Counselling agreement

Please read this Therapeutic Contract carefully as it forms an agreement as to how we will work together and outlines my professional obligations regarding confidentiality. During our first session I will set some time aside for us to discuss this agreement and answer any queries that you may have.

Qualifications and affiliations:
I have a Masters Degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy and I am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and as such abide by their Ethical Framework.

The way that I work:
I have been trained in a therapeutic approach called Person-Centred Therapy. This method of therapy puts the client at the heart of the therapeutic process. I work in an integrative way, meaning I adapt my way of working based on your needs. In our first session, we can agree a suitable way of working together.

Confidentiality: 
As a member of BACP I am bound by their Ethical Framework to protect a client's confidentiality. Therefore, everything that we discuss is confidential except in certain circumstances, which are listed below. 

Exceptions to confidentiality: 

In exceptional circumstances confidentiality may be broken, these circumstances could include:

  • Where you as a client give consent for confidentiality to be broken

  • I reserve the right to break confidentiality if I think that you have become a danger to yourself or other people. I will attempt to discuss this with you first, but this may not always be possible.

  • In extreme cases where I am legally compelled by a court of law.

  • Where statutory law requires me to inform the relevant authorities, for example, if you infer knowledge of or involvement in; acts of terrorism, money laundering, drug trafficking or behaviours that may, in my opinion, lead to harm or neglect of a child or vulnerable adult.

Supervision:
All members of BACP are required to have regular supervision. My work continues to be supervised to ensure that it is safe, ethical and effective. Aspects of our work may be discussed during these sessions, but identifiable details will be removed.

Record keeping confidentiality:
As a member of BACP I am required to keep accurate and appropriate notes of our work together. I record my session notes securely on a laptop that is only used by me, and this is password protected at both the level of the individual document and the laptop itself. I do not keep any paper notes or documents.

Counselling Sessions and Fees: 
Your counselling sessions will be at a frequency agreed between us, and each session will last for up to 50 minutes.

Sessions are charged at £50 for face-to-face counselling and £45 for online counselling. Payment is required via BACS at a minimum of 48 hours before our scheduled session (see below for bank details)

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

Payment method: 
Sort Code: 04-00-03

Account Number: 03505582

Account Name: Lucy Pendle

Payment Reference: Please ensure that the payment reference is the name of the person receiving counselling

Cancellation policy:
I require 48 hours notice of a cancellation via a text or email to avoid an invoice being produced and a fee charged. Where a session is cancelled or missed, and 48 hours’ notice is not provided, I reserve the right to charge the full cost for the missed session.

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

Contact between sessions:
I can only see you by prior appointment. Unless the contact is urgent or informative (such as regarding re-scheduling sessions or to inform me of holidays), I am unable to correspond with clients between sessions.

If you are unable to wait for me to reply or require emergency or urgent professional assistance outside my normal working hours, please contact the NHS direct telephone 111, your GP, the emergency services or the Samaritans freephone 116123. 

Complaints:

If there is anything that you don't understand about this agreement, or if you would prefer it in a different format, please let me know. 

Similarly, if you are not happy with any of our sessions or the standard of my work, I hope that you would feel able to talk to me about this. If you feel unable to talk to me or in the event of a serious complaint, please follow the guidance by clicking this link: BACP Complaints Information