Initial Session

The first session will consist of a psychological well-being assessment and is an opportunity to see if we can work together and form a relationship.  We will also run through the contract and confidentiality policy along with the privacy policy.
 

Contract

Please take a moment to review our contract, we will both agree and sign a copy of this during our initial session together.

 

Confidentiality

All personal information disclosed during a session will be confidential, however, there are some exceptions:

Counsellors are required to have regular and on-going supervision, in line with the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP) code of ethics. Supervision is essential for reviewing and monitoring a therapist's work as well as an opportunity to gain new perspectives on the counselling process.  However, no clients are identified.

If there is cause for concern for your safety, or the safety of a significant other close to you, consultation may be sought with another professional but if possible the matter will be discussed with you first and a mutually agreeable way forward will be sought.  The only time this would not be possible is if it was felt you or or others were at significant risk of harm.

 

Privacy policy 

I have a legal and ethical obligation to ensure that your personal information is stored securely and confidentially.  This privacy policy is intended to inform you of what information I collect, how this information is used and what steps I take to protect this information, as well as providing you a process to update, change or delete your personal data.  You will be required to sign a copy of this Privacy policy along with the Contract at your first session, if you are happy with how your personal information is obtained and stored.  

All your personal information is stored securely and confidentially in a locked cabinet, coded for protection. The data collected is used to enable effective communication during the counselling process, it is used in a safe and ethical manner and is in line with EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) May 2018. 

You have the right to ask for a copy of your personal information, also the right to ask me to amend or change any incorrect information about you. 

You have the right to ask me to erase any information that I hold about you. This includes your personal information that is no longer relevant to original purposes, or if you wish to withdraw consent.  In all cases and when considering such requests, these rights are obligatory unless it is information that I have a legal obligation to retain. 

As the client, you have the right to receive your personal information which you previously provided, and also have the right to transfer that information to another party.