:: contribution guidelines

About us

Relate Greater Manchester South is a registered charity. Our aim is to ensure that counselling is available to anyone experiencing relationship difficulties.

Last year it cost us about £685,000 to provide a counselling service to clients in our area, yet we receive no direct government funding and, in order to survive, we have to ask all our clients to consider making a contribution towards the cost of their counselling. However, we understand that the decision to contribute is entirely voluntary. We never turn anyone away if they cannot afford to do so.

The cost of counselling

For each hour of counselling or therapy that you receive, the actual cost to Relate GMS is about £45. We understand, of course, that many people cannot afford to contribute the full cost of each session. However, the more you are able to contribute, the more you will be helping us continue to offer our services. The service you receive is not affected by the amount you contribute.

A guide to voluntary contributions

In considering your voluntary contribution in support of our work, you might like to base it on the following:

Call:

Manchester & Trafford:

0161 872 0303

Salford:

0161 790 99 77

Stockport & Tameside:

0161 442 2443

Gift Aid

If you are a tax payer you can benefit us even more (without any cost to yourself) by signing a Gift Aid form, which enables us to claim back the tax paid on your contribution. Please ask for a form at your first appointment.

Cancellations

Appointments cancelled at less than 48 hours notice will be subject to a cancellation charge. This will be a fee of £15. Circumstances of genuine emergency or illness will be taken into account. Any cancellation fee paid is not included in the amounts on which Gift Aid can be reclaimed.

Feedback and Complaints

We try to provide a caring, effective and efficient service. Your views are very important to us. All clients are invited to complete a Client Feedback form at the end of their counselling. This helps us improve our services, so please do take a few minutes to complete and return the form to us. Any information you give us will be treated in confidence.

If you wish to comment further about any aspect of the service you receive, please contact the Chief Executive of Relate GMS and you will be provided with the details of our written comments/complaints procedure, which abides by the ‘Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy’ of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and the ‘Code of Ethics and Principles of Good Practice’ of the College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists (COSRT).

Confidentiality, Client Records and Data Protection

The information you give will be confidential to Relate – records do not identify your name, they are kept securely and only seen by authorised Relate personnel – and are subject to the Data Protection Act 1998. Some information we collect is classified as sensitive and can only be used if we have your explicit consent in relation to the service we give you and for quality assuring the service.

Our Confidentiality Policy is that all the information is confidential. We will not normally give your name, or any information about you, to anyone outside of Relate. However, there are exceptional cases where Relate might ethically or legally have to give information to relevant authorities. This includes for your own safety and that of other people, especially children, where there is a duty to disclose, where discourse is permitted by law and required to protect our interest or where disclosure is made at your request or with your consent.

If your service is paid for by your GP or employer etc, Relate may tell them how many sessions you have attended but will not normally give any information about content.

Your counsellor will see forms that you complete in your counselling sessions but will not raise issues mentioned in front of your partner or family members. If you come to Relate as an individual, your counsellor may refer to things you have said on the forms.