Consultation

Counselling working agreement Before starting work together, it is important that we agree to the basis of our working relationship, so we both understand what is expected of each other. Please let me know if you need support with this form in any way and I will be happy to assist you. How I work I am a qualified humanistic counsellor. This means I believe that we all have the capacity within us for growth, awareness and change. This can be difficult at times and I am here to support you in working to make these challenges more manageable. My hope is that this self exploration will help you gain a greater awareness and understanding of yourself, your relationships with other people and the difficulties you may be facing, ultimately allowing you to make positive changes that feel right for you. I believe our therapeutic relationship is a key part of our work together, which is why I work relationally. This means our work is collaborative. By working together, we can begin to explore your unique experience. My aim is to listen, support and empower your sense of autonomy, self-belief and confidence, with the hope this can support you in your future choices and endeavours. It takes courage to reach out and seek counselling and that is why we will work at your pace, and I will offer you a warm, calm, accepting, honest and respectful space where I will work alongside you as you begin your counselling journey. My training and experience allows me to work integratively, which means I am able to offer a range of therapeutic techniques to best support your unique experience. I am registered with the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP) and follow their ethical framework to ensure you are able to trust me with your wellbeing and any sensitive, personal information shared during our work together. Confidentiality Our sessions are held in confidence. Confidentiality will only be broken in the following circumstances (and wherever possible with your knowledge and consent): ● If I believe that you are at harm to yourself or that someone else may be at harm as a result of your actions/behaviours ● If children or vulnerable adults are at risk or believed to be suffering abuse ● If my own personal safety is at risk from your stated intentions or proposed actions ● If you have divulged information about an act of terrorism, whether or not I believe it to be true ● If disclosure of information is required by law I receive clinical supervision for my counselling case work. However, your confidentiality is maintained throughout. Clinical supervision ensures that I am working safely and effectively in line with the BACP. If we see one another out of the counselling session, I will not acknowledge you unless you acknowledge me first, or we have agreed that I may do so in public. This is also to protect your confidentiality. Online Counselling Rather than working in person, you may have chosen for us to work online via a Zoom video call. If you choose to do this, it is your responsibility to ensure you have a confidential, quiet space to make the call where you are not going to be disturbed. It is also advised that you use a private computer, phone or tablet for our sessions. Each week I will send you a link 5-20 minutes prior to each session along with a reminder the day before. I would ask that you do not record our online sessions, either by Zoom or any other recording device in order to protect us both and any persons mentioned during the session. I will always ensure I conduct my sessions from a quiet, appropriate and confidential space and I would ask that you do the same too. This is so you are able to fully engage with the therapy. If during our online session we experience a technology breakdown, I will endeavour to make contact with you via telephone/email. If I cannot reach you, please contact me as soon as possible to let me know you are safe. If I am concerned for your welfare, I may feel it necessary to contact your emergency contacts/emergency services as appropriate. Sessions We may agree an initial number of sessions at the outset of our work to be arranged at a mutually convenient time. We will review this regularly. We will discuss the focus of our work from the outset and regularly review this. Sessions are 50 minutes and will normally be weekly, unless agreed otherwise, so that you can get the most out of our therapeutic work together, particularly at the beginning of our work. We may agree to this becoming less frequent over time, as appropriate. My fee is £55/45 per session. If you are late, unfortunately I will be unable to extend your session time or reduce the fee. I ask that you do not attend counselling sessions under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Physical or aggressive behaviour towards me or others, or any property is not acceptable and may lead to the termination of our counselling agreement. Payment Fees should be paid 24 hours prior to the session by BACS transfer to: Account name: Sukie Dennis Account number: 17397099 Sort code: 60-83-71 Cancelling sessions You can contact me on my work mobile 07543191206 or work email sukiedenniscounselling@outlook.com to arrange/cancel appointments. I would ask that you please give me at least 48 hours or more notice of a cancellation where possible. Less notice than this will require you to pay a cancellation fee, which would be half the cost of the session. Cancelling with less than 24 hours’ notice will require you to pay the full cost of the session. If I need to cancel an appointment due to illness or emergency, I will contact you as soon as possible or arrange for an entrusted counselling colleague to contact you if I I am unable to. Your fee will be refunded to you or an alternative arrangement made. You are entitled to end this contract at any time, giving at least 48 hours’ notice. You will be invoiced for any outstanding fees. Holidays I endeavour to give you as much notice as possible and remind you of any upcoming breaks in our work so you are prepared for them. I would ask, where possible, for you to do the same regarding any upcoming holidays so we are both aware and prepared for the break. Privacy notice I store all your details securely in accordance with the Data Protection Act and GDPR regulations and in line with the BACP guidelines. This includes any information received via email referrals, personal details forms, case notes recorded in sessions and any information that is shared with me by a third party at your request. Any case notes on our sessions are held separately to your personal information, securely stored and cannot be identified by any other individual. I will store all your personal information and case notes electronically and it will be archived after your last counselling session and then deleted after seven years. Please note that I will not engage on social media with you as I feel this could be detrimental to our therapeutic relationship. A final note Counselling is not a crisis service, therefore, if you experience suicidal thoughts between sessions, I recommend that you follow any safety plan that you may have in place, contact your GP, local A&E department, local mental health crisis team or call the Samaritans on 116 123 or text Shout on 85258. All work is undertaken in accordance with UK laws and any disputes will be subject to that.