Marlene Grantham
Counselling psychologist, clinical lead · 22 years
Grief and bereavement, a long illness, caring for a parent, older clients.
14 Ruthven Road, Kingston 6 counsellors, since 2003 Shortest wait this week 1 week 7 lower-fee places open
Is this the right place, and can you afford to start?
Those are the two questions people stop at, so they are the first thing here rather than something you have to ring and ask. Pick what is going on and the band you would pay in. Nothing below is an estimate we revise upwards.
Yes, we take this8 to 14 sessions is the usual length
Anxiety that keeps you awake
Nights that start at two in the morning and a day spent paying for them.
- What the first session looks at
- When it started, what your nights actually look like hour by hour, and the list of things you have quietly stopped doing.
- Who here would hold it, and the wait as of this week
-
Rohan Beckford Taking people2 reduced places open1 lowest-fee place open
Counsellor · 6 years · In the room and online
1 week to a first hour
Dwayne Sinclair Taking people1 reduced place open1 lowest-fee place openCounsellor · 9 years · In the room and online
1 week to a first hour
What starting would cost
JMD, at the band you chose above. Nothing else is added later.
Individual session, 50 minutes9,5006,0003,000
A session you cancel inside 24 hours4,7503,0001,500
A session you do not come to9,5006,0003,000
8 to 14 sessions, weekly at first — the whole course at your band
JMD
76,000 to 133,000
48,000 to 84,000
24,000 to 42,000
You picked the full feereduced feelowest fee band. You choose it yourself on the call — there is no form, no payslip and no check. How the bands work
Yes, we take this6 to 10 sessions is the usual length
Panic attacks
The ones that feel like a heart attack, and the fear of the next one.
- What the first session looks at
- Where you were for the first one, what you did to survive it, and what you have been avoiding since.
- Who here would hold it, and the wait as of this week
-
Rohan Beckford Taking people2 reduced places open1 lowest-fee place open
Counsellor · 6 years · In the room and online
1 week to a first hour
Camille Duhaney Taking people1 reduced place openNo lowest-fee place openCounsellor, trauma-focused practice · 11 years · In the room
6 weeks to a first hour
What starting would cost
JMD, at the band you chose above. Nothing else is added later.
Individual session, 50 minutes9,5006,0003,000
A session you cancel inside 24 hours4,7503,0001,500
A session you do not come to9,5006,0003,000
6 to 10 sessions, weekly at first — the whole course at your band
JMD
57,000 to 95,000
36,000 to 60,000
18,000 to 30,000
You picked the full feereduced feelowest fee band. You choose it yourself on the call — there is no form, no payslip and no check. How the bands work
Yes, we take this12 to 20 sessions is the usual length
A low mood that has lasted months
Not a bad week. The kind where you have stopped expecting it to lift.
- What the first session looks at
- How long it has been, what has gone out of the week, and whether you are sleeping too much or not at all.
- Who here would hold it, and the wait as of this week
-
Neville Prendergast Taking people1 reduced place openNo lowest-fee place open
Counsellor · 17 years · In the room and online
2 weeks to a first hour
Marlene Grantham Taking peopleNo reduced place openNo lowest-fee place openCounselling psychologist, clinical lead · 22 years · In the room
4 weeks to a first hour
What starting would cost
JMD, at the band you chose above. Nothing else is added later.
Individual session, 50 minutes9,5006,0003,000
A session you cancel inside 24 hours4,7503,0001,500
A session you do not come to9,5006,0003,000
12 to 20 sessions, weekly at first — the whole course at your band
JMD
114,000 to 190,000
72,000 to 120,000
36,000 to 60,000
You picked the full feereduced feelowest fee band. You choose it yourself on the call — there is no form, no payslip and no check. How the bands work
Yes, we take this10 to 18 sessions is the usual length
Grief in the first two years
After a death, including the ones nobody around you counts as a big loss.
- What the first session looks at
- Who died and when, what the last weeks were like, and what you have not been able to say out loud yet.
- Who here would hold it, and the wait as of this week
-
Marlene Grantham Taking peopleNo reduced place openNo lowest-fee place open
Counselling psychologist, clinical lead · 22 years · In the room
4 weeks to a first hour
Neville Prendergast Taking people1 reduced place openNo lowest-fee place openCounsellor · 17 years · In the room and online
2 weeks to a first hour
What starting would cost
JMD, at the band you chose above. Nothing else is added later.
Individual session, 50 minutes9,5006,0003,000
A session you cancel inside 24 hours4,7503,0001,500
A session you do not come to9,5006,0003,000
10 to 18 sessions, weekly at first — the whole course at your band
JMD
95,000 to 171,000
60,000 to 108,000
30,000 to 54,000
You picked the full feereduced feelowest fee band. You choose it yourself on the call — there is no form, no payslip and no check. How the bands work
Yes, we take this6 to 12 sessions is the usual length
A relationship you are deciding about
Together or on your own. We do not have a preferred ending.
- What the first session looks at
- What each of you would call the problem, how long it has been that, and what has already been tried.
- Who here would hold it, and the wait as of this week
-
Aisha Fenton Taking peopleNo reduced place openNo lowest-fee place open
Counsellor, couples and relationships · 14 years · In the room
3 weeks to a first hour
What starting would cost
JMD, at the band you chose above. Nothing else is added later.
Couples session, 75 minutes14,0009,0004,500
A session you cancel inside 24 hours4,7503,0001,500
A session you do not come to9,5006,0003,000
6 to 12 sessions, weekly at first — the whole course at your band
JMD
84,000 to 168,000
54,000 to 108,000
27,000 to 54,000
You picked the full feereduced feelowest fee band. You choose it yourself on the call — there is no form, no payslip and no check. How the bands work
Yes, we take this10 to 16 sessions is the usual length
Drinking more than you meant to
Including when it is only at weekends and nobody has said anything.
- What the first session looks at
- A plain week: what you drank, when, and what was happening in the hour before.
- Who here would hold it, and the wait as of this week
-
Dwayne Sinclair Taking people1 reduced place open1 lowest-fee place open
Counsellor · 9 years · In the room and online
1 week to a first hour
What starting would cost
JMD, at the band you chose above. Nothing else is added later.
Individual session, 50 minutes9,5006,0003,000
A session you cancel inside 24 hours4,7503,0001,500
A session you do not come to9,5006,0003,000
10 to 16 sessions, weekly at first — the whole course at your band
JMD
95,000 to 152,000
60,000 to 96,000
30,000 to 48,000
You picked the full feereduced feelowest fee band. You choose it yourself on the call — there is no form, no payslip and no check. How the bands work
Yes, we take this6 to 10 sessions is the usual length
Work you cannot put down
The eleven o'clock emails, the Sunday dread, the thing you have become at work.
- What the first session looks at
- Your actual hours for one ordinary week, and what happens in your body on a Sunday evening.
- Who here would hold it, and the wait as of this week
-
Dwayne Sinclair Taking people1 reduced place open1 lowest-fee place open
Counsellor · 9 years · In the room and online
1 week to a first hour
Rohan Beckford Taking people2 reduced places open1 lowest-fee place openCounsellor · 6 years · In the room and online
1 week to a first hour
What starting would cost
JMD, at the band you chose above. Nothing else is added later.
Individual session, 50 minutes9,5006,0003,000
A session you cancel inside 24 hours4,7503,0001,500
A session you do not come to9,5006,0003,000
6 to 10 sessions, weekly at first — the whole course at your band
JMD
57,000 to 95,000
36,000 to 60,000
18,000 to 30,000
You picked the full feereduced feelowest fee band. You choose it yourself on the call — there is no form, no payslip and no check. How the bands work
Yes, we take this16 to 30 sessions is the usual length
Something that happened to you
Assault, an accident, or a childhood you have never described to anyone.
- What the first session looks at
- Nothing about the event itself. Sleep, startle, what sets it off now, and who knows.
- Who here would hold it, and the wait as of this week
-
Camille Duhaney Taking people1 reduced place openNo lowest-fee place open
Counsellor, trauma-focused practice · 11 years · In the room
6 weeks to a first hour
What starting would cost
JMD, at the band you chose above. Nothing else is added later.
Individual session, 50 minutes9,5006,0003,000
A session you cancel inside 24 hours4,7503,0001,500
A session you do not come to9,5006,0003,000
16 to 30 sessions, weekly at first — the whole course at your band
JMD
152,000 to 285,000
96,000 to 180,000
48,000 to 90,000
You picked the full feereduced feelowest fee band. You choose it yourself on the call — there is no form, no payslip and no check. How the bands work
Not usWe would send you somewhere better for it
A crisis tonight
We are not fast enough. This is who is, and we are still here tomorrow.
- Why not
- We are a booked practice with a waiting list. If you are thinking about ending your life, or you are frightened of what you might do in the next few hours, we are the wrong door tonight.
Where to go instead
We would rather point you at the right door than take you on out of politeness.
888-NEW-LIFE on 888 639 5433, around the clock, or the emergency department at UHWI or KPH.
Then ring us anyway if you want to. The call costs nothing.
+1 876 968 2274
Roughly one call in seven ends this way, and we try never to say no without a name to go with it. The whole list of what we do not take
Not usWe would send you somewhere better for it
An assessment for a court or an employer
We do not write reports for people who are not you.
- Why not
- Custody assessments, fitness-for-work reports, immigration letters and anything else commissioned by a third party are not work we take. It puts us on two sides at once and the person in the chair always loses that arrangement.
Where to go instead
We would rather point you at the right door than take you on out of politeness.
A registered clinical psychologist doing independent assessment work. Ring us for two names.
Then ring us anyway if you want to. The call costs nothing.
+1 876 968 2274
Roughly one call in seven ends this way, and we try never to say no without a name to go with it. The whole list of what we do not take
Not usWe would send you somewhere better for it
An eating disorder that needs weight monitoring
Not on our own. With a doctor already watching, yes.
- Why not
- Where weight, bloods or heart rate need watching, talking on its own is not safe and we will not pretend otherwise. We are not set up to monitor anybody physically.
Where to go instead
We would rather point you at the right door than take you on out of politeness.
A physician or dietitian first. With monitoring already in place, ring us back and we will take it.
Then ring us anyway if you want to. The call costs nothing.
+1 876 968 2274
Roughly one call in seven ends this way, and we try never to say no without a name to go with it. The whole list of what we do not take
Not usWe would send you somewhere better for it
Anyone under sixteen
Our youngest client is sixteen. Below that we are not trained for it.
- Why not
- Work with children is a different training and a different room, and doing it half-equipped is worse than not doing it.
Where to go instead
We would rather point you at the right door than take you on out of politeness.
The Child Guidance Clinic, through a doctor or a school, or one of two private child therapists we can name.
Then ring us anyway if you want to. The call costs nothing.
+1 876 968 2274
Roughly one call in seven ends this way, and we try never to say no without a name to go with it. The whole list of what we do not take
Not usWe would send you somewhere better for it
Medication and prescriptions
None of us can prescribe. A psychiatrist can, and we work alongside them.
- Why not
- Counsellors and counselling psychologists do not prescribe anything, adjust anything or advise you to come off anything. If you want medication considered, that is a psychiatrist or your own doctor.
Where to go instead
We would rather point you at the right door than take you on out of politeness.
Your own doctor, or a psychiatrist. We will keep working with you alongside them.
Then ring us anyway if you want to. The call costs nothing.
+1 876 968 2274
Roughly one call in seven ends this way, and we try never to say no without a name to go with it. The whole list of what we do not take
1 week1 week1 week
Shortest wait in the practice at your band
6 diaries5 places2 places
Open at your band right now, counted this Monday
JMD 9,5006,0003,000
One 50-minute session at your band
The board needs JavaScript to switch between them. Every concern and every band is written out in full on What we work with and Fees and bands.
- The call first
- 15 minutes, free, and free if you then say no
- A session
- 50 minutes, 75 for couples
- Cancelling
- Nothing to pay with 24 hours' notice
The building
A house behind a hedge on Ruthven Road, with no sign on it
There is no reception, no desk and nobody with a clipboard. The waiting room is the first door at the top of the outside stairs and it is usually empty, because the hours are staggered so that people do not meet each other coming and going. Four spaces at the back, off the lane, and the gate opens at half past seven.
The rooms face away from the road. Five of them, all on the first floor, and none of them has a couch in it.
The first 50 minutes
What actually happens, on the clock
The part people rehearse for. There is no reception desk, no clipboard and no questionnaire, and the longest stretch is you talking with nobody typing. Here it is in the five pieces it comes in.
0–5 min
Getting in
Up the stairs, first door on the left. Nobody is sitting at a desk.
5–10 min
The one form
One side of A4, filled in with your counsellor rather than at you.
10–35 min
What brought you
You talk. We ask short questions. Nobody is typing.
35–45 min
What we would do
The plan, the number of sessions, and the fee at your band, out loud.
45–50 min
Deciding, or not
Book, think about it, or say no in the room. All three are ordinary.
The six of us
Who you would be in the room with
We are six, not an agency with a pool. You are told on the call which of us would hold your work and why, and you can change your mind at any point without explaining it to anybody.
Dwayne Sinclair
Counsellor · 9 years
Drinking and other substance use, anger, work, men who have not done this before.
Aisha Fenton
Counsellor, couples and relationships · 14 years
Couples, separating, deciding, intimacy, second families.
Rohan Beckford
Counsellor · 6 years
Anxiety, panic, sleep, exams and job pressure, first-time clients.
Camille Duhaney
Counsellor, trauma-focused practice · 11 years
Assault, accidents, childhood, flashbacks, nightmares.
Neville Prendergast
Counsellor · 17 years
Low mood, purpose after retirement, bereavement, loneliness.
The limits
What we do not take, and who does
Printed here rather than found out on the call. Several of these are about our training rather than about you, and every one of them comes with somewhere else to go.
A crisis tonight
We are not fast enough. This is who is, and we are still here tomorrow.
Instead888-NEW-LIFE on 888 639 5433, around the clock, or the emergency department at UHWI or KPH.
An assessment for a court or an employer
We do not write reports for people who are not you.
InsteadA registered clinical psychologist doing independent assessment work. Ring us for two names.
An eating disorder that needs weight monitoring
Not on our own. With a doctor already watching, yes.
InsteadA physician or dietitian first. With monitoring already in place, ring us back and we will take it.
Anyone under sixteen
Our youngest client is sixteen. Below that we are not trained for it.
InsteadThe Child Guidance Clinic, through a doctor or a school, or one of two private child therapists we can name.
Medication and prescriptions
None of us can prescribe. A psychiatrist can, and we work alongside them.
InsteadYour own doctor, or a psychiatrist. We will keep working with you alongside them.
Notes
The things people ring up and ask
Written out properly so you do not have to ask them out loud: what we write down, how the sliding fee is decided, and what to expect of yourself in week one.
If you have never done this before
What to expect of yourself in week one, which is usually less than you think.
Read itWhat we write down and who can see it
Four or five lines per session, in a locked cabinet, kept seven years.
Read itHow the sliding fee is decided
You pick the band. We do not ask for payslips, and we do not check.
Read itWhy we ask about sleep first
It is the one thing that moves fastest and makes everything else workable.
Read itAfterwards
Said by people who have finished
Left with permission at the end of a course of work, including by someone who stopped after two sessions and told us why.
I had it in my head that I would have to prove I was bad enough. Nobody asked me to. The fee was the thing stopping me and it took one sentence on the phone to sort out.
It took four months before I said the actual thing. She never once looked like she was waiting for it, which I think is why I got there.
My wife and I went in expecting to be told which of us was right. We got a decision instead, and we made it ourselves, and we are still together.
The next thing is a 15-minute phone call.
Not a session, not an assessment, and not charged for. You say roughly what is going on; we say whether it is ours, who would hold it and how long the wait is. If we are not the right people we tell you on that call and give you names.