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CLIENT AGREEMENT

 

Practitioner’s name: Amy Henniker-Major 

Name of private practice: Amy Henniker-Major Counselling Therapy

Contact details: [email protected]

Website address: amyhenniker-major.co.uk

Please read the information below carefully as it forms an agreement as to how we will work together and outlines my professional obligations regarding confidentiality. At our first session I will set some time aside for us to discuss this agreement and answer any queries that you may have. I will ask you to sign the agreement to show that you understand its contents.

Governing Body

I am a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and as such abide by their Ethical Framework. 

Please see:

www.bacp.co.uk/ethical-framework for more information.

Confidentiality

Everything that you discuss with me is confidential. Confidentiality will only be broken if there is concern about your safety or the safety of someone else, or I am instructed to do so by a Court of Law. I will always endeavour to speak to you about this first, however this may not always be possible.

 For legal and ethical reasons, I am not bound by confidentiality if in good faith I feel that I can assist in the prevention or detection of a serious crime, this includes safeguarding issues regarding children or vulnerable adults, crimes regarding substantial financial gains and losses, and acts of terrorism. 

 

As a counsellor I am required to have regular supervision to discuss my clinical work. This is to ensure that I am offering you the best service possible. These conversations are bound by confidentiality & you will only be referred to by your first name.

 

Notes are also kept of each session. These are anonymised & are either stored in a locked filing cabinet or stored securely in a password protected file within a secure online system specifically for counsellors called kiku. These notes are for my use only & help me to keep a track of everything that is being discussed. In line with industry standards, these notes must be kept securely for up to 7 years after your therapy comes to an end, after which they will be confidentially destroyed.

 

You have the right to view these notes at any time. To make this request please contact me directly.

 

All confidential information is held in accordance with the GDPR, 2018 using the secure & encrypted Kiku system (please see their Privacy Policy for more information at https://www.wearekiku.com/privacy-notices).

I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office and my reference number is ZB623400. Any information that I keep is subject to the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 18) and United Kingdom 

General Data Protection Regulation UK-GDPR see Information Commissioner’s Office: https://ico.org.uk

 

Appointments

I provide both long and short-term therapy and we can discuss the planned duration of our work together during our initial session, however on average around 6-10 sessions are usually most beneficial, depending on what you are hoping to achieve, or what issues you are presenting with.

All appointments last for 50 minutes and we will usually meet on a weekly basis unless previously discussed and agreed.

 

If we are meeting remotely, please ensure that you choose a quiet & private location to conduct your online or telephone sessions & that you log in on time to make full use of the appointment. Please note that sessions cannot be extended beyond the agreed time.

 

Should we experience any technical difficulties, I will endeavour to correct this as soon as possible. If difficulties persist, I may switch to an alternative session format (e.g. another video calling platform, or telephone) so the session can continue with minimal disruption.

 

Attending under the influence 

I am unable to deliver effective therapy to clients who try to attend sessions under the influence of non-prescribed medication or alcohol. In such a case I would discuss the issue with you, and we would agree to a period of abstinence prior to the session from the non-prescribed medication or alcohol and add this period to the contract. 

 

Contact between sessions 

Unless discussing a query about a session, it is not usual for you to have contact with your therapist outside of your agreed therapy sessions. If you think that you may need extra support, please discuss this with me and I will help signpost you to the appropriate organisations.

I normally work mornings and afternoons between Monday to Thursday, as well as a Monday evening. These hours are subject to change; however, this will be discussed with you and a suitable time agreed.  I can only see you by prior appointment and I am usually unable to correspond with clients between sessions.

If you require my urgent professional services between sessions, I can be contacted during my normal working hours by email or text. I will endeavour to reply to you as soon as possible, but there may be a delay. If you are unable to wait for me to reply, or require emergency or urgent professional assistance outside my normal working hours, please contact NHS direct telephone 111, your GP, the emergency services or the Samaritans freephone 116123

 

Fees

My fee for individuals is £50 per session, and for couples is £60. In the absence of payment your session may be cancelled.

I review my fees on an annual basis in January and will give you one calendar months’ notice of any proposed increase. 

Payments must be made 48 hours before our session.

Bank details 

Please pay by bank transfer prior to each session. The name of my account is Amy Henniker-Major. My bank details are sort code 60-83-71 and my bank account number is 28332781

Starling business account.

 

 

Making changes to your appointment or cancellations

Should you wish to cancel or change your appointment, please contact me via email or text with at least 24 hours’ notice before your appointment or you will be charged in full. This gives me the opportunity to reallocate the hour to someone else.

For therapy to work, regular attendance is essential, therefore non-attended sessions where no prior notice has been given will be charged I full.

If you arrive late unfortunately, I will not be able to extend the session, as this will affect my other appointments.

If you wish to change your appointment and you have given more than 24 hours’ notice, I will do my utmost to try and find you another suitable time to move the session to, however please note that this may not always be possible due to other clients and bookings I may have.

Holidays

If I have planned annual leave, I will give ample notice to plan this break into our sessions. It would be appreciated if you as a client could do the same.

During the school holidays, particularly over summer, I will be working fewer days therefore will have fewer sessions available. As above, this will be discussed in our first session as well as on the lead up to any planned leave.

 

Raising Concerns

Should you have any problems at all with the service that you receive, please feel free to discuss this with me. If you feel unable to talk to me about your concerns, or you feel the issue hasn’t been resolved, I am registered with the BACP, and my registration number is 390770.

please contact BACP’s Get help with counselling concerns service (formerly Ask Kathleen), which provides confidential telephone and email guidance on what to do if you have concerns about your therapy or therapist. Phone 01455 883300 or 07811 762114 or 07811 762256. Please leave a message or email [email protected], or write to BACP, 15 St John’s Business Park, Lutterworth LE17 4HB. 

 

I hope that your time with me will be a positive experience & I look forward to working with you.

 

 

I have read this contract carefully and I understand and agree to its contents. 

 

Signed – (this can be typed)

 

Client name

 

Date

 

Signed

 

Therapist

 

Date