MHL Counselling - Client Confidentiality Agreement for Therapy & Counselling

MHL Counselling Client Confidentiality Agreement

Statement of Understanding and Ethical Practice

Please read the information on this sheet carefully before your session begins… As a Snr Accredited member of the “British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy” (BACP), I work in accordance with various regulatory bodies and utilise their recommended practice guidelines.

Confidentiality

MHL Counselling services are private and confidential. I would not normally give your name, or any information about you, to anyone outside of the clinical practice.

If your service is being paid for by another agency, such as your GP surgery or employer, Michelle Harrison-Lee may tell them about how many sessions you have attended but will not normally give any information about the content.

However, there are exceptional cases where, under the BACP regulations, M.H.L counselling services might ethically or legally have to give information to relevant authorities, for example:

where I am legally compelled to do so.
where I have reason to believe that someone, especially a child, is at risk of harm.
where there is a duty to the public to disclose.
where disclosure is permitted by law and required to protect the service providers interest.
where disclosure is made at your request or with consent.

Violence and Abuse

Violence and abuse is an issue for some people who come to me.

If I judge that there is a serious risk to yourself or others it may not be possible for counselling to proceed.

I know that in some situations, working with people together may not be safe.

If this is so, we would help each person to get individual specialist support from or another agency.

If you are being hurt or feel afraid for you safety or your children’s safety you can call:

Freephone National Domestic Violence Helpline – 0808 2000 247
Website – nationaldomesticviolencehelpline.org.uk
NSPCC – 0808 800 5000
The Police
Your local Social Services Department

If you have been violent or abusive to your partner you can choose to stop. Call “Respect” on 0845 122 8609

Cancellations

Clients must provide MHL Counselling with at least 24 hours notice to cancel an appointment.

If a client cancels a session with MHL Counselling and does not provide at least 24 hours (1 business day *) notice prior to the time of the appointment, or discontinues a scheduled series of sessions, or is unable to continue a scheduled series of sessions, within the timescale you have agreed, MHL reserve the right to charge the full amount for the cancelled session and reallocate the time slot to another client.

When MHL 24 hours’ notice of cancellation has been given, MHL shall rearrange such appointment with the client for a mutually convenient date and time.

If you are unable to attend your appointment for any reason, then you should tell us as soon as possible and no later than:

– 24 hours before the scheduled start time for appointments of 50 minutes or less

* Please note that Sundays and bank holidays will not be included in these time frames so notice to cancel an appointment scheduled for a Monday or the day after a bank holiday must be given no later than the preceding working day.

All appointments and sessions cancelled later than the 24 hours deadline, allows MHL the right to make a full charge.

Non-Attendance / Short Notice Cancellation of Session over three times in a row:

MHL Counselling reserves the right to cease working with a client if they do not attend or give less than 24 hours notice of non attendance to three sessions in a row.

MHL Counselling will try to be as accommodating as possible but requires clients commitment to attend therapy on a regular basis.

Client Records and Data Protection

MHL Counselling keeps confidential records and statistics about its clients. This data relates to Age, Gender, Ethnicity, Race, Religious or Spiritual Beliefs, Physical or Mental Health, Sexuality, Work Status, Criminal Proceedings and Offences. These records are kept in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) policy 2018. Records are kept in a form which permits identification of data for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the personal data are processed and are then destroyed.

Subject Information Statement

All subject data and consent forms will be stored securely and separately for a period of up to seven years after which, will be securely destroyed in line with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) policy 2018. The work to which this contract relates is subject to English / UK law.

Data Protection Statement

I consent to MHL Counselling using my personal and sensitive data, in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) policy 2018, for the purposes of delivering counselling or other services to me, and for managing and quality assuring those services.