Client & Counsellor Agreement
The counselling process can be an emotional, challenging but rewarding experience. A fundamental aim of our work is to build a therapeutic relationship and hold a safe space for you to work through your feelings, emotions and challenges at your own pace.
I commit to being trustworthy, respectful and responsible during our work together. I am a member (MNCPS Acc.) of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society and abide by their code of ethics and good practice guidelines [https://ncps.com/about-us/code-of-ethics].
All that is discussed during our sessions is confidential. The only time I may need to break confidentiality is if I believe there is a serious risk of harm to you or somebody else, or where I am bound by law to disclose information.
Our counselling sessions will take place via the agreed online platform (Google Meet or WhatsApp video call). I have selected online platforms that offer end to end encryption to ensure maximum privacy.
Due to the nature of online/remote work, I assure you I will always engage in our sessions from a quiet, private and confidential setting. In order for you to get the most out of your sessions, I encourage you to also join our sessions from a quiet, private and confidential space.
In our first session, we will agree an initial number of sessions (this is usually around 6-12 sessions). We will have ongoing and open discussions regarding the number of sessions that might be suitable for you.
Our sessions will generally occur weekly. On our initial session we will discuss how we will book our future sessions going forward.
We will allocate a time for our session. A therapeutic hour is typically 50 minutes of counselling work followed by the opportunity for any discussion regarding holidays, booking future sessions or payment queries within the final 10 minutes.
If you need to contact me to rearrange a session or inform me of a cancellation, you can do this by text, phone or email. Our therapeutic work will be contained within the boundary of the sessions.
If you are unable to attend a session due to illness or other emergency please inform me as soon as possible. Full payment will be required if you give less than 48 hours notice of cancellation.
If due to unforeseen circumstances I am unexpectedly unable to engage in our booked session due to illness or other emergency, I will also endeavour to contact you as soon as possible.
Any breaks, holidays or pre-arranged appointments and engagements need to be shared as far in advance as possible (one weeks notice minimum). Payment for these sessions will not be required.
Endings in counselling are always important. I will welcome this conversation when you decide you are ready to end our sessions. Having this discussion together will offer us opportunity for closure and reflection on the time we have spent together.
If for unforeseen circumstances I am required to bring our work together to an end, I will aim to give minimum of two sessions notice where possible. Potential reasons for me needing to bring counselling to an end may include; the support you need being outside of my clinical expertise, the realisation of a conflict of interest (i.e. I realise I know one of your family members or close friends) or if I feel you would be better suited to a different service, I will be transparent and honest and support you with referral to another service (e.g. addiction services or eating disorder clinic).
My sessional rate is £45. Please make payment via bank transfer on the day of the session, I will send my details to you via email following our first session.
I am committed to ensuring the security and protection of your personal data. I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and compliant with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – please see the privacy policy on my website for further details (https://www.rebeccalyndacounselling.co.uk/privacy-policy).
Upon booking a first session with me, my understanding is that you are in full agreement with all of the above information. Should you have any additional questions or queries please bring this to my attention.