Accessibility and Reasonable Adjustments Statement
ACCESSIBILITY AND REASONABLE ADJUSTMENTS STATEMENT
Version: 001
Effective from: 20th July 2026
Last reviewed: 20th July 2026
MY COMMITMENT
I aim to provide an online psychotherapy, counselling and coaching service that is welcoming, respectful and as accessible as reasonably possible.
I recognise that people may experience barriers connected with disability, neurodivergence, sensory processing, communication, executive functioning, mental health, physical health, language, technology, finances or other aspects of their circumstances.
I welcome requests for reasonable adjustments and will consider them individually.
An adjustment is intended to reduce a substantial disadvantage experienced by a disabled person when accessing or using a service. An adjustment must also be reasonable, effective and practicable in the circumstances.
I am autistic and ADHD and operate a neurodivergent-led sole-practitioner service. I therefore approach accessibility as something negotiated between people who may each have access needs, rather than as something granted by a supposedly neutral or unaffected practitioner.
My own disability-related access needs form part of the practical conditions under which I am able to provide psychotherapy, counselling and coaching safely and effectively.
This means that some forms of adjustment may be available, while others may be incompatible with the way I need to work.
I am a sole practitioner with limited administrative capacity. This affects the range of adjustments I can reasonably provide, but it does not mean that adjustment requests will be dismissed without consideration.
MY SERVICE
I provide online psychotherapy, counselling and coaching to individual adults aged 18 and over.
Appointments take place through the video-consultation facility within WriteUpp.
Prospective clients must contact me before receiving a booking link.
If I consider that my service may be appropriate, I may send:
A booking link for a paid 20-minute discovery call.
A booking link for a 60-minute psychotherapy, counselling or coaching session.
Booking, registration and payment are ordinarily completed through WriteUpp.
Payment is ordinarily made through Stripe at the time of booking.
STANDARD BOOKING PROCESS
The standard booking process requires the client to be able to:
Open the individual booking link sent by me.
Create or access their WriteUpp account.
Read the booking and service information.
Select an available appointment.
Provide the information requested by WriteUpp.
Read and accept the applicable Terms of Service.
Make payment through Stripe.
Access the booking-confirmation email.
Use the link or instructions provided to join the online video session.
Clients who wish to select a different available appointment each time must ordinarily use the WriteUpp booking system themselves.
I cannot provide an ongoing manual diary-selection service in which a client asks me to search the available calendar and book a different day or time for each session.
REGULAR APPOINTMENTS AS A POSSIBLE ADJUSTMENT
Where a disabled client cannot reasonably use the standard booking and payment process, I may be able to offer a regular appointment at the same day and time:
Each week; or
Each fortnight.
This arrangement is subject to availability, suitability and individual agreement.
Where a regular appointment is agreed:
I can enter the recurring appointments into my diary.
The client may be able to pay by bank transfer rather than through Stripe.
The agreed day and time will ordinarily remain the same.
The client will not be expected to select each appointment separately through the available booking calendar.
This adjustment does not provide access to variable manual booking.
It does not mean that a client can choose a different available day or time each week or fortnight and ask me to enter each changing appointment manually.
Any request to change a regular appointment remains subject to my availability and the cancellation and rescheduling provisions in the Terms of Service.
APPOINTMENT REMINDERS
WriteUpp sends an automated reminder email approximately two hours before the scheduled start of the video appointment.
The client is responsible for:
Providing an accurate email address.
Checking their inbox, spam and junk folders.
Remembering and attending the appointment.
Recording the appointment in whatever diary or reminder system works for them.
I do not provide individual manual reminders by email, telephone, text message or another method.
The absence, delay or failure of an automated reminder does not cancel the appointment or remove the client’s responsibility to attend.
A client may use their own calendar, alarm, reminder application, visual schedule, support person or other personal system to supplement the WriteUpp reminder, provided that doing so does not compromise the confidentiality of their therapy or coaching information.
NEURODIVERGENT COMMUNICATION, COMFORT AND PARTICIPATION
I am autistic and ADHD myself. My practice is therefore not based on expecting clients to adopt conventionally neuronormative, professional, business, social or therapeutic presentation.
I do not use eye contact, stillness, posture, facial expression, speed of response, silence or conventional body language as simple measures of attention, honesty, engagement, politeness, respect or the quality of our relationship.
A person may look away from the screen in order to think, remember, check their internal experience, regulate emotional intensity, reduce the demand of visual connection, find words or remain connected while making the interaction more manageable.
I may not always notice when a client is no longer looking at the screen, and I do not routinely expect continuous visual attention.
Looking away is a normal part of many neurodivergent conversations and does not require explanation or apology.
Silence may also have many meanings.
It may involve processing, feeling, searching for language, resting, remembering, regulating or deciding what to say.
I may use silence differently from some non-autistic therapists, and I will not automatically interpret a client’s silence, movement, facial expression or body language without checking what it means for them.
Where something is unclear, I aim to ask rather than assume.
Clients are welcome to participate in ways that support comfort, regulation and authenticity.
This may include:
Moving or walking around.
Changing position.
Sitting on a bed, sofa, floor or another comfortable place.
Using a blanket.
Wearing comfortable clothing.
Using sensory or regulation objects or activities.
Looking away from the screen.
Closing their eyes briefly.
Taking time before answering.
Writing things down.
Not writing things down.
Having a non-alcoholic drink.
Having a cat, dog or other animal in the room, provided that the session remains workable.
Temporarily leaving the screen to use the toilet, obtain water, respond to an immediate physical need or take a short regulation break.
Clients do not need to make themselves appear more formal, still, socially conventional or outwardly attentive than is natural or useful for them.
I encourage clients, where appropriate, to notice and prioritise their comfort and access needs.
This is an invitation rather than a new performance requirement.
Clients are not expected to demonstrate neurodivergent authenticity in any particular way.
Some practical limits remain necessary.
Clients must:
Wear clothing during sessions.
Not drink alcohol during a session.
Not attend while intoxicated or materially impaired by alcohol or non-prescribed substances.
Not drive, operate machinery or carry out an activity that requires substantial attention.
Not attend while responsible for supervising a child who requires their active care and attention during the session.
Take reasonable steps to ensure that the session remains sufficiently private, safe and workable.
Walking, moving around or briefly completing a simple task may be compatible with a session where it supports regulation and does not prevent meaningful participation.
If I am uncertain about what is happening or whether the arrangement remains workable, I will ask rather than presume a lack of interest, respect or engagement.
CAMERA USE AND VISUAL ACCESS
Online sessions require both the client’s and my camera to remain on while the session is actively taking place.
I am autistic and ADHD, and visual information is an essential part of my own processing and my ability to provide psychotherapy, counselling or coaching safely and effectively.
I cannot conduct telephone appointments, camera-off sessions or sessions in which the client remains off-camera for part of the active work.
A client may briefly turn away, move out of view, close their eyes or take a short break from the screen or camera where this is needed for regulation, privacy or another immediate need.
During a mutually understood pause, the camera may be turned off if necessary or required.
The therapeutic or coaching conversation will pause rather than continue as a camera-off session.
When the session resumes, the client’s camera must be switched on again.
Continuous eye contact is not required.
The need for the camera to remain on does not mean that the client must look directly at me, remain still or stay centred in the screen.
A request for telephone-only, camera-off or partially camera-off sessions cannot be accommodated because it would remove an essential access condition that I require in order to do my work.
DISCUSSING ACCESS NEEDS
Where a person is already a client, access needs and possible adjustments can usually be discussed verbally during a session.
Where appropriate, we may agree an adjustment verbally and I may confirm important administrative details in writing.
A prospective client who is not yet working with me should describe any essential access requirement when making their initial enquiry or before booking.
This allows us to consider whether I can provide the service safely, professionally and in a way that addresses the relevant barrier.
A service cannot be offered where an essential requirement is incompatible with the way I am able to practise, my own disability-related access needs, professional safety, confidentiality, insurance or another core condition of the service.
I will consider possible adjustments in good faith, but an enquiry does not guarantee that every barrier can be accommodated.
TELEPHONE AND NON-VISUAL APPOINTMENTS
I do not offer telephone appointments.
I also do not offer psychotherapy, counselling or coaching through audio-only calls, text chat, instant messaging or an arrangement in which the client’s camera remains switched off.
Visual access to the person I am working with is necessary for my own autistic and ADHD processing and is an essential condition of my ability to provide the service.
Where a client’s access needs require a telephone-only or non-visual service, my practice will not be suitable for that requirement.
This is not a judgement about the validity of the client’s need.
It reflects an access incompatibility between what the client requires and what I require in order to practise safely and effectively.
PERSONAL NOTES USED AS A DISABILITY AID
During sessions, I may write brief temporary notes to support my memory, attention and ability to follow the conversation.
These notes are a disability-related working aid.
They help me remember what has just been said, retain the thread of the conversation and orient myself within the session.
They are not my formal clinical or coaching record.
They are not intended to provide a complete or permanent account of the session.
They are destroyed after they have served their immediate purpose.
Any formal record I retain is created and managed separately in accordance with my Privacy Notice and Data Retention Policy.
RECORDING, TRANSCRIPTION AND CAPTURE OF SESSIONS
Recording, transcription or capture of a session is not permitted under any circumstances.
Sessions must not be:
Audio-recorded.
Video-recorded.
Photographed.
Screenshotted.
Screen-recorded.
Transcribed manually or automatically.
Captured through artificial-intelligence tools.
Recorded using a telephone, tablet, computer, camera or other secondary device.
Recorded by equipment positioned outside the visible camera area.
Listened to or documented by another person.
Processed through an artificial-intelligence meeting assistant, transcription service or note-generation tool.
I will not agree to an exception.
This boundary is necessary for my privacy, safety and ability to practise.
Previous recordings of me have been obtained and edited out of context.
I therefore cannot consent to recordings or transcripts of private professional meetings.
A person who requires a recorded or transcribed service will not be able to use this practice.
Unauthorised recording, transcription or capture may result in the immediate suspension or ending of the service and may lead to further action where appropriate.
INFORMATION FORMATS
My principal information is supplied through my website, WriteUpp, email and downloadable or printable documents.
I may be able to:
Provide a plain-text version of some information.
Send a document by email.
Clarify written information during a booked session.
Explain a procedure in a different way.
Divide a complex administrative process into clearer stages.
I cannot guarantee that every document can be converted immediately into every possible format.
Requests will be considered according to the nature of the barrier, the work required, available technology, my capacity and whether the proposed format would be effective.
ONLINE ACCESSIBILITY
Clients need access to a suitable internet-connected device and a sufficiently reliable internet connection.
Online sessions require the client to be able to access WriteUpp’s video-consultation facility and use a functioning camera.
I do not control WriteUpp’s platform design, browser compatibility, accessibility functionality or technical availability.
Where a client experiences a barrier connected with WriteUpp, I will consider whether there is a reasonable and practicable solution within the service I can provide.
I cannot guarantee that I will be able to replace WriteUpp with a different platform or create a separate manual administrative system.
Technical problems during a booked session are handled under the technical-failure provisions in the Terms of Service.
SENSORY AND ENVIRONMENTAL NEEDS
Because sessions take place online, clients have some control over the environment from which they attend.
Clients may arrange their own:
Lighting.
Seating.
Screen brightness.
Background.
Room temperature.
Movement or sensory objects.
Written prompts.
Drinks other than alcohol.
Other ordinary comfort items.
Clients may sit, lie, move or position themselves in ways that are comfortable, provided that they remain appropriately clothed and the session remains safe and workable.
The client should also take reasonable steps to attend from a private, safe and sufficiently confidential place.
I cannot control sensory or environmental conditions in the client’s location.
ASSISTANCE FROM ANOTHER PERSON
A client may use assistance from another person for administrative or technological tasks where this does not compromise confidentiality or the integrity of the service.
For example, another person might help the client:
Set up their device.
Understand how to access WriteUpp.
Enter non-clinical booking information.
Create a personal reminder.
The other person must not attend, listen to, record, transcribe or observe a session unless this has been discussed and expressly agreed beforehand.
Where another person is assisting with personal information, the client is responsible for considering whether they are comfortable with that person seeing the information involved.
ADJUSTMENTS THAT ALTER THE NATURE OF THE SERVICE
A reasonable adjustment cannot require me to:
Work outside my professional competence.
Provide an emergency or crisis service.
Offer continuous availability.
Provide diagnosis, prescribing or medical treatment.
Provide a service excluded by my insurance.
Ignore safeguarding or legal responsibilities.
Compromise another client’s confidentiality.
Provide unsafe or clinically inappropriate work.
Waive every fee or cancellation term.
Provide unlimited administrative assistance.
Provide variable manual booking for appointments chosen separately each time.
Provide manual appointment reminders.
Provide telephone, audio-only or camera-off sessions.
Permit recording, transcription, screenshots or artificial-intelligence capture.
Guarantee a particular outcome.
An adjustment may change how access is provided, but it cannot require the essential professional, ethical, access or safety basis of the service to be removed.
COST OF REASONABLE ADJUSTMENTS
I do not charge a disabled client simply for requesting or receiving a reasonable adjustment.
The ordinary service fee remains payable.
A separately requested service or piece of work that is not itself a reasonable adjustment, such as preparation of an extensive letter or report, may carry an additional fee.
Any such fee will be explained and agreed before the work begins.
HOW TO REQUEST AN ADJUSTMENT
A prospective client should explain any essential access requirement in their initial enquiry or before booking.
An existing client may raise an adjustment request during a session or by email.
Requests may be sent to:
You do not need to disclose your complete medical or diagnostic history.
It is helpful to explain:
The barrier you are experiencing.
How the barrier affects your ability to access or use the service.
What adjustment you believe may help.
Whether another possible adjustment might also be effective.
I may ask for additional information where it is reasonably necessary to understand the disadvantage or evaluate the proposed adjustment.
I will not ordinarily require formal diagnostic evidence where the barrier and proposed adjustment can be understood without it.
HOW REQUESTS ARE CONSIDERED
When considering a request, I may take account of:
Whether the adjustment is likely to reduce the relevant disadvantage.
Whether it is practicable.
The time and work required.
The financial and administrative cost.
My resources as a sole practitioner.
My own disability, health and access needs.
The effect on other clients.
Confidentiality and data protection.
Safety and safeguarding.
Professional and ethical duties.
Insurance and legal requirements.
Whether another adjustment could achieve a similar result with less difficulty or disruption.
I may require processing and reflecting time to consider such things before agreeing straight away, but will do so without undue delay. I may agree to the proposed adjustment, suggest an alternative, agree to a trial arrangement or explain why I cannot reasonably provide it.
REVIEWING AN ADJUSTMENT
An agreed adjustment may be reviewed if:
It is not reducing the relevant barrier.
The client’s circumstances change.
My circumstances or capacity change.
The adjustment creates an unforeseen professional, practical or safety difficulty.
WriteUpp or another relevant system changes.
A different arrangement may be more effective.
Reviewing an adjustment does not mean that the request was inappropriate.
It allows us to consider whether the arrangement remains useful, workable and proportionate.
LIMITS AND SUPPORT WITHIN A SOLE-PRACTITIONER SERVICE
My practice is a sole-practitioner service.
I do not routinely have reception, administrative or technical-support staff managing enquiries, bookings or client communication.
I may occasionally obtain professional, administrative or technical support where appropriate.
Any access to personal information will be limited, justified and managed in accordance with my Privacy Notice and professional responsibilities.
Because I do not routinely operate with a staffed administrative service, I cannot offer every communication method, booking method, appointment time, reminder system or document format.
I may experience periods of reduced administrative capacity.
These realities do not mean that disabled people are unwelcome.
They mean that requested adjustments need to be considered within the actual structure, resources and access needs of a small neurodivergent-led professional practice.
Where I cannot provide a requested adjustment, I will aim to explain the relevant practical, professional or access reason clearly.
Where practicable, I may discuss whether another arrangement could address the same barrier without removing an essential condition of the service.
ACCESSIBILITY FEEDBACK OR COMPLAINTS
I welcome feedback about accessibility.
You may contact me if:
You encounter a barrier on the website.
The booking process is unclear.
An agreed adjustment has not worked.
You believe that an adjustment request has not been considered fairly.
You require clarification of this statement.
Concerns may be raised informally or through my Complaints Procedure:
https://www.counsellingtherapyonline.com/complaints-procedure
Nothing in this statement limits any right a person may have under the Equality Act 2010 or other applicable law.
REVIEW OF THIS STATEMENT
I will review this statement periodically and when there is a significant change to:
My services.
WriteUpp.
My booking or payment process.
Relevant law or professional guidance.
The accessibility barriers brought to my attention.
My own access requirements or professional circumstances.