Confidentiality and Privacy
Anything you say will be treated in the strictest confidence and only shared if there is a legal obligation for me to do so. It is therefore important, when having our sessions together that you are in a private space where you cannot be overheard. If you tell me about activities that may result in harm to yourself or others, including child protection, vulnerable adult issues or acts of terrorism, I am legally obliged to pass that information to the relevant authorities and will discuss this with you, where possible if I am going to do this. Under the right to be forgotten you have the right to ask, and I will comply, to destroy your notes as soon as you have finished counselling.
I am a member of the NCPS. I adhere to the code of ethics and practices and as part of these policies I am required to have supervision, whereby I will discuss our work together. In these discussions I will protect your anonymity.
Under GDPR you have the right to request a copy of our session’s records. Once requested I can provide the notes within 30 days. You also have the right to ask for the records to be amended.
Cancellation policy
On occasions where you need to cancel or reschedule your regular session, you are requested to give 48 hours’ notice. If you cancel your session within 48 hours you are financially responsible for the cost of the session. I am willing to show discretion in some instances, when missing your appointment cannot be helped. In situations of sudden illness or emergency within 48 hours I will waive 50% of your regular session fee.
Referral
During our work together we may evaluate how the counselling is going and if it’s the most suitable form of support for you at this time. If you feel that our counselling relationship is not working or if you require a counsellor with specific expertise, I am happy to explore alternative options with you.
Emergency
As I am not available for emergency contact, at times of distress I recommend you get in touch with your GP. In cases of emergency please contact the NHS by telephone by calling 999 or 111.
Alternatively, you can contact the Samaritans by telephone on 116 123 (free anytime from any phone) or online at jo@samartians.org
