Please find details of my therapy agreement which sets out essential terms to ensure therapeutic work will be performed safely and professionally.

1. Sessions are usually arranged once per week and last 50 minutes. In certain circumstances, another frequency is open to discussion.

2. The first five sessions must be paid 24 hours prior to the appointment. Afterwards, you can pay either before or within 24 hours after the consultation. The fee is payable via bank transfer.

3. Each counselling session will begin at the agreed time and cannot be extended beyond 50 minutes after the agreed time due to late arrival.

4. If you need to cancel or rearrange an appointment, please inform me at least 24 hours in advance. If you do not attend or do not give adequate notice of cancellation, you are liable to pay the full consultation fee.

5. If you do not attend or give adequate notice of cancellation for two sessions in a row, I will review your suitability for counselling.

6. I will inform you if I cannot attend an agreed session and give you as much advance notice as possible.

7. I reserve the right to cancel a session if you attend under the influence of alcohol or non-prescribed drugs.

8. Contact between sessions (unless there is a life-threatening emergency) should be kept to a minimum and be used for administration purposes only.

9.Engaging with me through social networking sites should be avoided to maintain professional boundaries.

10.Seeing another psychotherapist at a time when our work is in progress must be discussed beforehand. There are certain cases where this is not advised.

11. No earlier than a year from the start of this contract, I may increase the fixed fee by up to an amount equal to the annual inflation rate. One month's notice will be given.

12. Endings are important events in life so we both commit to agreeing an ending session when/if therapy is terminated by either of us.

13.Online sessions should be held in a quiet, secure, confidential space with a good Internet connection. I do not do recordings of video sessions.

14. In situations of danger, please contact the emergency services on 999, go to your nearest A&E department or phone a crisis helpline such as the Samaritans on 116 123.

15. Our sessions are confidential. However, there are situations where I'm legally obliged to break confidentiality. These are situations relating to a severe criminal offence or if you, a child, or a vulnerable person are at risk of serious harm. I will obtain your written consent unless there are overriding legal, safety or ethical considerations. Written consent is also necessary to contact your GP or other relevant professionals.

16. I receive regular Clinical Supervision where I discuss my work. I also record brief session notes. In both cases, your identity is kept anonymous.

My GDPR agreement sets out how any personal data I collect from you, or that you provide to me, will be stored and processed confidentially.

Lawful basis for processing personal data

• If you are contacting me to consider therapy or are already having therapy with me, I will process your data for the performance of a contract.

• After therapy has ended, I will use legitimate interest for holding data.

• The condition for processing special category data is for providing health treatment and is necessary for a contract with a health professional.

Types of personal data and the purposes of use

• Identifiable data: name and contact information are gathered to contact you. Financial data (payments) are kept for maintaining business records.

• Anonymous data: brief factual session notes are made and discussed with a Clinical Supervisor to maintain adequate service.

• The whole set of information is kept securely. Electronic documents are encrypted and password protected.

Retention period

• Text communication and emails are deleted as soon as they are no longer necessary. I will delete all contact information after therapy has finished or been postponed for longer than three months.

• Electronic session notes are retained for seven years under the UKCP requirement and then deleted.

• Financial data are retained for six years under HMRC requirements and then deleted.

Your rights

• You have a right to access, amend, or delete the personal information I hold. You must make written requests that must be carried out within a month.

• I am obligated to report a data breach to you.

Disclosure of personal information

• Contact information will be disclosed to my two clinical executors of my Professional Will in case of my incapacity or death. They will notify you and then delete all personal information and notes.

• Disclosure of the information under a legal obligation. The disclosure is restricted to information that is pertinent to the situation.

• I may disclose financial data (payments) where I must provide proof of income. I will ensure that organisations with whom I share data comply with the General Data Protection Regulation so the information is handled securely.