Terms & Conditions
By attending either an initial consultation or regular counselling sessions, you agree to the following terms and conditions. This is an agreement between you as the client and Anchor Counselling. This gives CONSENT to Anchor Counselling to work with you.
The following is agreed by the client:
Confidentiality Policy:
The counsellor-client relationship has its foundation in trust. As such, confidentiality is an essential part of our work together. The content of your counselling sessions is confidential in accordance with the BACP (British association of Counselling & Psychotherapy) ethical framework. There are, however, certain exceptions which are as follows:
- Clinical Supervision: Anchor Counselling is required to have professional supervision to maintain the efficacy of their practice and to safeguard the interests of their clients. The Supervisor is also bound by the BACP code of confidentiality.
- Serious Harm to Self or Others: Anchor Counselling may share information where we have reason to believe that this may prevent serious harm being caused to you or another. Where possible, this would be done with your knowledge and consent.
- Compliance with Law: Anchor Counselling is obligated to share information where the law requires us to do so and/or where we would be at risk of prosecution if that information was not passed on.
- Administration: Anchor Counselling may share some details for administrative purposes, for example about scheduling appointments, cancellations, absences, payment or any other administrative changes relevant to your counselling sessions. This will not include discussing the content of your sessions.
Attendance: It is important that you come to counselling on a regular basis to maximise the benefit of our work together. In most cases weekly appointments are the most effective. Anchor Counselling does, on occasion, work with clients on a fortnightly, monthly or irregular basis. We will explore this together and decide what is the best way forward for you.
Session Duration: Counselling sessions have a duration of 50 minutes.
Cancellation Policy: Anchor Counselling understands that there are circumstances in which it is not possible for you to attend your appointment. If you are unable to attend a session, at least 48 hours’ notice is required. If no notice is given within 48 hours, the full session fee is payable. If you miss two consecutive sessions without giving prior warning, it may be appropriate to end your counselling sessions. This is because counselling requires a level of commitment to facilitate the counselling process. If you miss a session unexpectedly, Anchor Counselling may email you to ask whether you would like your usual session the following week.
Payment: Individual counselling sessions cost £60. This should be paid in advance of each session individually, or in blocks of 4 sessions (£240) or 6 sessions (£360). Payment is always in advance and session fees are to be paid to Anchor Counselling at least 48 hours before each appointment. Repeated late payment will result in therapy being suspended. You will be provided with the relevant bank details at the time of booking.
Annual Fee Review: Anchor Counselling review their fees annually.
Contact between sessions: The therapeutic relationship happens within the therapy room. As such, while basic queries are welcome via email, other questions should be presented during therapy sessions. Therapy issues are not discussed by phone or email, unless there are special circumstances that have been agreed beforehand. This is to help protect client confidentiality. If you ever find yourself in a crisis/emergency situation and you require urgent help, there are some contacts and resources on Anchor Counselling website which you can refer to.
Ending Therapy: If or when you decide to end therapy, Anchor Counselling asks that you inf0rm them ahead of time in order to leave a minimum of 1-2 sessions to process your ending together. This is to facilitate closure and ensure a therapeutic ending.
GP Consent: You agree that if necessary, Anchor Counselling can contact your General Medical Practitioner and/or other professionals currently involved in your care. Only in exceptional circumstances would contact be made without your prior knowledge. Anchor Counselling are bound by a strict code of ethics and confidentiality and only in extreme situations, where there is risk to yourself or to other people, would contact be made without your consent.
Concession counselling: Anchor Counselling wants to help make therapy more accessible for people from all walks of life. For this reason, we hold a certain amount of concession spaces for those experiencing financial hardship who otherwise would not be able to access therapy. Concessions are for weekly face-to-face appointments and are usually held for a maximum of six months after which point we may need to reevaluate your financial situation and renegotiate your payment amount. This ensures that those who may be waiting for a concession space are not waiting indefinitely.
Declaration: By attending any sessions with us, you confirm that you have read the terms and conditions and agree to those terms. You undertake therapy on the understanding that it is a collaborative process, and that progress depends in part upon your own motivation and participation.