Counselling Contract
Contract Practitioner’s name: Adam Corbett
Name of private practice: Elevate Counselling & Coaching Limited
Contact details: adam.corbett@elevatecounsellinguk.co.uk
Website address: https://elevatecounsellinguk.com
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 we will set some time aside for us to discuss this agreement and answer any queries that you may have. We will ask you to sign the agreement to show that you understand its contents.
Qualifications
I am a NIOQ Level 4 qualified Counsellor and a member of the Accrediting Board of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (ABACP) and as such abide by their Ethical Framework. Please see - https://abcap.org.uk/our-policies/#ethical-framework for more information.
Anti-discriminatory practice
I am committed to providing an anti-discriminatory service. I strive to ensure that this practice is present in all our work together.
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The way that I work
There are a variety of approaches to the way practitioners work with their clients. I have been trained in a variety of therapeutic approaches and will use these to help you identify the root cause of your situation and work with you to develop a positive way forward including the use of coping mechanisms as well as homework to practice techniques discussed during our sessions.
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Duration and notice of termination
I provide both short and long-term therapy and we can discuss the planned duration of our work together during our initial session. We will review your progress at every session and if you wish to terminate your therapy with me please let me know a week before your next appointment.
Holidays
I require 2 weeks notice of any holiday arrangements. I will provide you with at least 2 weeks notice of my holidays.
Contact between sessions
I can only see you by prior appointment. If you require my urgent professional services between sessions, I can be contacted 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.
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Fees
Please see the Services page on our website for all of our fees.
Payment
You can pay by BACS or by Tap To Pay at the conclusion of a session. Your first session can be paid for via our website upon booking,
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Cancellation policy
I require 24 hours’ notice of a cancellation via a text or email to avoid an invoice being produced and a fee charged. If you arrive late unfortunately we will not be able to extend the session, as this will affect our other appointments. I require 2 weeks notice of any holiday arrangements. I will provide you with at least 2 weeks notice of my holidays. I only see clients by appointment, and I am unable to correspond with clients between sessions.
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Letters and reports
We are willing to write any relevant letters and reports but will require your written permission for us to do this. I charge a fee for writing letters or reports, and this is based on the time it takes us to write the document.
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Supervision
All members of ABACP 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 no full name will be used and identifiable details removed. My supervisor is a member of ABCAP and as such they are bound by the same confidentiality rules as ourselves.
In keeping with the requirements of ABACP’s Ethical Framework we have appointed a trusted colleague to take over the administration of my practice in the event of my death or incapacity, and to deal with my appointments and destroy my notes in a confidential manner. This colleague is also a member of ABACP and is bound by the same professional confidentiality rules as set out in their Ethical Framework.
Confidentiality
As a member of ABACP we are 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.
Record keeping confidentiality
As a member of ABACP we are required to keep accurate and appropriate notes of our work together. We record our session notes securely on a laptop that is only used by individual counsellors, and this is password protected at both the level of the individual document and the laptop itself. Any paper documents are locked in a robust non-portable cabinet to which only individual counsellors have access. We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (TBC) and any information that we 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
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Exceptions:
Harm to self or others
We reserve the right to break confidentiality if we think that you have become a danger to yourself or other people. We will attempt to discuss this with you and my supervisor first, but this may not always be possible. For legal and ethical reasons we are not bound by confidentiality if in good faith we feel that we 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.
Keep safe policy
In certain cases where you may have declared a clear and definite intention to end your life, or if we have reason to believe this to be true, we may after a careful discussion agree to put in place a ’keep safe policy’ where you will agree to take certain measures, such as get in touch with your mental health crisis team, or talk to the Samaritans as a way of safeguarding and ensuring your safety.
Attending under the influence
We are 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 we would discuss the issue with you and we would agree a period of abstinence prior to the session from the non-prescribed medication or alcohol, and add this period to the contract.
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Complaint
If there is anything that you don’t understand about this agreement, or if you would prefer it in a different format, please let us know. Similarly, if you are not happy with any of our sessions or the standard of our work, we hope that you would feel able to talk to us about this.