We always encourage people to contact us if they’re unsure about starting or if they have any questions. We appreciate it can be a daunting first step, and we’re only a message away. 

If you feel ready to start though, go ahead and book your initial assessment with one of our friendly, qualified and experienced assessors. 

That’s not a problem. If you book your initial assessment and change your mind and cancel 48 hours beforehand, you’ll receive a full refund. If, after your initial assessment, you change your mind, you have 30 days to come back to us without needing to complete another initial assessment. 

We care about your safety, the safety our our counsellors, and we want your time in therapy to be meaningful. Therefore, the initial assessment is to ensure that you and Hammock are suitable for one another, and will help us match you with the right counsellor. 

Within 5 days of you completing your initial assessment, you will hear from your counsellor. Your counsellor  will introduce themself, send you a link to book your first session with them and will send you a written agreement.. During that first session, you will begin to get to know each other in person and your relationship with them will start to develop. You will also be able to discuss your availability and book future sessions. 

Initial assessments are conducted by qualified and highly experienced counsellors & supervisors. 100% of what we charge for the initial assessment is passed on directly to the assessor.  

This is different for everyone. And you will get a better sense of this after a few sessions. It’s even something you can discuss with your counsellor.

Life happens and sometimes sessions need to be cancelled.  Let your counsellor or the admin team know. If the session is cancelled more than 48 hours before the session you won’t be charged for it.

We offer person-centred therapy drawing heavily on psychodynamic philosophies. This means you will be met with empathy by a real counsellor who isn’t judgmental. You might want to wonder about some of the patterns in your current life are rooted in childhood dynamics

We don’t offer pure CBT in an NHS Talking Therapies sense.  Our counsellors integrate different modalities – predominantly person-centred and psychodynamic philosophies. They are all CBT informed and so will incorporate these principles into the work where relevant.

The following are considered by Hammock Counselling to be the cornerstones of psychodynamic counselling:

1. The relationship between counsellor and client is central to the counselling work. The relationship is based on respect, concern, empathy, genuineness and acknowledgement of the client’s feelings.
2. Feelings and thoughts, which the counsellor experiences in the sessions with the client, can be useful for further understanding and exploration.
3. Issues arising out of the relationship between counsellor and client may be used to illuminate the client’s patterns of relating.
4. The client’s family history and previous life experiences are important to help understand current difficulties.
5. Psychodynamic counselling is based on a belief in the existence of the unconscious, and that unconscious as well as conscious attitudes influence behaviour and relationships. 

You can learn more about this here. 

You can read about this here.

We use a platform called Janeapp. It is entirely secure – data and calls are encrypted. All information is also GDPR compliant.

50 minutes

During the initial assessment you will be asked about any preferences you have for a counsellor.

No, we work exclusively online.

Sessions are between you and the counsellor only. So you will need a confidential space where you won’t be interrupted for the duration of the session. This could include a room in your house, an office, or your car. In terms of equipment you will need the hardware you use for Teams/GoogleMeet/Zoom. You will need a stable internet connection. Bear in mind that if you use your phone outside your home it will use quite a lot of data if you’re not using Wi-Fi. For more tips, see here. 

We want to increase accessibility to therapy by charging less.

Our therapists are volunteers in training supported by a vastly experienced clinical team including supervision. Because we operate exclusively online we don’t need to cover costs such as rent.

Nope, but if you want to you can.

That’s ok and many aren’t. Your counsellor will be there to help you navigate this.

Short answer YES. Long answer yes, unless something comes up where there is a risk of serious harm to you or others. If you are engaging in money laundering or terrorism.  In these instances your counsellor has an obligation to speak to the appropriate people.

Your personal information and notes are held on a secure platform which is GDPR compliant, secure and encrypted.

I’m sorry to hear you had a bad experience with therapy before. A bad experience could be for a number of reasons. We have exceptional clinical and admin teams. We listen.

Yes, we recognise that many people simply aren’t available for sessions during the ‘traditional’ 9-5.

We are inclusive and want to be available to as many as possible. If you have a disability and want to explore how Hammock can be there for you, please do get in touch.

Unfortunately we can’t work with clients outside of the UK. 

Doubt and anxiety are great things to explore with a counsellor.
Counselling is a commitment to yourself and to a relationship with your counsellor. Sessions will take place at the same time every week. If you can give yourself that time and space then it probably is the right time.