The Brixton Practice is a radically relational counselling and psychotherapy service. We also offer related and complementary services. 

Our team of counsellors and psychotherapists are split into four tiers: 

• Affiliate therapists are fully qualified practitioners and have been instrumental in the development of The Brixton Practice. 

• Therapists are fully qualified practitioners. 

• Training therapists are practitioners in the latter stages of their training and working in private practice.  

Affiliate therapists, therapists, and training therapists practice independently and hold clinical responsibility for their client work.

Our fourth tier - trainee therapists - are at various stages in their training. They are on placement with The Brixton Practice. The trainee therapists make up our Low-Cost Therapy Service for individual psychotherapy. They are, in all cases, supervised at The Brixton Practice and clinical responsibility is held by The Brixton Practice. 

Within our tiers of counsellors and psychotherapists, we have psychologists available. We also offer complementary therapy services. 

The first thing to decide is if you would like to access our Low-Cost Therapy for individual psychotherapy, or work with one of our individual practitioners. 

If you would like to access our Low-Cost Services, we will need to complete an assessment with you. To request a low-cost assessment, please book onto one of the available slots in the diary on our low-cost therapy page and fill out the information required. Once your assessment is completed, in most cases we will assign you to one of our low-cost therapists. You can read about your assigned therapist by going to meet the team. In some cases we will signpost you to other services we think will better meet your current needs.

If you would like to book in with any of our independent practitioners (those not part of our low-cost service), one route is to look at our practitioner profiles, see who looks a good fit, then contact them directly. The other option is contact us, fill out our online screening form, and we will help match you with the right therapist for your needs.

With the information you provide, we will send you 1-3 recommendations of therapists, including links to their profile. You can then let us know who you would like to book in with. We will send you and your therapist an email introducing each other. Don’t worry if you feel the first therapist you see isn’t the right fit. Just let the office know and we can introduce you to one of the other therapists we have recommended.

Booking an initial consultation is the first opportunity for you to experience what it would be like to work with the therapist. You might find it helpful to have initial consultations with a few different therapists, to see who you feel most at ease with. The important thing to consider when meeting a therapist for the first time, is whether you feel you can build a trusting relationship with this person. Think about whether you feel comfortable and cared for by this person. Do you feel good towards them? These reflections will help you decide the best therapist for your sessions.

We encourage a radically relational approach at our centre. Some of our therapists lean more heavily into relationality than others. All our therapists have their own framework for a first consultation, so please bear this in mind. Some of our therapists will complete a formal assessment with you. You may also like to discuss what your goals for therapy are. This is your opportunity to ask any questions you have about starting therapy. We will ask you why you have decided to start therapy, including sharing anything you think is significant in your past, present or future, regarding your psychological wellbeing.

Towards the end of your consultation, together with your therapist, you will have the chance to reflect on the session. Your therapist will discuss with you if you feel you are a good match for each other. Some of our clients like to decide immediately if they want to book further sessions. Other clients like to reflect on their experience before making any decisions. It’s completely up to you. If you decide the therapist isn’t a good fit for you, just email us and you can book in with one of our other recommended therapists.

When seeing an independent private therapist, some therapists charge a full fee for their initial consultation, others offer a reduced fee or a free session. Also, please bear in the mind that the length of your initial consultation will differ depending on which therapist you see. Some provide a 15-minute session, whilst others maybe 30 minutes or a full session length. The framework of the initial consultation varies from therapist to therapist. You might want to ask your therapist in the introductory email about their framework - the cost, whether it’s in-person, online, or by phone, and the length.

Your first session for low-cost individual therapy will be a full 50-minutes session - charged at the low-cost rate that has been agreed.

Counselling and psychotherapy can help people develop resilience when dealing with specific life situations and mental health illnesses and disorders. We can help with any diagnoses, but we do need to assess where you are at in those diagnoses, to decide whether psychotherapy is the right course of action at this moment in your process. Counselling and psychotherapy are very helpful in supporting clients with a range of issues, including anxiety, depression, OCD and addiction. Our therapists work with you to address these challenges and help you move through them. We don’t predominantly work from a medical perspective at The Brixton Practice. Our therapists focus on gaining deeper insights into the origins of emotional challenges, so our clients can discover better ways to heal.

You may want to use your therapy to focus on specific issues you may be experiencing, and that will help you find ways to cope or change your perspective. You may want to use therapy to focus on how you are in the world, which we consider a more in-depth process, where we deal with personality structures and patterns of behaviour. When you focus on a particular issue, that tends to be short-term work. The more in-depth work tends to be a longer therapeutic process.

Individual therapy sessions at The Brixton Practice are 50-minutes long. Couples therapy varies in length, but typically lasts from 50 minutes to 1.5 hours. Session fees vary considerably, dependent on the therapist’s experience, qualifications and whether a concession rate is offered. 

Typically, fees are:

Psychologists £100 to £150

Counsellors and Psychotherapists £60 to £100

Training Therapist £40 to £55

Trainee Therapist (Low-Cost Individual Therapy Service):

Tier 1 (0-100 clinical hours) = £25

Tier 2 (100-250 clinical hours) = £32.50

Tier 3 (250-450 clinical hours) = £40

Complementary Therapists £50 to £95

Psychologist Reports From £300‍

Screenings at The Brixton Practice are free. Some of our independent therapists offer a reduced-rate initial consultation, whilst some offer a free session, and others charge their standard rate.

Low-Cost Therapy assessments at The Brixton Practice are free.

Like our physical health needs, our mental health needs are vastly broad in spectrum. This means the length of therapy required varies. For some people, short-term therapy - as little as 1 or 2 sessions - is enough. For others, 6-12 sessions may be sufficient. For some clients, open-ended psychotherapy may be required to help process deeper complexities. We generally consider open-ended therapy as anything from 3 months to several years.

During your initial consultation, information gathered about what has caused you to seek therapy will allow your therapist to give you a clearer idea of therapy length required. However, therapy is a fluid process, and adjustments can always be made as you progress and your needs change.

Everything discussed in therapy is confidential. The only time when this is not the case, is if your therapist is concerned you are an immediate risk of harm to yourself or others. The only other time confidentiality could be breached is if information is requested by a court order.

Your therapist will always want to discuss with you first if they feel breaching confidentiality might be necessary, so that the right decision can be made collaboratively. The only incidence when this would not be the case, is if it were felt it would significantly increase the risk that immediate harm could come to you or to others. Each therapist will have their own take on confidentiality, and we suggest if you have any concerns to speak to your therapist about what their policy is regarding confidentiality.

Independent therapists at The Brixton Practice are clinically responsible for their clients. Although they have supervisors, they remain responsible for their work. For our low-cost therapy service for individual psychotherapy, clinical responsibility is with The Brixton Practice, therefore any decision to breach confidentiality is between the trainee therapist and The Brixton Practice.

To book an appointment with an independent private practitioner at The Brixton Practice, please contact us. You can complete an online screening form, and we will help match you with the right therapist for your needs. If you would like to book directly with your chosen therapist, please look at our practitioner profiles for their contact details.

If you wish to access our Low-Cost Service, we will need to complete an assessment with you. Please book onto one of the available slots in the diary on our Low-Cost Therapy page and fill out the information requested. Once your assessment is complete, we will assign you to one of our low-cost therapists.

At The Brixton Practice, we have therapists ranging from counsellors to psychotherapists and psychologists. Counsellors will typically be trained up to degree level. Our psychotherapists are typically trained up to a Masters degree and above. However, there is no fixed framework for how counsellors and psychotherapists are differentiated within the mental health sector. Psychotherapy is an umbrella term that encompasses counsellors and other types of therapists - integrative, Gestalt, TA etc. There are many different psychotherapy trainings. Counsellors tend to be trained to a lower level, but counselling is still a form of psychotherapy. A psychotherapist is a general term to describe professionals who help people with their psychology.

We also have psychologists in our team at The Brixton Practice. A psychologist has an academic background in psychology and then goes on to specialise in mental health. Counsellors and psychotherapists are normally trained by counselling and psychotherapy organisations - they are non-medically informed. A psychologist tends to be trained in the NHS - they sit somewhere between being medically and non-medically informed. A psychiatrist is fully medically informed - they train at medical school, become a doctor, and then train in psychiatry. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specialises in mental health. A counsellor or psychotherapist can come from all walks of academic and professional backgrounds.

A life coach is a professional who supports and guides individuals in achieving their personal and professional goals. They help clients identify their strengths and weaknesses, set meaningful goals, and develop strategies to overcome obstacles and achieve their desired outcomes. Unlike therapists, life coaches focus on the present and future, helping clients move forward rather than reflecting on past issues. Coaches typically receive training from a variety of places, including specialised training providers, professional coaching bodies, and some universities.

At The Brixton Practice, we have low-cost therapists who are in training. Level 1 therapists will typically have 0-100 clinical hours, level 2 therapists will typically have 100-250 clinical hours, and level 3 therapists will typically have 250-450 clinical hours. They charge for therapy in relation to their level of experience.

At The Brixton Practice, we have Couples Workshops led by Madeleine Reed - a registered Psychotherapist and trained Couples Therapist. These workshops are a great option for couples who are looking to brush up on healthy relational skills. Over six weeks, you’ll be taught in small groups of no more than 4-5 couples - to keep things intimate. You’ll learn evidence based interventions from The Gottman Method, that will help your relationship thrive. 

These couples workshops can be a complement to private couples therapy, or as an alternative for clients who are on a tight budget. A couples workshop is not quite therapy, although it can be very therapeutic. No personal sharing is required.  We aim to keep these workshops intimate, interactive and light-hearted. Applications are required via our couples workshops page.

At The Brixton Practice, we welcome feedback and take all concerns and complaints seriously. Your voice matters, and we’re committed to creating a safe, supportive environment for everyone who accesses our services.

Whilst we can handle complaints directly related to our low-cost service (trainee therapists who are on placement with The Brixton Practice working as part of our Low-Cost Therapy Service), please note that we do not hold formal authority to manage complaints about independently practicing therapists. However, we are here to support you and can help direct you to the appropriate professional body if needed. For our low-cost individual psychotherapy service, the therapists are trainees who we are clinically responsible for.

We strive to address concerns and complaints in a collaborative and relational way. If a complaint involves an independent therapist, we will always seek their consent before becoming involved and may advise that the matter be taken directly to their regulatory organisation if more appropriate.

You can submit feedback, raise a concern, or lodge a complaint via the form on our contact page, or by contacting us directly by phone or email.

Feedback includes anything you’d like to share about your experience at The Brixton Practice - whether positive, negative, or somewhere in between. Whilst we may not be able to respond personally to every piece of feedback, please know that it is all read, taken seriously, and regularly reviewed by our team.

Your feedback helps us grow, improve, and continue to provide a safe and supportive space. We genuinely appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with us.

A concern is any issue that may not warrant a formal complaint but still causes you worry, discomfort, or uncertainty. At The Brixton Practice, we take all concerns seriously.

We aim to address concerns collaboratively, engaging in open dialogue to explore the best way forward. While every concern will be acknowledged and considered, there is no fixed process for resolution - each situation is treated individually and with care, based on its specific context and your needs.

Whether it regards your therapy, therapist, or our business operations, any complaint submitted to us will be formally acknowledged and responded to as promptly as possible. If your complaint relates to a qualified therapist, training therapist, trainee therapist, or complementary therapist attached to The Brixton Practice, the appropriate course of action may differ:

• Qualified therapists, training therapists, and complementary practitioners: 

  • Formal complaints must be submitted directly to their professional regulatory body (e.g., BACP, UKCP, BPS). The Brixton Practice does not have authority to investigate formal complaints independently. 

  • If you would like to make an informal complaint these can be submitted to The Brixton Practice via our feedback form.

• Trainee therapists working within our Low-Cost Therapy Service for individual psychotherapy: The Brixton Practice holds clinical responsibility for these practitioners. If you have a complaint, we will conduct a formal internal review and, if appropriate, escalate the matter to the trainee’s accrediting body or training institution.

• The Brixton Practice: You can fill in our feedback form if you would like the practice to respond directly to your complaint. Or, if you would prefer to raise your complaint outside of The Brixton Practice, please contact the BACP.

We are committed to fostering a safe, ethical, and accountable practice. If you have any concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us.