Complaints Procedure
Root & Rise Therapy is committed to providing a safe, ethical and professional service. I welcome feedback about your experience of working with me and will take any concerns or complaints seriously.
1. Purpose
Where possible, I encourage you to raise concerns with me at an early stage so that we have an opportunity to understand what has happened and, where appropriate, resolve matters together.
I recognise that raising a concern about therapy or another professional service can feel difficult. You will be treated respectfully and fairly if you choose to do so, and making a complaint will not affect your right to receive an appropriate professional service.
This procedure explains how you can raise a concern or make a formal complaint about a service provided by Root & Rise Therapy, and the options available to you if you do not feel able to raise the matter directly with me or remain dissatisfied with the response.
2. Raising a Concern
If something about our work together has concerned you, felt uncomfortable or has not been as you expected, you are welcome to raise this with me directly.
Where appropriate, we can discuss what has happened, consider what may be needed and explore whether the concern can be resolved together.
You do not have to raise a concern informally before making a formal complaint, and there may be circumstances where you do not feel able or comfortable discussing the matter with me directly.
3. Making a Formal Complaint
If you wish to make a formal complaint about a service provided by Root & Rise Therapy, please put your concerns in writing and send them by email to:
If you would prefer to submit your complaint by post, please contact me for the appropriate correspondence address.
It is helpful if your complaint includes:
your name and contact details
a clear description of your concern
relevant dates or circumstances, where known
what you would like me to consider or respond to
You do not need to use a particular form or format. If providing a written complaint would be difficult for you, please contact me so that we can consider an appropriate alternative way for you to raise your concerns.
I will acknowledge receipt of a formal complaint and explain what will happen next.
4. How Your Complaint Will Be Handled
I will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 5 working days.
Your complaint will be considered carefully, fairly and respectfully. I will review the concerns you have raised and any relevant information or records. Where appropriate, I may seek confidential professional consultation or supervision to support careful and ethical consideration of the issues involved.
I will normally provide a written response within 20 working days of receiving your complaint. If the matter is more complex and requires additional time, I will let you know, explain the reason for the delay and provide a revised timeframe.
My response will address the concerns you have raised and, where appropriate, explain:
what I have found or concluded
whether I consider that something could or should have been handled differently
any action I have taken, or intend to take, as a result
any learning or changes to practice arising from the complaint
Where I identify that something has gone wrong, I will aim to respond openly and appropriately. This may include acknowledging what has happened, offering an apology where appropriate, taking steps to address or reduce any harm, and considering what changes may be needed to help prevent a similar situation arising again.
I will also explain any further options available to you if you remain dissatisfied with my response.
5. Complaints to BACP
I am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and practise in accordance with its Ethical Framework.
If your concern relates to my professional or ethical practice, you may be able to make a complaint directly to BACP under its Professional Conduct Procedure.
BACP encourages concerns to be raised with the practitioner first where this is possible and appropriate. However, you do not have to complete Root & Rise Therapy’s complaints process before contacting BACP if you do not feel able or comfortable raising the matter with me directly.
Information about BACP’s Professional Conduct Procedure, including how to raise a concern or make a complaint, is available on the BACP website.
6. Confidentiality and Records
Complaints will be handled with appropriate care for your privacy and confidentiality.
Information relating to a complaint will only be accessed or shared where this is necessary for the proper consideration of the complaint, professional consultation, regulatory or insurance purposes, or where disclosure is required by law.
Where I seek supervision or professional consultation in relation to a complaint, I will share only the information reasonably necessary for that purpose and will continue to protect your confidentiality.
A record of the complaint, the response provided, any action taken and the outcome will be maintained as part of Root & Rise Therapy’s professional governance records and, where appropriate, separately from routine clinical records.
Complaint records will be stored securely and retained in accordance with Root & Rise Therapy’s data-protection and records-retention arrangements.
Further information about how personal information is handled can be found in the Privacy Notice.
7. Learning and Review
Concerns and complaints provide an important opportunity for reflection, learning and improvement.
Where appropriate, I will reflect on concerns or complaints within clinical supervision or professional consultation and consider whether any learning should inform my practice, policies, procedures or wider professional-governance arrangements.
I will also consider whether concerns or complaints identify recurring themes or areas where changes may help to improve the safety, quality or clarity of the services provided by Root & Rise Therapy.
The Complaints Procedure itself will be reviewed regularly and updated where necessary to reflect changes in professional guidance, legislation or Root & Rise Therapy’s practice arrangements.
Closing Note
I recognise that raising a concern or making a complaint can feel difficult.
If you choose to raise a concern about your experience with Root & Rise Therapy, you can expect to be listened to respectfully, taken seriously and responded to with openness and care.
Clear and accessible ways of raising concerns are an important part of safe, ethical and accountable professional practice.
Root & Rise Therapy | Complaints Procedure | Last reviewed: August 2026 | Next review: August 2027