The therapist (Xzarina Nicholson) agrees to work under the code of ethics and professional practice guidelines of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/ukcp-members/standards-guidance-and-policies/).

PAYMENT

The client (or client’s representative) agrees to pay the therapist the full cost of the session at least 48 hours in advance. The therapist will keep to the session times agreed in advance via booking confirmation and/or email. However, if there is a significant overrun of a session by the client (minimum 15 minutes), after the therapist has given notice of the time, this will be charged pro rata at the standard rate. The client agrees to make payment the same day.

CANCELLATION

In cases of cancellation with 48-hours notice, the full amount will be refunded to the client (minus processing fees). In the event of cancellation with less than 48-hours’ notice, the full cost of session will be retained by the therapist. This may also apply to cases of unforeseen illness, as the therapist will have arranged time and is unlikely to fill the session without sufficient notice. This may be reduced to half the standard amount in negotiated cases. If the therapist must cancel at short notice due to unforeseen circumstances/illness, she will reschedule the appointment as soon as possible (as convenient for both parties) or refund the payment in full.

The therapist will endeavour to give sufficient notice of any periods of leave when she is unavailable. However, where this is not possible, she will endeavour to re-arrange an appointment as soon as possible.

AGREEMENTS

The client agrees NOT to consume alcohol or non-prescription drugs before session. If it is the case where such substances may still be in your body, the session will be ended immediately and counted as non-attendance. It is against ethical practice to conduct a therapy session under the influence of mind-altering substances.

Please note that if therapy is conducted online via Zoom, it is a condition of this contract that treatment is provided under English and Welsh Law, even if the client is outside the UK at the time.

Treatment is limited to pre-arranged times only. If the client requires help out-of-hours, they can email to arrange a suitable time, and the therapist will reply via email as soon as possible. If more involvement is required over the telephone other than to arrange another appointment, then this will be charged the same as the therapeutic hourly rate. However, the therapist does not have the resources to offer regular additional input between sessions, either by telephone support or email.

There will be times when the therapist will not be available. She will never be able to see clients who turn up without appointment. This will be seen as a breach of contract.

The therapist is unable to provide crisis intervention services. Outside of arranged sessions, in a crisis, the client will agree to contact their GP or attend A&E services to access appropriate crisis service input in their local area.

Clients have the right to terminate therapy at any stage during their treatment. However, professional liability will not rest with the therapist if the client terminates him/herself against the advice of the therapist. If necessary, the therapist reserves the rights to terminate therapy in accordance with the code of ethics and professional practice guidelines of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy.

Client notes will be kept for 7 years and then destroyed unless the client specifically requests for notes to be kept longer.