Frequently asked questions

Yes. Sessions are confidential and your records are held under UK GDPR and the ethical framework of your therapist’s professional body. The exceptions are the standard clinical ones: a serious and immediate risk to your life or someone else’s, a child or vulnerable adult at risk of harm, disclosure of certain serious crimes, or a valid court order. Your therapist explains all of this in session one, before you commit to anything. Nothing is shared with your GP, your employer or your family without your written consent.

The 20-minute intake call is free. One-to-one therapy is £70 per 50-minute session (£780 for a block of twelve), family and partner sessions are £75 per 60 minutes, the group programme is £35 per 90-minute session, and aftercare is £60. There are no assessment fees, registration fees or admin charges, and the full fee table is published on our How we help page.

We reply to enquiries within one working day and usually offer an intake call within 48 hours. Most people begin their first full session within seven days of that call. The group programme runs in fixed cohorts, so it can involve a short wait; we will tell you the exact date at intake rather than leave you guessing.

No. Most people start therapy while still gambling, and helping that stop is part of the work rather than a condition of entry. The only exception is the eight-week group programme, which asks for four consecutive weeks without gambling before you join, because the group format depends on it.

For gambling harm, evidence and our own experience both suggest remote therapy works well. Video sessions run in your browser on a secure encrypted platform with nothing to install and no recording made. Telephone sessions are equally available and are what many people choose at first, particularly if being seen feels like too much. In-person sessions are available at our London rooms if you prefer them.

Yes, and you can come on your own. Our family and partner programme is built for exactly this: protecting your own finances, setting boundaries that hold, understanding what is and is not your responsibility, and looking after your own health. You do not need the gambler’s consent, involvement or knowledge.

The first full session is an assessment. Your therapist will ask about your gambling history, your finances at a practical level, your mood and sleep, what support you already have, and what you want to be different. You will agree a plan and, usually, take at least one concrete protective step the same day — commonly GAMSTOP registration or a bank gambling block. You will not be asked to relive anything you are not ready to talk about.

No. Our services are for adults aged 18 and over. If you are worried about a young person, speak to your GP, and contact the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 for guidance on age-appropriate services.

Yes, and for some people that is the better option. The NHS runs specialist gambling clinics, GamCare and other charities provide free treatment, and Gamblers Anonymous meetings cost nothing. All of it is listed on our resources page with no affiliation and no benefit to us. If cost is your barrier, say so on the intake call and we will help you find the right free route.

You tell your therapist, and the work continues. A lapse is treated as information about which part of the plan was too thin, not as a failure that ends the therapy. We hold emergency appointment slots every week precisely for this, and we would far rather see you the week it happens than three months later.

Yes. Cancel or reschedule with more than 48 hours’ notice and there is no charge. Cancellations inside 48 hours are charged at the full session fee, because the slot is held for you. If you have block-booked and decide to stop, unused sessions are refunded in full.

Your therapist keeps brief clinical notes, as their professional body requires. They are stored encrypted in the UK, retained for the period set out in our privacy policy, and never sold or shared for marketing. You have the right to request a copy of your data at any time and we will provide it within one month.

No. We are a scheduled talking-therapy service and we do not monitor phones or email overnight. If life is at immediate risk call 999. For urgent support at any hour, the National Gambling Helpline is free on 0808 8020 133 and Samaritans are free on 116 123.

By bank transfer or card, session by session or as a block. Payment is taken after the intake call, never before it — the intake call is free and there is nothing to pay to have it.