Karuna Psychotherapy and Counselling Harrogate

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Contracts

Method of Practice

The aim of this contract is to put in writing the terms and conditions of your psychotherapy and to provide you with information regarding how I practice. My practice is informed from humanistic philosophy and takes a client-centred approach. This means that I believe we will work collaboratively on the difficulties you wish to share. As a client-centred therapist, I am empathic, understanding and genuine and, although I may disagree with you sometimes and even challenge your ways of thinking, I am not critical or judgemental but strive to walk by the side of you as you confront your problems. I will also maintain strict time boundaries between us, this does not mean that I don’t care, or that I don’t think about you in-between sessions, simply that I cannot allow our therapeutic relationship to progress into a friendship. If we were to meet accidentally outside of your sessions I would not acknowledge you first, this is only because you may not want to explain to other people who I am.

Missed Appointments and Late Arrivals

Our therapy sessions run for an hour, typically once a week and will take place at my premises. If you cannot make a session please let me know, giving me as much warning as you can. Of course, I too will contact you should I need to reschedule in a hurry but please be assured this seldom happens. Once you have booked a session, this hour is yours, if you arrive late we are likely to still need to end at your regular finishing time because I will have other people scheduled after you. Also unfortunately, if you need to cancel a session, unless I receive adequate notice, I will still ask for full payment because I have set this time aside for you.

If you wish, during my absence it may be possible for you to see a colleague, let me know if this is something that you may like and I will make the necessary arrangements. In addition, in the case of anything happening to me, this same colleague will assist you in finding support elsewhere and will close my business affairs on my behalf.

If you need to contact me urgently in-between sessions, then of course I will try and make myself available, providing this is during office hours and is for a short period of time, typically there will be no charge. However, if this were to become a habit, I may suggest that for a time you attend an additional session.

Confidentiality

As a member of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), I abide by their code of ethics. If you would like to see these please let me know and I will provide you with a copy. This means that there are certain constraints on my being able to keep what you share confidential. For example, in accordance with these guidelines, all my practice is supervised. I will therefore share some of the content of your sessions with my supervisor. I will also keep notes of all my work and may write reports. However, all my records are kept securely locked away at my place of work. Typically, reports would only be written and if you want, distributed to outside parties, at your request. In the case of a report being distributed, in nearly all circumstances you will have an opportunity to read it beforehand.

Under certain other circumstances it may be necessary for me to breach confidentiality by talking to someone. This may happen if;

1. You give me your consent for this confidence to be broken.
2. I am compelled to break that confidence by a court of law, child protection or the terrorism act.
3. The information you give me is of such gravity that confidentiality cannot be maintained e.g. where there is a possibility of harm to self or others or in cases of crime. In such circumstances I would always try and talk to you first.
4. A referring agency require a report. However, we would devise this together.

Fees

Your first visit to see me is free of charge and may last up to one hour. Following this, if we decide to work together my fees are £___ per hour payable by cheque or cash at the end of each session. At our first meeting, assuming we would like to work together, I would like to schedule for a few sessions, this way we are both able to plan our future time together but this is only a guide, we can increase or decrease the number at a later date.

Please would you sign this contract to let me know that you have understood and feel happy with its contents and bring it with you when we meet.

Jo. L. Ringrose BSc MA

Karuna Psychotherapy and Counselling

Client Signature: …………………………………….

Date: ……………………………