Bupa CBT and Trauma Therapist in London and Online
I am a Bupa recognised practitioner psychologist, registered with the HCPC, and I see Bupa members in London and online across the UK. The work is usually CBT, trauma-focused therapy or one of the other brief models I am trained in.
How to get your sessions authorised
- Call Bupa before bookingUse the membership number on your card and tell them you are looking to start talking therapy, and they will check your cover and tell you whether Direct Access applies to you. For many policies that means there is no GP appointment to sit through just to come away with a letter.
- Get your authorisation numberBupa will confirm what your policy covers and issue a pre-authorisation number, and they generally want it in place before the first appointment rather than after it. Ask on the same call how many sessions are approved and what excess applies, since those two answers are what decide the cost to you.
- Send me the number and bookSend the pre-authorisation number over with your membership details and we can get a first appointment in the diary. I invoice Bupa directly against that number where the policy allows it, so there is usually nothing for you to pay upfront beyond any excess.
Bupa runs a Direct Access route for mental health, so you call them first, they check whether your issue is covered, and they tell you whether you can see a specialist without a GP referral. It is worth asking on that same call, since the answer moves with the policy.
Bupa: Direct Access for mental health (opens in a new tab)What Bupa covers for mental health
Bupa policies commonly include cover for talking therapies alongside physical treatment, though the level depends on the plan you or your employer chose, so some corporate schemes cover mental health in full while others cap the number of sessions, or leave it out altogether.
Two people can both hold Bupa cover and have very different entitlements, so the only reliable answer comes from Bupa themselves, either on the phone or through the My Bupa member area. Where a block of sessions is authorised at the start it tends to be somewhere between six and sixteen, though some policies set no number at all and leave it to clinical judgement. Ask which of the two yours does.
Note: Bupa also runs a Family Mental HealthLine, which is worth knowing about separately from a therapy claim, since it is there whether or not you end up making one.
- Ask whether talking therapy is included on your specific plan
- Ask how many sessions are authorised in the first block
- Ask what excess applies and whether it is per claim or per policy year
- Ask whether online sessions are covered on the same terms as in-person
What a fee-assured provider means for your bill
Bupa lists some providers as fee assured, which means the consultation fee has been agreed with Bupa in advance, and for you that removes the shortfall, which is the gap some members find between what their therapist charges and what their insurer pays back.
It does not remove your excess, and it does not decide how many sessions your policy authorises, so those two are still yours to confirm with Bupa on the same call, and it is worth doing that before the first appointment rather than after it.
Why brief therapy makes your cover go further
Most private policies authorise a block of sessions and then ask the therapist for a report before approving any more. That structure suits how I work anyway. My training is in brief, focused models: Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, CBT, Brief Strategic Therapy, EMDR and Single Session Therapy.
The aim is not to fill the sessions your policy allows. It is to make the earliest ones count, so that you leave with something usable whether or not you come back. Some people get what they came for in one or two appointments. Others use the full authorised block. Both are normal outcomes, and neither is treated as a failure.
In practice this means a policy authorising a short initial block is rarely a problem. If more work is genuinely needed, I write the review report your insurer asks for.
If you would rather not involve your insurer
You do not have to use your policy. Some people prefer not to, because a claim creates a record with their insurer, because the excess is close to the cost of a session anyway, or because they want to keep the work entirely separate from anything an employer scheme can see.
Paying directly is straightforward and needs no authorisation, no referral letter and no diagnosis. You can see current fees on the pricing page, and a free introductory call is available either way.
Frequently asked questions about Bupa
- Does Bupa cover therapy sessions?
- Many Bupa plans include cover for talking therapies, though the amount, and whether it applies at all, depends on your specific policy. Call Bupa with your membership number before booking and ask what is authorised, and they will give you a pre-authorisation number that confirms it.
- Do I need a GP referral for Bupa therapy?
- Often you do not, since Bupa operates a Direct Access route for mental health: you call them, they check whether your issue is covered, and they tell you whether you can see a specialist without a referral. Some policies do still ask for a GP or specialist referral, and Bupa will confirm which of the two applies to you.
- Can I have Bupa-covered sessions online?
- Online sessions are usually covered on the same terms as in-person ones, and I see clients across the UK this way, though a small number of schemes still treat remote appointments differently. Confirm it with Bupa when you call.
- What does fee assured mean?
- It means the consultation fee has been agreed with Bupa in advance, so you should not be left with a shortfall between what is charged and what Bupa pays back. Your excess still applies, and the number of sessions authorised is still set by your policy, so both are worth checking on the same call.
- What happens if my Bupa authorisation runs out?
- If the authorised sessions are used and more work would genuinely help, I write the review report Bupa asks for so they can consider extending it. The therapy is brief and focused by design, so a good many people finish inside the first block anyway.
Not sure what your policy covers?
Book a free introductory call. We can talk through what you are dealing with, and I can tell you what your insurer is likely to ask for. It costs nothing and does not touch your policy.
If you have already spoken to your insurer, or we have worked together before, you can skip the call and book directly.
Other providers I am recognised by
AXA Health
Self-referral straight through AXA's mental health line, so on most policies there is no GP letter to chase.
Aviva
Aviva runs a mental health pathway with direct access on most policies, so the authorisation comes back by phone or online.
Vitality
The Talking Therapies route is built for direct member access, and it usually opens with a block of sessions.
WPA
Pre-authorisation before the first session, often with a GP referral behind it, and then claims settled appointment by appointment.
Allianz
The pre-authorisation form goes in before treatment, and international and expatriate policies suit online work particularly well.
