Terms & Conditions
Dr Tina Vaughan – Clinical Psychologist
Last updated: 7 October 2026
These Terms & Conditions explain the basis on which I provide psychological services. They are intended to help you understand what you can expect from working with me, and what I ask of you in return.
By booking an appointment or choosing to work with me, you agree to these Terms & Conditions.
1. About my practice
I am Dr Tina Vaughan, Clinical Psychologist, an independent sole-trader practitioner and HCPC-registered clinical psychologist.
I provide psychological services to adults. The nature of the service offered will be discussed with you before an appointment is arranged, and I will only provide services that are within my professional competence and scope of practice.
2. Appointments
Appointments are arranged by agreement and may take place:
Face to face at the agreed location; or
Online using Google Meet, where this has been agreed in advance.
Appointments are normally of the duration agreed at the time of booking.
Please arrive or join your online appointment at the agreed time. If you arrive late, the appointment will normally still finish at the scheduled time so that other appointments are not affected.
If you are unable to attend an appointment, please let me know as soon as possible.
3. Fees and payment
The current fee for your appointment will be confirmed when you book.
Payment is normally made through the secure payment facilities provided through Zanda, using Stripe.
Payment is generally required at the time of booking or as otherwise agreed with me.
If additional work is requested outside the agreed appointment, such as a detailed report, letter or other written work, this may incur an additional fee. I will discuss and agree any additional charge with you before undertaking the work.
4. Cancellation and rescheduling
I understand that plans can change and that occasionally you may need to cancel or rearrange an appointment. As appointments are reserved specifically for you, I ask that you give as much notice as possible.
My cancellation policy is:
48 hours or more notice: No charge
24–48 hours' notice: 50% of the session fee
Less than 24 hours' notice: The full session fee
If I need to cancel or rearrange an appointment, I will give you as much notice as reasonably possible and will offer an alternative appointment where appropriate. You will not be charged for an appointment that I cancel.
5. Communication between appointments
Email may be used for practical communication, such as arranging appointments or discussing administrative matters.
I do not routinely provide psychological advice or therapeutic support by email. Emails are not monitored continuously, and you should not use email to contact me about an urgent mental health concern.
Please also avoid sending detailed or sensitive clinical information by email unless we have specifically agreed that this is appropriate.
6. Online appointments
Online appointments are provided using Google Meet.
You are responsible for ensuring that you have a suitable private environment and a reliable internet connection for your appointment. I will make reasonable efforts to ensure that the online service is suitable and confidential from my side.
Online sessions are not routinely recorded.
If technical problems prevent an appointment from continuing, we will agree whether to continue by another appropriate method or rearrange the appointment.
7. Confidentiality
Your privacy and confidentiality are important to me. Information you share during psychological work will normally remain confidential.
There are, however, circumstances in which I may need to share information without your consent, for example where there is a serious concern about risk of harm, a safeguarding concern, or where disclosure is required by law or a court.
Where it is appropriate and safe to do so, I will discuss this with you beforehand.
Further information about how I collect, use, store and protect your personal information is provided in my Privacy Policy.
8. Contact in an emergency
My practice is not an emergency or crisis service.
I do not provide continuous or out-of-hours support, and contacting me by email should not be relied upon when you need an urgent response.
If you are in immediate danger or believe that you or someone else is at serious risk of harm, please contact 999 or attend your nearest A&E department.
For urgent mental health support, you can also contact NHS 111 and select the mental health option, or contact Samaritans on 116 123.
If we work together, we can discuss appropriate arrangements for managing periods of increased distress or risk as part of your psychological care.
9. Ending psychological work
You are free to end psychological work at any time.
I may also recommend ending or pausing our work where I believe this is clinically appropriate, where your needs would be better met by another service or professional, or where the work falls outside my professional scope or competence.
Where appropriate, I will discuss this with you and help you consider alternative sources of support.
10. Reports and additional work
Psychological reports, letters, forms and other written work are not automatically included within the standard appointment fee.
Where you request additional written work, I will discuss the purpose, likely timescale and fee with you before undertaking it.
I cannot guarantee that a report or letter will contain a particular conclusion or recommendation. Any professional opinion will be based on the information available to me and my independent clinical judgement.
11. Accessibility and reasonable adjustments
I want my services to be accessible and inclusive.
If you have a disability, communication need or other requirement that may affect your ability to access my services, please let me know. I will consider reasonable adjustments wherever possible.
This might include adjustments to communication, appointment arrangements, the way information is provided, or the format or location of an appointment.
If you have difficulty accessing information on my website or require information in an alternative format, please contact me and I will do my best to assist.
12. Complaints and concerns
I hope that you will feel able to discuss any concerns with me directly. If something about your experience does not feel right, please let me know so that I have an opportunity to understand your concerns and address them.
If you wish to make a formal complaint, please contact me in writing, explaining the nature of your concern and any relevant details. I will acknowledge your complaint and consider it carefully, responding within a reasonable timeframe.
I will aim to deal with complaints fairly, openly and respectfully.
If you remain dissatisfied after raising your concern with me, you may have the option of taking the matter further through the relevant professional or regulatory process, including contacting the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) where appropriate.
Nothing in this complaints process affects your legal rights.
13. Professional standards
I practise in accordance with the professional standards and requirements applicable to registered clinical psychologists, including the standards of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
I maintain appropriate professional indemnity insurance and take reasonable steps to ensure that my practice, records and working arrangements meet relevant professional and legal requirements.
14. Changes to these Terms & Conditions
I may update these Terms & Conditions from time to time, for example if there are changes to my services, practice arrangements or relevant legal or professional requirements.
The current version will be available on my website and will show the date it was last updated.
If a change materially affects the terms of your ongoing psychological work, I will draw this to your attention where appropriate.
15. Contact
If you have any questions about these Terms & Conditions, or about any aspect of your psychological care, please contact me using the contact details provided on my website.