Cancellations/lateness:

I require 24 hours’ notice of a cancellation via a text or email to avoid an invoice being produced and a fee charged. If you cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice a full session fee will be required unless we re-schedule the session to a different day in the same week. I am open for discussion regarding emergency cancellations and cancellations with exceptions of ill health. If you can’t attend a face-to-face session, I can accommodate remote sessions with enough notice. If I don’t hear from you in 2 weeks, I will close your case and offer the space out, if you decide to return, the space will be pending availability.

If you arrive late unfortunately, I will not be able to extend the session, as this will affect my other appointments.

 

Holidays: I will endeavour to give you as much notice as possible when I am taking holiday and I kindly request if you can also give me as much notice as possible.

 

Attending sessions under the influence

I am unable to deliver effective therapy to clients who try to attend sessions under the influence of non-prescribed medication or alcohol. In such a case I would discuss the issue with you and we would agree a period of abstinence prior to the session from the non-prescribed medication or alcohol, and add

this period to the contract.

Please note I have a cancellation policy and an active waiting list. This cancellation policy supports me in offering cancelled appointment times to other clients with adequate notice.

As a client of Spini Watts Counselling, you will be notified about your upcoming appointment 24 hours in advance via email. Once you have confirmed your appointment, it will be locked in and considered yours.

If you are unable to attend your appointment, please allow at least 24 hours to provide notice of cancellation. This allows another client on the waiting list to fill your spot. You can cancel your appointment by emailing me at info@swcounselling.uk.

If you cancel within less than 24 hours of the appointment time, you will be charged the full fee.

All cancellation fees must be paid before your next appointment. I kindly ask you to remember that a missed appointment not only impacts yourself and the therapist, but also other clients waiting patiently for an appointment time. I do not like charging cancellation fees, so I ask that you give me adequate notice.

 

 

 

 

GPDR Policy

 

Your privacy is very important to me, and you can be confident that your personal information will be kept safe and secure and will only be used for the purpose it was given to me. I adhere to current data protection legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation UK (GDPR UK), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003. This privacy notice tells you what I will do with your personal information from initial point of contact through to after your therapy has ended.

 

What data do I store and for what purpose?

 

Name - basic information for me to get to know you.

 

Address, email address and phone number – these are used as a way of contacting you, such as to arrange or rearrange sessions. Also, if we are conducting sessions online, I will email you session links.

 

GP details – if I were to become seriously concerned for your safety then I may decide to contact your GP or emergency services. In such circumstances I will seek to consult you beforehand.

 

Emergency contact number – I hold this information in case I become concerned for your welfare, and I cannot get hold of you. Additionally, I may contact your emergency contact if we have mutually agreed it would be beneficial for your welfare in that current instance.

 

Session notes – I keep brief notes of our sessions to recall important points and themes. I store these separately to other identifiable data such as name and address and do not use names in the notes.

 

Is data shared?

 

It is highly unlikely that I will need to share your data and I certainly will not sell it or use it for any unethical purposes. The only occasions where data may need to be shared is if my notes are subpoenaed by court, or if I were to believe you were at serious risk of harm to yourself or others. I also have regular supervision where I discuss my caseload, however I solely use initials.

 

How is data stored and for how long?

 

All data is stored on a private computer that has various password protections that only I am privy to. Client notes are all stored separately to other personal data. Email addresses are stored on my work email account for the duration of our time working together. All personal data is permanently deleted from my computer within one month of our work ending. Client notes and the counselling agreement, however, are stored for up to five years prior to our work ending. These are kept for this duration in case subpoenaed by court. After five years they will also be permanently removed from my computer.

 

 

Data Security

Privacy + Communication I predominantly communicate with clients via email and SMS, both of which are performed within a private and secure system that meets health industry standards. By consenting to receive communication, you consent to receive appointment information, correspondence, and healthcare information via email and SMS. I ensure that appointment and healthcare information via SMS is de-identified where possible.

The client understands that personal information can be sent by email and/or SMS, which is not a secure form of communication as it can be misdirected, disclosed to or intercepted by unauthorised third parties. By giving consent, the client is aware of the privacy risks of email and SMS communication. The client also consents to referrals and other health information be sent via email or post to referring practitioners.

Privacy + My Website

All personal information gathered through my website (including enquiry forms, and online bookings) remains confidential and is stored securely.

 

Privacy Policy

The purpose of SWCounselling Policy is to provide you, the Client, with relevant information outlining how your personal information is managed and stored. Your privacy is of the utmost importance to me, and my Privacy Policy aligns with health industry standards as outlined below.

Confidentiality

Every client has the right to confidentiality. My services ensure that all personal information is managed appropriately.  I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office and any information that I keep is subject to the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 18) and United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation UK-GDPR.

That is, personal information shared during sessions will remain confidential and secure, or only discussed with other health professionals for the purpose of professional liaison or supervision. Under the requirements of Medicare, Registered Psychologists are required to provide reporting on treatment undertaken to the referring GP or mental health professional.

I reserve the right to break confidentiality if I believe that the client themselves, or someone else, is at risk of harm. SWCounselling is obliged to release your file if it is subpoenaed by a court. Health professionals are required by law to inform authorities if they have been given information about a past, present or future crime. If Ifeel that confidentiality needs to be broken, then I will discuss this with you as soon as practicable. Information may be released with the written permission of the client and agreed on by both parties in the context of our work.

 

Consent

As a client of SWCounselling, you are required to provide consent to the above terms as outlined in our Confidentiality & Consent agreement. Each client is required to provide written consent prior to the commencement of services. Clients may also be asked for written consent for the transfer of personal information to other health professionals.