The Counselling Agreement / Client Agreement
These Terms and Conditions are a mutual agreement negotiated between the counsellor and the client prior to the commencement of counselling with SJF Counselling. These conditions clearly outline the responsibilities of the counsellor towards the client, and the client's responsibilities in the counselling relationship. Please read through this carefully as it provides information about the practical side of coming to counselling. By attending the sessions, the document will constitute a binding agreement between client and counsellor.
Booking First Appointment
At the introductory call between client and counsellor, the counsellor will ask the clients’ consent and permission to agree to the Terms and Conditions of the contract together. This will include consent and permission to hold the clients’ personal details including date of birth, full address, contact information and contact details and address of the clients’ GP practice.
Fees
Sessions prices are for an individual and are £55 for a session. Charges will be reviewed each year and we will give at least one months’ notice of any increase. Payment is due before or at the end of a session either by bank transfer or cash payments. If there are more than 2 consecutive missed payments, the counsellor retains the right to pause or end the sessions. If the client can no longer afford the fee, please speak to the counsellor.
Sessions
A session is 50 minutes, and it is the responsibility of the client and counsellor to be available at the agreed time, to start and end on time. If a client is late for whatever reason the sessions cannot be extended beyond the agreed finish time. If you do not attend the session within 15 minutes of the agreed appointment, this will be considered a cancellation and the counsellor will not be available for the remainder of the session. If you are booked on a telephone appointment, the counsellor will call you at the exact time of the arranged booking. If you are booked for a Zoom online session, the counsellor will provide a link to join the session in advance of the appointment. If you have requested a video session on Facetime or WhatsApp, the counsellor will contact you at the requested booked time. If you do not answer, the counsellor will attempt a further 3 times at 5- minute intervals and then revert to an email to get in touch. If no contact is made within 15 minutes the session will be classed as a cancellation and a fee of the full £55 will be applied.
If you are unable to attend a session, provided you give the counsellor plenty of notice (and not less than 24 hours), the counsellor will do their best to accommodate this and offer you an alternative time or date. In an instance where there is no or insufficient notice given on your part, the counsellor reserves the right to charge £55. To help avoid missed appointments the counsellor can offer a free text and email reminder service, as your request.
The counsellor will give the client as much notice as possible if unable to make a session. In the event where the counsellor is unable to attend the session because of illness, the counsellor will try to offer an alternative date and time that is agreeable to both parties. Sessions missed due to the counsellors unavailability are not charged for.
Connection
As counsellor and client both rely on technology, i.e., wi-fi, mobile provider reception, etc. there may be a situation when this could become an issue. In case of interruption of calls, video call, etc., the counsellor will immediately reach out to the client to gain connection again. If communication cannot be resumed after trying for 10 minutes, the counsellor will send an immediate email or text to the client. If for any reason the online technology fails, the counsellor will phone the client contact number provided and continue the remainder of the session over the phone.
Safeguarding
Both parties clearly need to take steps to ensure that the conversation cannot be overheard by an unauthorised third party in the same building. The use of headphones is recommended if possible.
- The client should ensure that they are in a quiet place without any distractions so that the sessions can proceed in a safe, secure and confidential environment.
- The counsellor will not be contactable via phone/FaceTime number outside of the sessions. Please refer to using email instead.
- Clients must be respectful of the counsellor and their property.
- If the counsellor notices on a phone or Zoom call that the client is in a busy social environment, the counsellor will stop the session immediately due to the clients’ own safety and confidentiality. Charge for the session will still apply.
Contact
Appointments that need to be cancelled or rearrangement or any other queries can be sent using the online the website contact page or via email on
Contact Outside Sessions
Please be aware that the counsellor will not be contactable via phone or Zoom outside of the session. All out of session contact must be via the contact page on the website or email at
Holidays
Clients will be given a weeks’ notice of any planned holiday dates or other commitments if the counsellor is unavailable to attend a session.
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and all social media
Please do not invite the counsellor to join any social media platforms. The counsellor is not permitted to do so under the Codes of Ethics in line with the BACP policies and procedures, and the counsellor will be inclined to refuse any requests made which could cause offense where none is intended.
Supervision
The counsellor is required by their profession to have regular supervision sessions where they discuss aspects of their clinical work with their supervisor. The counsellor may need to discuss with their supervisor concerns over specific risk-related issues that arise in your sessions. These include risk of harm or neglect to your health or others (adults, the public, and/ or children). Sharing information with professionals outside the organisation is discussed with you first.
Record Keeping
Counsellors may find it useful to keep some notes on the sessions. These tend to be brief and help to keep track of topics and themes covered in counselling. Notes are kept in a password-protected document in accordance with the data protection act and GDPR and paper form notes are stored in a locked filing cabinet. All client personal details and record notes are not shared with anyone unless legally required to do so. The personal identifiable information collected is stored and comes entirely from the client’s conversations, emails, texts and phone calls with the counsellor. A client has the right to access these records at any time during the process. Records are kept for up to 7 years, according to GDPR regulations.
Reviewing and Monitoring
It is the responsibility of a counsellor to review the therapeutic work and relationship on a regular basis with the client.
I have experience working within policy and procedural frameworks regarding equal opportunities, child and adult protection, risk assessment, safeguarding, GDPR and confidentiality. I can work with and build relationships with clients from diverse backgrounds, cultures and ages.
Confidentiality
Counselling often involves the disclosure of sensitive and personal information, so confidentiality is paramount. To protect the clients’ right to privacy any information disclosed to the counsellor will remain confidential between the client and counsellor. All counsellors are bound by their professional codes of conduct as defined by their accrediting organisation, which includes the responsibility to manage the clients’ information confidentially and in line with GDPR.
Reasonable steps should be taken to ensure that the client is in a safe and confidential environment. If the client does not feel the environment is not to this accord, the counsellor may pause the session until further arrangements are made. Charges will still apply.
Therapy cannot be interrupted by others, i.e., children, partners, spouses, etc. Counselling is for individuals only; it is important that the client is speaking in a private space, where neither the client nor counsellor will be disturbed. When working in person, it is the responsibility of the counsellor to offer an appropriate quiet and undisturbed space and to maintain safe, professional boundaries for the client.
Exceptions to Confidentiality
The counsellor must pass on any information to the relevant authorities in cases where human safety is concerned including the following cases and there are boundaries and limits to confidentiality in certain cases where confidentiality may be broken, as per the professional code of conduct as defined by their accrediting organisation. These include.
- The client is seen to be in danger or at serious risk of bringing harm to themselves or to another person.
- If the counsellor believes a vulnerable child or protected adult is at risk of harm, neglect or abuse.
- If the courts instruct the counsellor to give any recorded information from client sessions.
- The client infers involvement in or knowledge of an act of terrorism
- The client infers involvement or knowledge of money laundering
- The client infers knowledge of or involvement in drugs trafficking
If the counsellor feels that the client, or someone else is in danger or at risk of harm, the counsellor would first endeavour to discuss with the client their decision for breaking confidentiality. Depending on the circumstances this may be the counsellor’s supervisor, a clients’ General Practitioner (GP), the individual in danger, a Social Worker and/or the Police. However, the counsellor retains the right to break confidentiality without prior consultation with the client should the counsellor consider that the urgency of the situation requires them to act immediately to safeguard the physical safety of the client or others. In certain cases, the client may request to share information concerning the client. In these cases, the counsellor requires written permission from the client before the counsellor can carry out the clients’ request, unless a court has instructed this information then no permission needs to be sourced from the client.
Professional Body
Your counsellor Sophie Jarman-Fraser is registered with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Registration number 395535, and always works within the BACP Ethical Framework during counselling sessions (a copy can be made available upon request) and at supervision.
Marketing
Your personal information will never be used or sold to a third party for marketing.
Complaints Procedure
If you have a complaint, please write to
Endings
A client can see the counsellor for as long as it is helpful to them. From time to time the counsellor will check in with the client to review how the sessions have been going. This enables both parties to keep on track. Please note that the client can book further sessions as and when they feel they need to do so. A client may finish counselling at any time. It is requested that the client advises the counsellor before they wish it to be their last ending. If the client is considering entering another therapeutic relationship, please inform the counsellor immediately.
The counsellor will not be able to work with a client if they are under the influence of alcohol or other mind-altering substances. If this were found to be the case, the counsellor would have to end the session and the client would be charged at the normal rate. The counsellor reserves the right to terminate counselling sessions where the client is not abiding by the agreement or is perceived to be a threat to the counsellor’s wellbeing. Abusive behaviour towards the counsellor is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
Distress
In the event of any possible distress arising that might require urgent support outside the scope of the counselling service being offered, please source further assistance such as your local A&E or by calling 999, your GP, The Samaritans (free number: 116 123), friends or family.
PLEASE READ THIS CONTRACT CAREFULLY. By accepting our Terms and Conditions you agree to the terms and conditions contained herein.
Signed Client…………………………………………….. Date……………………………
Signed Counsellor…………………………………….. Date……………………………
