Confidentiality.

Everything that you discuss with me, Rachel Strange (counsellor) is confidential. Confidentiality may be broken if there is concern about your safety or the safety of someone else or I am instructed to do so by a Court of Law. Any links to terrorism or serious organised crime will likely incur a break in confidentiality. I will always endeavour to speak to you about this first.

 

I will ensure that sessions are conducted in a confidential setting, and when working online I have chosen video calling software called Whereby that offers end to end encryption to further protect your privacy. (Please note that I cannot be held responsible for any breaches caused by failures in this technology.) 

 

I discuss my clinical work with a supervisor. This is to ensure that I am offering you the best service possible. These conversations are bound by confidentiality and you will only be referred to by your first name.

 

Notes are also kept of each session. These are anonymised and are either stored in a locked filing cabinet or stored securely in a password protected file within the Kiku system. These notes are for my use only and help me to keep a track of everything that is being discussed. In line with industry standards, these notes must be kept securely for up to 7 years after your therapy comes to an end, after which they will be confidentially destroyed. The only time your notes would be seen by anyone else would be if I was requested to release them to a court of law. 

 

You have the right to view your notes. To make this request please contact or speak with me directly.

 

All confidential information is held in accordance with the GDPR, 2018 using the secure & encrypted Kiku system (please see their Privacy Policy for more information at https://www.wearekiku.com/privacy-notices). 

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Working with young people.

I work with young people from the age of 10 onwards. Young people start to assume more rights to confidentiality at 13, but parents, guardians and care givers do still have the right to ask about general information regarding their young person’s counselling journey. To encourage effective therapy, I ask that I can confidentially hold the content of counselling sessions to allow the young person to have the freedom to be themselves and discuss what they want or need to.

Should any safeguarding concerns arise then I would discuss concerns directly with parents, guardians and care givers after a counselling session, and with the young person’s knowledge and consent to break confidentiality. If a young person is imminent or immediate danger, then I would have to act on information given and involve wider agencies such as the MASH team (Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub) or the police.

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Appointments.

Appointments last for up to 60 minutes and we will usually meet either face-to-face or online on a weekly basis. It is not possible to overrun as it may impact other appointments. The full amount for a session is payable even if you choose to end the session early.  

 

Online sessions: Please ensure that you choose a quiet and private location to conduct your online or telephone sessions and that you log in on time to make full use of the appointment. Sessions cannot be extended beyond the agreed time. 

Should we experience any technical difficulties, I will endeavour to switch to an alternative session format (e.g. another video calling platform, telephone or alternative phone line) so the session can continue with minimal disruption.

Working online can feel different to being face-to-face. It is expected that you find a suitable place for your session and arrive appropriately dressed...look up the 'online disinhibition effect'. 

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Face-to-face sessions: Please arrive promptly to make the most of your session. Sessions cannot be extended beyond the agreed time. 

 

Outside of your agreed therapy sessions, it will not be usual for you to have contact with me other than informing me about absences or other urgent issues. If you think that you may need extra support, please discuss this directly with me.

If we happen to see each other outside of our sessions, I'm happy to say a quick hello or not engage at all - whatever makes you feel comfortable. On social media platforms, I will not accept any requests to connect with any personal accounts, but I do have professional accounts that you're welcome to follow and engage with. Any requests to connect with personal accounts will  not be responded to and will be deleted.

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If you contact me outside of office working hours of Monday to Friday 09:00-17:00, please expect a response from me within working hours. I will endeavour to respond within 24 hours of you making contact with me. 

 

Payment.

Payment can be made via BACS before the session takes place. Details would be sent to you prior to your first session. I'm also able to take secure card payments.

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If working face-to-face, then cash can also be used for payment. 

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If booking a session via this website, payment for your sessions is made at the point of booking by card using the Kiku system, linked from this website. If you are paying using your Kiku account, please ensure that you make payment within 24 hours of making the booking. In the absence of payment your session may be cancelled. If you encounter any problems with the online payment system, get in touch and we'll get it sorted.

In the interest of your privacy, online payments will show up on your account statement under Kiku’s legal entity name “Sixten Eighty Ltd.”

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If you need me to provide a letter for you to evidence your work with me at Kairos Counselling,  I will charge £20.00 to cover my time and admin costs. Letters will not include the content or nature of the work you are doing with Kairos Counselling. 

 

Making changes to your appointments.

If you need to cancel or rearrange a session with me, please call 07970 374805 or email rachel@kairoscounselling.uk to let me know. Alternatively, you can do this via your Kiku account if you have one set up. 

 

I ask that you give at least 24 hours notice of any changes to be eligible for a refund or not be charged for the session.

 

50% of the session fee will be charged for cancelled sessions, where 24 hours’ notice has not been given, and for non-attended sessions where no prior notice has been given. Please note, that for therapy to be effective, regular attendance is essential.

 

Where sufficient notice has been given, there will be a cancellation fee of £2.50 to cover card processing and admin costs.

 

Breaks in Therapy.

For counselling to be effective, regular and consistent attendance is essential. It is also important that both you and I are aware of any planned breaks so that we can prepare. I will endeavour to give you 2 weeks advanced notice of any holidays, and I ask that you try to do the same.

 

You can end counselling sessions at any time; however I ask that you give me some notice and we have a final session to complete our work together. 

 

Raising Concerns.

Should you have any problems at all with the service that you receive, please let me know. If this does not resolve the issue, I am registered with the NCPS – membership number: NCS21 - 01343.  https://nationalcounsellingsociety.org/complaints 

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I hope that your time with me at Kairos Counselling will be a really positive experience and I look forward to working with you.