Confidentiality :
Everything that you discuss with me is confidential. Confidentiality will only be broken if there is concern about your safety or the safety of someone else or I am instructed to do so by a Court of Law. I will always endeavour to speak to you about this first. 

In the case of a disclosure concerning acts of terrorism, money laundering, human trafficking, confidentiality will be broken and such disclosures will be passed onto the relevant authority without delay. I am liable to civil or court procedure if information of this sort is not disclosed. 

I will ensure that sessions are conducted in a confidential setting in either my private therapy room or, where online, I have chosen video calling software that offers end to end encryption to further protect your privacy. 
Please note that I cannot be held responsible for any breaches caused by failures in this technology. 

I discuss my clinical work with a supervisor. This is to ensure that I am offering you the best service possible. These conversations are bound by confidentiality & you will only be referred to by your first name. Notes are also kept of each session. These are anonymised & are either stored in a locked filing cabinet or stored securely in a password protected file within the Kiku system. These notes are for my use only & help me to keep a track of everything that is being discussed. In line with industry standards, these notes must be kept securely for up to 7 years after your therapy ends, after which they will be confidentially destroyed. You have the right to view these notes at any time . Please be advised there is an administration fee of £30 for this request. To make this request please contact me directly. 

All confidential information is held in accordance with the GDPR, 2018 using the secure & encrypted Kiku system (please see their Privacy Policy for more https://www.wearekiku.com/privacy-notices) My privacy policy can information be at found https://www.sandringhamtherapeuticcounselling.co.uk/privacy policy/ Please see the Privacy Policy for more details about how data is used & stored, as well as your rights under the GDPR guidelines. 

Recording and Confidentiality: To maintain the highest standard of confidentiality and privacy, recording or videoing any part of our sessions is strictly prohibited under all circumstances. This policy is essential to ensure the security of your personal information and the integrity of our therapeutic relationship. Any attempt to record or capture our sessions will be considered a breach of confidentiality and may result in the termination of our professional relationship. 

Appointments:
All appointments last for 50 minutes and we will meet on the same day of the week and time for weekly sessions that we agreed upon during our discovery call, or other arrangement that was made at this time.

Please do not arrive earlier than your appointment time to maintain your confidentiality as well as that of other clients. 

Please ensure that you choose a quiet & secluded location to conduct your online sessions & that you log in on time to make full use of the appointment. Should we experience any technical difficulties, I will endeavour to phone you on the provided telephone number so the session can continue with minimal disruption. 
Please note that sessions cannot be extended beyond the agreed time.

Outside of your agreed therapy sessions, it is not usual for you to have contact with me other to cancel or rearrange an appointment. If you think that you may need extra support, please discuss this directly with me. I will reply to all messages as soon as possible. However, in my absence, should you experience an emergency please contact either the emergency services on 999 or if you are feeling suicidal, ring The Samaritans: 116 123. 

Payments:
Fees are due in advance at £50 per session to be paid in full before your appointment. 

**Please ensure that you make payment within 24 hours of making the initial booking to secure your appointment. I cannot hold unconfirmed appointment slots open** 
**Please note no refunds are given unless in exceptional circumstances at my discretion. 
**If a concession has been applied, this will be confirmed via email and that rate will be applied instead of the £50 stated here. 

The business bank details are: 

Name –                              Sandringham Therapeutic Counselling (or) Mrs Joanne Memory 
Account number -          09791284 
Sort code -                       08-71-99 

In the absence of payment your session will be cancelled. Payment reminders are sent via email a day before the appointment time via wearekiku.com so please add this address and jo.memorystc@yahoo.com to your address book so these emails do not end up in your spam box. 



Making changes to your appointments:
If you need to cancel or rearrange an appointment with me, please call or text me on 07519677453 or email jo.memorystc@yahoo.com to let me know. I ask that you give at least 48 hours’ notice of any cancellations. The full session fee will be charged for cancelled sessions, where 48 hours’ notice has not been given & for non-attended sessions, where no prior notice has been given. 
Please note, that for therapy to work, regular attendance is essential. Where sufficient notice has been given, no charge will be due. 

Drugs & Alcohol:
To ensure the effectiveness of our work together, it is essential that you are fully present and able to engage in therapeutic contact. If it is determined that you are attending a session under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the session will be cancelled. This policy is in place because attending while impaired can hinder the therapeutic process and affect your well-being. I value your progress and am committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for your healing journey. 

Breaks in Therapy:
For counselling to be effective, regular & consistent attendance is essential. It is also important that I am aware of any planned breaks so that we can prepare. I will endeavour to give you at least 2 weeks’ notice of any holidays & I ask that you do the same. 
To effectively manage scheduling and ensure the availability of appointments, it is necessary to implement a policy regarding the period, past two weeks, for holding open appointments. To ensure the commitment and timely scheduling of appointments, a financial clause will be incorporated into the agreement. This clause stipulates that for appointments held open beyond the two-week period, a £10 fee will be applicable for each week. This measure is implemented to encourage commitment and uphold the efficiency of my scheduling process. Your understanding and cooperation in adhering to this policy are appreciated. Should you have any questions or require further clarification, please do not hesitate to reach out. 

End Of Therapy:
In the normal course of events, you will know when you are ready to finish counselling, and we will agree together on the work we need to do to prepare for this. You may at times find counselling difficult, become distressed and feel the need to end. I would invite you to talk to me about these difficulties rather than suddenly end, as an opportunity to resolve prominent issues may be lost. I will not suddenly or without warning terminate our agreement, except in exceptional circumstances, which would become clear in the course of the work together, which we would fully discuss at that time. 

Raising Concerns:
I am a UK based counsellor working under the jurisdiction and laws of England and Wales As a registered member of the BACP, I work within their ethical framework. If you are dissatisfied with the service provided, please discuss your concerns with me as a first step. I will respond constructively and professionally to your feedback and stated needs and advise you to the best of my ability. If we are unable to come to a satisfactory conclusion to your complaint, I will advise you to contact the BACP Customer Services.