therapy

Therapy proceeds on weekly open-ended basis, guided by clinical need and your therapeutic goals. There is no fixed session limit. All session arrangements — including changes, cancellations, and rescheduling — are managed directly between you and your counsellor.

Step 8 — Ending & Discharge

Endings are led by you, in collaboration with your counsellor. When you feel ready to conclude therapy, please raise this with your counsellor directly. A planned ending typically includes a review of progress, processing of the ending, and discussion of any onward support. Your counsellor will formally record your discharge on the Headstrong system.

 

Assessments — Cancellations & Rescheduling

Cancellations & Rescheduling

Assessments can be rescheduled or cancelled up to 48 hours before the appointment without charge. Within 48 hours, a new booking must be made through the website.

If you are more than 15 minutes late to your assessment, the session cannot proceed and rescheduling without charge will not be available, as Headstrong incurs costs to pay the assessor.

No refund is provided if you withdraw from the service after the assessment, or if the clinical team determines that the service is not suitable for your needs.

If the pre-screening questionnaire indicates your presentation is not suitable for a remote assessment, you will be informed and the assessment will be cancelled and refunded.

Safety

If there are concerns about your safety or the safety of others, your GP or emergency services may be contacted. Where possible, you will be informed of any such communication.

Headstrong also has a legal and ethical responsibility to report drug trafficking and possible terrorist activity.

 

Headstrong Counselling — Session Frequency & Cancellation

The Headstrong Counselling trainee service offers weekly sessions only. This is a condition of the service and reflects the clinical requirements of trainee practice.

Cancellations must be made at least 7 days before your scheduled session. Cancellations made within 7 days will incur the full session fee. This policy is in place because trainee counsellors are not paid for their time, and late cancellations have a direct impact on their training hours and practice.

 

Reallocation

Reallocation to a different counsellor is available once only during your time with Headstrong. As a low-cost service, we are not able to offer a bespoke matching experience. If you are looking for greater choice and flexibility in selecting your therapist, we would encourage you to seek private therapy.

Before requesting a reallocation, please raise this with your current counsellor directly — many concerns can be resolved within the therapeutic relationship. If reallocation remains appropriate, your counsellor will contact Headstrong on your behalf.

Reallocation is not a route to accessing a more specialist service. If your needs require a more specialist approach, you will be supported to access appropriate services elsewhere.

Headstrong reserves the right to be unable to offer continued therapy where no suitable counsellor is available. While we may have been able to make an initial match, we cannot guarantee that an alternative counsellor will be available in the event of a re-allocation request. In such circumstances, we will inform you and, where possible, signpost you to other services.

 

Confidentiality & Data Protection

Your privacy and the security of your personal information are important to us. All personal data is processed in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Please refer to our Privacy Notice for full details.

What We Share and With Whom

• Your contact details and relevant referral information will be shared with your allocated counsellor to facilitate your therapy.

• The content of your therapy sessions is confidential between you and your counsellor. If you are seen through Headstrong Counselling, the clinical team has access to clinical notes for supervision and safeguarding purposes. Headstrong PRO does not have access to session content or clinical notes.

• Session notes and client records are stored securely on our system by your counsellor, in line with their professional body's guidance.

Limits of Confidentiality

Confidentiality may be broken in limited circumstances, including where there is an immediate and serious risk to life, or where there is a legal or statutory obligation to share information. Your counsellor will explain the limits of confidentiality at the start of your work together.

Trainee Counsellors and Training Institutions

If you are working with a trainee counsellor, they are required to share basic anonymised information with their training institution, including logs of therapy and supervision hours and standards of proficiency records. You will not be identifiable from this information. You are under no obligation to consent to this. If you do not wish your information to be used in this way, please inform your assessor or counsellor — your assessment or therapy will continue as normal.

Some trainees may also be required to audio-record sessions. This requires your consent and recordings are not held or stored by Headstrong.

Your Rights

You have the right to request access to any personal data held about you by Headstrong at any time. Please see our privacy policy for further information. 

 

Complaints

Headstrong PRO – Concerns About Clinical or Professional Conduct

Headstrong PRO is an allocations service and is not able to handle, adjudicate, or mediate clinical or professional complaints.

Please raise concerns directly with your counsellor in the first instance. If unresolved, complaints about professional conduct should be directed to your counsellor's professional body — such as BACP (bacp.co.uk) or UKCP (ukcp.org.uk).

For concerns about your allocation, reallocation, waiting times, or the administration of the service, please contact Headstrong PRO directly and we will do our best to assist.

Headstrong Counselling — Trainee Service

Complaints can be submitted through the Headstrong Counselling website, with confidentiality maintained in line with our Privacy Policy.

 

Conduct & Platform Use

All clients and counsellors are expected to engage with the platform and with each other respectfully and professionally. Any form of abuse directed at counsellors or Headstrong staff will not be tolerated and may result in immediate discharge.

Clients should not attempt to contact their counsellor via personal social media or any channels outside those agreed within therapy. Counsellors will not follow or engage with clients on personal social media during the therapeutic relationship. If either party becomes aware of a connection that may affect the therapeutic relationship, this should be raised at the earliest opportunity.

Fraudulent activity, misrepresentation of information, or misuse of the platform may result in discharge and, where appropriate, referral to relevant authorities.

 

Equality & Non-Discrimination

Headstrong Counselling adheres to the BACP Ethical Framework and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status. Clients with disabilities are encouraged to inform us at the point of booking so we can make appropriate arrangements.

 

Protect Black Women Initiative

As part of the Protect Black Women Initiative, assessments are provided free of charge. A 48-hour cancellation and rescheduling policy applies. If you need to reschedule within 48 hours of your appointment, a £25 charge will apply.

Following your assessment, a QHP will conduct a clinical review to determine suitability. If appropriate, your case will be transferred to Headstrong PRO, where participating therapists are trained and qualified to provide culturally appropriate support.

Eligible clients may access a maximum of six sessions at no cost or a subsidised rate, subject to funding availability. Sessions must be booked and used within three months of your assessment date, using the email address registered at booking. Please note the 48-hour cancellation policy also applies to these sessions. No additional free or subsidised sessions will be provided where this policy is not followed.

If you wish to continue beyond subsidised sessions, you may continue with your qualified counsellor at £40 per session (+ £1.20 VAT), or transfer to our low-cost trainee service, subject to a clinical review confirming suitability.

 

Headstrong Counselling and Headstrong PRO reserve the right to modify these policies at any time. Changes will be communicated to clients.

Last updated: April 2026