​VIVA Therapy
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Therapy Agreement
Thank you for accepting my offer of counselling.
At VIVA Therapy we believe that respect and positive regard for the individual are very important when being with another person. We trust that each one of us has the knowledge within us to find understanding of ourselves and to heal, and that our role as therapists is to enable you to discover that within yourself.
I very much look forward to working with you in therapy and I set out below the boundaries within which I will work with you.
I trust the information below will be helpful; however, if you have any queries, please let me know and I will be happy to discuss it with you. You can also email me directly at anne@annelewistherapy.co.uk.
Please note that this document sets out the terms and conditions of our offer to provide you therapeutic counselling and your acceptance of that off ("the Agreement"). Any disputes arising out of or relating to its formation, interpretation, or performance, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. The parties irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales for the resolution of any such disputes. ​
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Session times
As a client you understand that your sessions will be online only, that each session will last 50 minutes, and you will meet with me on a weekly basis. To get the most out of your therapy, I ask for a weekly commitment. However, as I offer long-term therapy, I am happy to offer fortnightly sessions if requested and where there is availability for me to do so.
I usually try to place clients who want to move to fortnightly sessions opposite each other, so that I can then offer the weekly session to a new client. Please note that this may mean that your session time and day will move, but I will discuss this with you.
I offer therapy for clients on a long-term basis as I find this the most helpful for clients, and you can continue therapy for as long as you are finding it helpful; however, please know that I am happy for you to restrict the number of sessions to a set number as this is your counselling, so please do not hesitate to let me know if you would prefer or need to keep the sessions to a set number. I would advise, however, considering having a minimum of four sessions as research shows that this is the minimum number of sessions in terms of benefit for clients.
Please note that I will take regular breaks across the year to ensure I avoid burn out and I will notify you of my leave dates in advance.
I understand that you might be late to start your session from time to time; however, if you arrive late for a counselling session, I will not go beyond your usual finishing time as this will impact on other clients across the day. If it is possible to go over time, I will let you know.
I will endeavour not to be late to your session time; however, if I am late to one of your sessions, then you will have the whole session time, unless I am not able to do so, or we both agree to arrange the session for another time.
If you are going on holiday, or need to miss sessions for any other reason, please let me know your dates as soon as possible. Likewise, if I am not able to make a session with you, I will give you as much notice as possible.
What happens when our appointment time arrives?
I use the video-conferencing platforms provided by Google Meet for online counselling sessions. You can download the relevant app onto your phone or laptop if you would like to, but the link I send you for your session should open up in your browser without the need to download the app.
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In preparation for your session:
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You will need to ensure you log in from a quiet and private space.
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You may like to have a glass of water to hand.
After your session, you should ensure you have closed all Internet pages that relate to our time together to maintain your privacy from other people.
If you have any questions, please email me at anne@annelewistherapy.co.uk.
Technology Problems
Technological interruptions may happen during your sessions and we will both need to take steps to minimise this. However, if your session is affected by technology problems that affect your or my ability to communicate effectively for the session, we should both:
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Log out of the system;
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Attempt to log back in and I will then try to reconnect with you;
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If this doesn’t work, we may both agree to have the remaining part of the session by telephone, otherwise I will email you to arrange a new date for the session and you will not be charged for the current session.
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My current fees are:
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Sessions for individual therapy is £85 per session
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Sessions for couples therapy is £110 per session
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Elevate Single Session therapy is £130
At VIVA, we review our fees on an annual basis. If we increase our fees, I will provide you with at least one month’s notice.
I ask that payment is made by bank transfer prior to each appointment using either:
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This payment link - VIVA Therapy Payment Link
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Or by bank transfer using the following bank details:
VIVA Therapy
Monzo Bank
62141443
04-00-03
Please use your initials as a reference.
Late or non-payment of session fees may result in sessions being terminated, so if you should have any difficulties in paying the session fees, please discuss this with me or email me anne@annelewistherapy.co.uk.
Please note that you need to give at least 48 hours’ notice if you need to cancel your session, after which you will need to pay the fee for the session.
VIVA operates a weekly schedule and a 48-hour cancellation policy, which means that we will not charge any fee if you give notice of 48 hours, or more, to cancel. If you need to reschedule, I will try to offer a suitable time in the same week and the fee will then be applied to that new appointment.
We understand that a 48-hour cancellation policy might feel punitive, but we decided on this amount of time so that our therapists can plan their professional and personal schedule. I want to reassure you that we avoid charging for a cancelled session where it feels reasonable to do so, and this is why, where we can, we aim to be flexible with rescheduling; however, if I am unable to reschedule your appointment, we ask for the full fee to be paid.
Ending therapy
You have the right to end your therapy whenever you choose. I would, however, encourage you to have an ending session as it can have real therapeutic value for you. You also have the right to just pause therapy for a time, or to end and resume at another time or to simply return for perhaps just one or two sessions whenever you feel the need for further support.
Confidentiality
What you bring as a client to your counselling sessions will be kept confidential. The only exceptions are:
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All of the therapeutic counselling work done by me is regularly supervised by a supervisor who is a senior practitioner. This is a requirement for therapists in the UK.
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As part of my duty of care, if I am concerned that you, or someone else, may come to some harm, I may need to talk to an appropriate person or agency, including my supervisor. However, if I feel the need to break confidentiality, I will try to speak to you about this before I do so.
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Supervision
As referred to above, I have a supervisor, who is an experienced counselling practitioner. All counsellors in the UK are required to work with a supervisor and it is a way of maintaining ethical practice. All client details however remain anonymous throughout supervision.
Ethical guidelines
I am registered with the National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society (NCPS), which has been accredited by the Professional Standards Authority. I will follow the ethical framework set out by the NCPS. Details of which you can find here: NCPS Code of Ethical Practice .
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If you need to let me know you can or cannot make a session, you may contact me at anne@annelewistherapy.co.uk or by text or WhatsApp to 07971 731991.
Please note that my phone will not be available during sessions; therefore, if you telephone me directly, you will reach my voicemail and can leave a message if you would like to.
If you are in distress and not feeling safe, please do not wait until you can get hold of me. Please make sure you speak to someone and keep yourself safe. I would urge you to call the Samaritans on 116 123, or phone 999. The Samaritans are a free and confidential service, and your number will not show up on your telephone bill.
Social media
As a therapist, I use social media, both professionally and personally; however, I wish to protect the boundaries within which I work, and this means that it is not appropriate for you or me to link up on our personal social media accounts during or following you working with me. You may, of course, follow my social media accounts but, unless you identify yourself as a client, to maintain your confidentiality I will not acknowledge you as a client.
Privacy Policy and Your Data Under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)
All confidential information is held in accordance with the GDPR 2018. For the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) 2018, the data “controller” is Anne Lewis Counsellor. The ICO reference is A9091119.
Confirming Acceptance of the Agreement
This agreement, and any disputes arising out of or relating to its formation, interpretation, or performance, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. The parties irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales for the resolution of any such disputes.
Until such time as you or I end your therapy, by continuing to arrange and access therapy sessions with me you confirm that you are happy with the terms of the Therapy Agreement in the terms set out above. If you have any queries or concerns, you should email me at anne@annelewistherapy.co.uk.
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I warmly welcome you to VIVA Therapy, and I very much look forward to working together with you.
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Once you have read through the Agreement, please click on the link below to complete the client information form. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me by email anne@annelewistherapy.co.uk.
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Anne Lewis
VIVA Therapy
