Terms + Conditions

Welcome to my practice.

Please find following the therapy contract and informed consent.

Participating in therapy is a courageous step towards leading a more content, deeper and richer life, and I look forward to working with you.

Commitment to Your Growth & Recovery:

I am deeply committed to your recovery, growth and psychological safety. This is ultimately supported by the level of commitment you make to yourself – both in your individual sessions and self-care practices at home.

Benefits:

There is a growing database of evidence to support the efficacy of counselling. Therapy works - I know this through my personal experience of attending therapy and through my professional experience. Jonathan Shedler’s paper on the Efficacy of Long-Term Therapy highlights the benefits of psychotherapy and how the changes you make can last a life-time. This article is widely available online if you would like to read it. If this therapy doesn’t feel right for you, that is ok – there are many other types that may be more well suited to you.

Risks:

Please note that you may experience uncomfortable feelings throughout your therapy. This is normal if you have been estranged from your emotional life. Our work together will help you to increase your window of tolerance for such feelings. I encourage you to let me know if you ever feel uncomfortable, we can pause at any time and go at your own pace.

Frequency of Sessions:

We meet at the same agreed time, day and venue and your session starts and ends at the agreed time, even if you are late. Sessions are for 50 minutes. The last few minutes are used for paying fees and administration. At any stage in your therapy, you may require extra support  - this is normal - many people attend therapy more than once a week. If we agree to extra sessions, the same terms and conditions apply to subsequent sessions.

Sickness, Cancellation & Missed Appointments:

The cancellation period is 24 hours’ notice; otherwise, your session is to be paid for in full. When cancelling sessions – please notify me via text or email. I am happy to Zoom your session if you are unable to make it due to illness, business/overseas travel or bad weather if you are coming via public transport. If you cannot connect for any reason, the 24-hour cancellation fee applies. If you know in advance that you will be unable to make your session, I will try my best to reschedule you in at another time in the same week.

If last minute cancellations occur on 3 occasions within a short time-frame, we will explore together whether there are any underlying concerns about therapy, how you are feeling about therapy and whether now is the right time for you.

Please note that if you are late, or if I charge you a cancellation fee, I spend your usual session time in self-supervision or I read a relevant topic that will support our work together. This is what we call in psychotherapy, ‘holding space’. If you have something specific you would like me to read or research, please let me know. This makes for deep and rich work on your return.

Fees & Payment:

Please transfer your fees prior to your session and cc me on the receipt. Alternatively, bring your fee with you to the session.

Investing in psychotherapy is ultimately about taking responsibility for your health and wellbeing and it reflects the value you have chosen to place on your recovery and growth. If your financial situation changes or you find yourself having concerns about the money side of therapy, do feel free to bring any concerns to your sessions and we can spend time working through this in relationship with each other.

Confidentiality:

I hold the contents of the sessions to be confidential; with the proviso that I receive clinical supervision at least ten times a year and whereby I may discuss issues that arise in therapy (supervision is also bound by rules of confidentiality). If I believe you are in danger of harming yourself or others and/or engaged in criminal activity I will make contact with the appropriate external agencies, however, I will discuss this with you first. Although rare, a court may order my testimony if it determines that the issues demand it.

Code of Ethics:

I am a member of The Australian Counselling Association. I adhere to their Code of Ethics. See: https://www.theaca.net.au. If you are ever unhappy with anything that has arisen in your therapy, please talk with me so that I can respond to your concerns. I will take your feedback seriously, and with care and respect. If you feel that I have breached my code of ethics, you can contact ACA via the link above.

I am deeply committed to my own psychological wellbeing via self-care, ongoing in-depth psychotherapy, continued professional development and clinical supervision. I have spent a significant amount of time in my own therapy and understand that sometimes it can be difficult to raise concerns – I have felt like that too – however, therapy is a wonderful opportunity for you to build your confidence and assertiveness in relationship with others.

Contact Outside of Session:

The best way to contact me is via email or text message. In case of emergency, it is ok to call me but please bear in mind that my phone is often on silent. I will respond in due course.

Ending Therapy:

You can terminate your therapy at any time and for any reason. If you feel like ending all of a sudden or after a session that might have been challenging or painful, my recommendation is to reach out and talk to me about it so that we can work through it in relationship with each other. Your feelings matter to me. If you think you would like to end therapy, I recommend you allow one session’s notice. Allowing time for an ending honours the work undertaken, and gives you an opportunity to properly review and conclude your therapy. Endings can be difficult. Ending in a relational way is another opportunity for you to work through things differently from your past. Feedback is welcome!

Privacy:

Your privacy rights are important to me. I am committed to providing quality services to you and my privacy policy outlines my ongoing obligations to you in respect to how I manage your Personal Information.