Key information
Crisis
Smart CBT+ is not for crisis situations. If you have an emergency, please use our emergency information to get help immediately.
Treatment paths
Seeking mental health treatment can be daunting or confusing at a time when you may feel vulnerable. I have made your care pathway clear to help your journey towards better mental health. Learn about what to expect.
Additional Signposting:
https://www.greenlighttrust.org/
Privacy
Your privacy is not only a legal requirement, but our top priority. Here is my full privacy notice.
Payment
Payment is taken before the session or latest at the end of a session. BACs payment or cash is accepted. 48 working hours notice is required for cancellation. Payment for a session is required for non-attendance or with less than 48 hours notice of cancellation. If you require support with funding treatment, you may find it useful to contact John Dorkin Charity, The Martineau Trust or http://ajslegacy.co.uk/AJ/ .
VAT notice
Why I charge VAT on psychotherapy services
Value Added Tax (VAT) is a tax most companies have to charge clients when they make a certain amount of revenue. VAT is a tax added to goods and services by a company on behalf of the Government. I am adamantly against VAT for psychotherapy services as I do not feel clients and patients should have to pay VAT for mental healthcare. Clinical psychologists are VAT exempt, meaning they do not have to charge VAT for their services. But psychotherapists are not VAT exempt, this discrepancy in legislation is deemed unfair by everyone I have spoken to. And the relevant therapy bodies are campaigning to change this.
Along with other UK therapists I am campaigning with the Government to get psychotherapy VAT exempt. I have spoken with the MP and also started a petition.
Please note: SmartCBT+ keeps £0 of the VAT charged, it all goes to the Government.
What does this mean and does it affect my therapy appointments
If you are a UK based client your sessions will have an added 20% VAT tax added.
Psychotherapy sessions charged at £100 will cost: £100 + 20 (20% VAT) = £120 per session.
I have strived to keep my services as cost effective as possible.
If like me, you disagree with VAT on mental health services, please write to your local MP
P.S. Here is a letter you can edit or send as is to your local MP. The more MPs that are aware of this issue the more momentum we can get around removing VAT from psychotherapy:
Dear [Insert MP Name],
I have been receiving therapy through a private clinic. Recently they have started charging VAT after hitting the VAT threshold. This means my mental healthcare bill has gone up 20% overnight.
Psychologists are VAT exempt, however psychotherapists are not. This disparity makes little sense. As I would be going through the same therapy whether I was seeing a psychologist or psychotherapist.
I appreciate that psychologists are VAT exempt because they are on the HCPC register, and therapists are not. However, from a therapy stand point there is no major difference in the care I would receive and therefore I am overpaying because the Government has not sorted out this inequality in mental health care taxation.
With the current strain on the NHS, and more people seeking private mental healthcare, removing VAT from psychotherapy would make a meaningful difference to those affected.
Please can you raise this in parliament and with the relevant people.
Thank you for your consideration,
[Your name]