Terms & Conditions
Therapy should be a safe and helpful space for you. In order to ensure this, it is important that we have a shared agreement in place. Please find below information about how we work and what are the Terms and Conditions of this agreement should we decide to work together. It is important that this is read carefully so you are fully aware of what you are agreeing to. If you are unclear about anything please do not hesitate to get in touch to discuss further: hello@glowpsychology.co.uk.
Code of Ethics
I am bound by the Code and Ethics of practice by the relevant regulatory body (Health and Care professions Council; HCPC). Being a Clinical Psychologist is a protected title, which means they are protected by law and practitioners need to be registered in order to use them.
Confidentiality, Safety & Data Protection
All sessions are completely confidential. All of your personal information and any clinical notes will be stored securely in line with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR, 2018). Any electronic information that is kept on your record will be kept securely on a laptop device which is password protected. Any paper files which are required and contain personal identifying information will be securely stored with only the Clinical Psychologist having access. Information will be shared in clinical supervision, which is standard procedure to ensure high quality practice. In this case only initials and first names are used to ensure anonymity. Any and all information will be destroyed and disposed 7 years after treatment is completed. Confidentiality will only be breached, with or without your knowledge, if there is reason to be concerned for your safety or the safety of others. If a disclosure has been made that puts you or other people at risk, relevant professionals will be notified such as your GP, Social Care, Psychiatry, Police and family members if appropriate. Where possible, you will be notified of this beforehand but this cannot be guaranteed.
Privacy & Consent to share information
Where this does not involve breach of confidentiality or information pertaining to risk or safety of yourself/others, your permission and consent will be required to share information with third parties. This may include your GP or other health care professionals, schools. At times, I may be required to share brief details and update the referrer with progress reports, at a chargeable fee listed below. This will be discussed and agreed with you prior to doing so.
Communication
If clients contact me, I am usually available Monday – Thursday. If I am in a session I will get back to you as soon as I am available. Communication will usually be via email, phone calls and text messages. If you have a preference or would not like to be contacted in one or more of these methods then please state your communication preferences on your personal details form.
Emergencies
I do not provide emergency cover. If in a crisis and requiring immediate help, you should call for an ambulance or police by dialling 999, visit A&E at your local hospital or speak with your GP. Any safety plans pertaining to risk (including: to you, by you or from others) will be discussed in sessions.
Sessions
Sessions are provided online via Zoom and in-person in Egham, Surrey where free parking is available in the area. Assessments are 50-90 minutes depending on the concerns and the client, and therapy sessions last for 50 minutes. If you are late to your session, you will be seen for the remainder of your allotted time and this will not be extended. Number of sessions will be agreed at the beginning of starting therapy, and this will be reviewed regularly (between 6-12 sessions) to ensure that therapy is meeting your needs and helping you towards your goals.
Online Therapy
Online therapy is conducted in a private room where the therapist will be the only person in the room. If choosing to have therapy online, it is your responsibility to ensure that you have a secure and confidential space where you will not be heard or interrupted by others for the duration of our appointment. This is important so that you are able to speak openly and confidentiality will not be breached. If you choose to be a in a place where there are people or others can hear you, I cannot be responsible for protecting confidentiality. You may wear a headset to help this and to help the quality of sound during the appointment.
Please ensure that your technology is functioning prior to the session. It is a requirement that you have a strong internet connection to avoid any delays and disruptions. A private Zoom link will be sent to you for the assessment and if we agree to further therapy sessions, a separate link will be sent to you which will be the link we will use for subsequent therapy.
Connection Loss: If we lose signal or connection during a session, I will leave the video call and rejoin and suggest you do the same. If we cannot connect after a few minutes due to technological issues, I will attempt to call you on the number you have provided, usually your mobile, to continue the session via phone. I will remain available to you during the entire course of our scheduled session.
Fees
I offer a free 15 minute phone consultation to all clients to check we are a good fit. Fees for assessments and therapy will be agreed and discussed during our consultation. Payments are made via electronic bank transfer. I do not conduct home visits. For assessment, payment must be made upon booking if self-funding. For subsequent appointments and therapy sessions, we ask that payment is made prior to the appointment. Your appointment will only be confirmed once payment has been received. We cannot guarantee the appointment will be held if you have not prepaid. For those covered by insurance, please see below. Where the client is under the age of 18 and is unable to pay for the service themselves, their parent/carer will be responsible for payment. There may be a time where I have to increase my fees to cover rising costs and inflation. I reserve the right to increase fees and will provide 3 months notice. Liaison with professionals: Any meetings, telephone calls and reports will be charged at the usual rate at the time of service.
Cancellation Policy
It is understandable that occasionally clients need to cancel appointments at short notice for various reasons. With appropriate notification, this enables other patients to be offered time slots that would otherwise be unattended. As such, 48 hours notice is required for all cancelled appointments. Appointments that are unattended, or cancelled without the required 48 hours’ notice will incur the following costs:
More than 48 hours notice: no fee charged
Between 24-48 hours notice: 50% of the fee
Less than 24 hours notice: 100% of the fee
If appointments are cancelled with more than 48 hours notice and payment has already been made, clients will receive a full refund/credit. Cancellations can be made by phone or email. If insurance providers do not pay charges for cancellation or missed appointments, then you will be expected to pay the fee. If multiple sessions are cancelled (regardless of notice), this may compromise further therapy being offered, as therapy is only beneficial when it can be committed to regularly. In the rare event that I need to cancel or reschedule an appointment with you, I will provide you with as much notice as possible.
Health Care Insurance/Private Medical Insurance
If you have appropriate health care insurance, this can also be used to cover the costs of your therapy sessions. Only certain health care providers are accepted so please check if your health care provider qualifies. If you are eligible, then invoices/receipts will be provided to claim back payments you have made from your health care provider. Alternatively, you can obtain an authorisation code by your health care provider prior to any services received. It is your responsibility to obtain this to make payment and to continue to receive a service. It is also your responsibility to ensure that costs of each and every session are paid by the insurance provider. Failure to do so may mean termination of therapy and any further sessions offered. Non-payments: Please note that in the event that payment (or part payment) is not received for any reason by an insurance company, you will be personally liable for full payment of all charges (or any remaining unpaid amount).
Ending therapy
Therapy can be very emotive and at times challenging. For this reason it is important to ensure that the ending of therapy is planned collaboratively between client and therapist. For this reason, there will be regular reviews on therapy and progress. This may also involve the consideration of financial circumstances i.e. how many sessions you have budgeted for, or how many sessions your health provider has authorised. Considering this will also help to ensure that the time you have with your therapist will meet your needs in a thoughtful, realistic and appropriate way.
Following the course of therapy should you feel ready to finish therapy, you can discuss with your therapist so that you can agree the work required to prepare for this. At times, you may find therapy challenging and feel the need to end it suddenly. It is important that you discuss this with your therapist so that this can be explored and that any form of ending is most helpful to you.
Once therapy has started, it will not be abruptly ended by the therapist unless in exceptional circumstances. Where this may happen will likely be due to persistent non-payment of sessions, threats or violent behaviour which will result in the termination of therapy immediately.