Psychotherapists' Insurance

Whilst public liability, product liability and professional indemnity insurance are not legal requirements for a psychotherapist, litigation against professionals has generally increased in recent years. It is important to remember that you don't necessarily need to have done anything wrong - all it takes is someone to allege that you have and you will have to defend yourself against the allegation, which could involve significant legal costs. Please note this policy does not provide cover for employees and should your business consist of more than one person then you will need to contact us to discuss.

Our policy would come into effect from the moment an allegation was made against you. Many professional associations now strongly recommend, or even insist, that you have insurance before you can take out membership.

Yes, liabilities for working from home is automatically covered in the policy. Just be aware you should notify your home insurer if you conduct part of your business from home as any property damage to your home will not be covered by our policy and will come under your home insurance policy. If you are having trouble finding insurance for your home because of your work, please contact us to discuss your needs.

Yes, we can provide cover for you to work outside of the UK as long as you live and are based in the UK and do not have any assets in the country you would like to work in - for example, a house. You may be able to work remotely and if you want to hop on a plane and work abroad, we can provide coverage in respect of civil liabilities in connection with your business for up to 60 consecutive days. This coverage can extend to a client’s property; a rented practice room; and even electronically, via the internet or the telephone. Cover is excluded for any action brought in any court of The United States or Canada.

You should notify us immediately when you become aware of any circumstances that may give rise to a claim even if you do not think you will have to make a claim. We are here to help and quick action could mitigate costs, or even prevent a claim. Equally, if you have a routine query, for which you would like our opinion, we are always happy to help. Just call our dedicated claims team on 0330 123 5921 or email careclaims@towergate.co.uk

We provide discounts for many professional associations that we have relationships with. You can purchase most of our policies online and, if you are a member of a professional association, select it from the drop-down box and your discount will automatically be included. If it does not appear, simply type it in. Even if you are not a member of any professional association, we can still offer you a quote, but cannot guarantee a discount.

This policy does not cover liability arising from any of the following;

• Fines or penalties
• Liability to Employees for claims made against you in respect of any injury to any employee
• Liabilities which should be insured under other types of policy such as Motor Insurance or Employment Practices Liability
• Any intentional act, unless this is designed or intended to be part of the Professional Services provided

We have provided a summary of the significant key exclusions, but please note that full terms, conditions, and exclusions can be found in the policy wording, a copy of which is available through the on-line quotation process.

A claims made policy responds to claims that are submitted during your period of insurance. Your cover is issued with a retroactive date, which means that the policy will exclude any claims for incidents occurring before this date. In most instances the retroactive date will be the date that cover is first taken out with us, however if you transfer your insurance to us and have previously been covered by a claims-made policy, we can normally confirm a retroactive date back to when you first took out this type of cover.

The policy will provide protection for claims that are made against you (or circumstances you become aware of that are likely to result in a claim) arising from treatments or services given after the retroactive date and throughout the period of insurance.

In the event that you cease trading or take a career break, our insurance policy automatically provides cover for any claims made during the 36 months immediately following the expiry date of your policy.

This is subject to claims arising out of any act, error or omission occurring or committed prior to the expiry of the last Period of Insurance to which this policy applies and that indemnity is not provided by any other insurance.

If you prefer to spread the cost of your annual premium, we offer a quick and easy direct debit scheme. When you choose to pay premiums in instalments, you will be paying under a Premium Finance plan. We will give you full details of the finance provider, and the additional cost of finance, when we provide you with your payment plan quotation. This will include the total payable, the number of monthly instalments and the cost of each, as well as the representative APR.

If you would like to know more about our monthly payment option, please visit our dedicated Direct Debit page.