I hope that your therapy will provide a safe space for you to talk about the difficulties you are facing. With this in mind this document gives some important information about your therapy and sets out the extent and the limits of the confidentiality policy that I, your psychologist, will follow.

1. The types of therapy that I use are Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Analytic Informed Therapy (CAT), Eye Movement desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT). I can provide information sheets that explain these in greater depth if you would like them.
2. I will meet with you for an initial session, after which we will plan together how many more sessions are needed. The total course of therapy is usually approximately 4-6 months (16-24 sessions). However, in some cases it may be necessary to have a longer course of therapy (e.g. 24 or more sessions) to obtain maximum benefit.
3. We will work towards a mutually planned ending and have regular reviews of our work to ensure that they are of benefit to you.
4. I understand that sometimes clients become distressed during therapy, but any kind of aggression (verbal or otherwise) is unacceptable and I do not tolerate this behaviour. I encourage clients to speak with me if they feel upset or offended during sessions to avoid this occurring. However, I reserve the right to terminate your therapy immediately should you behave in this manner towards me.
5. Sessions are held weekly for 1 hour from the given time of your appointment. For some forms of therapy, such as trauma therapy and EMDR we may need longer sessions (up to 1 hour 30 minutes).
6. If you are unable to attend a session, please let me know as soon as possible. You will be charged if you inform me less than 5 days before our agreed appointment. This is not intended to be a reprimand but covers the cost of the room booking and time that might have been allocated to another person.
7. We both agree NOT to record any part of your sessions with me without the written consent of all persons present. It is not permissible to publicise the content of our exchanges or share them with a third party using social media or other aspects of personal and public forums.
8. I will not be able to accept any invitations for contact with current or past clients via social media, nor will I endeavour to initiate contact with clients via social media sites or forums.
9. I will advise you beforehand of any weeks when there will be no sessions. If for unforeseen reasons I have to cancel a session you will not have to pay for that session.
10. If other professionals are involved in your care (e.g. a psychiatrist, social worker or your GP) are helping you then it can be beneficial if they understand an outline of your therapy with me. If this is the case, I will discuss with you what information you are happy to share, as I will need to update them from time to time.
11. Progress notes and copies of therapy letters and other materials are kept as part of my secure clinical record of your treatment.
12. Please note that by signing this agreement you accept full responsibility for your safety whilst in the building in which our therapy sessions take place.

Additional Information for Online Therapy Session

1. During the Covid-19 pandemic and lock down I have agreed to conduct therapy sessions online to continue offering support to those who want and need this. I have attended professional training on conducting therapy online and I am undergoing training to become an accredited online counsellor.
2. If we have agreed to some sessions ‘online’ there are additional things to be aware of:
   • Our sessions will be weekly or more frequently if you request this.
   • We will agree a regular appointment time and I will send you an email using my Protonmail account with a link to meet on Zoom at this day and time. Zoom is a secure and encrypted online platform and there is no need for you to download software, simply ‘click’ on the link I send to you.
   • My protonmail address is: pps.oxford@protonmail.com I would recommend that you also create a protonmail email so that we can ensure your privacy and confidentiality when communicating by email.
   • If for any reason we experience technical issues during a ‘real time’ appointment on Zoom I will try to re-connect with you, but if this is not possible, we will make contact via an alternative, such as by phone or email.
   • ‘Online’ communication is different to face-to-face and sometimes misunderstandings occur due to a lack of usual facial expressions, body language and tone of voice. It is therefore important for us both to feel comfortable asking for clarification.
   • It is essential that you are able to use a private space for your sessions where you feel confident you cannot be overheard and where you will not be interrupted. I encourage clients to use a headset for sessions for these purposes and to improve sound quality.
   • Not all types of issues can be resolved through online therapy and I will advise you if face to face therapy or some other form of support might be more suitable for you.
   • Where you have requested online sessions and I consider that this would not be the most suitable means of support, I will try to assist you in finding a suitable alternative.
   • Where a client is at risk online sessions are not the most suitable form of support. If this applies for you either when applying for support, or during ongoing sessions I will offer information about the most suitable alternative sources of support and if appropriate, write to your GP recommending this.
   • Online therapy cannot provide an emergency service for clients. In the event of an emergency arising whilst you are engaged in online work or if you were experiencing suicidal thoughts, it is essential that you contact a friend, relative, helpline or the emergency services.
   • We will develop an agreed plan so that you can be kept safe whilst you are doing online sessions. This will involve providing names of people I can contact, and your phone number and address should you require assistance from the emergency services or crisis team
   • I would also discuss with you the appropriate support that you could access during this period. If you found yourself in a major crisis and were considering serious self harm it would be vital to get immediate help. This could include contacting your GP, local crisis team or your nearest accident and emergency service (A & E).
   • You could also call the Samaritans on 116123 or email jo@samaritans.org (for emergency support).
3. On occasions material from sessions is helpful to be used for the purposes of research, teaching or training. In these circumstances all names, places and other identifying features will be altered so that you cannot be identified.  Please indicate below if you do not agree to this.

I agree / I do not agree to allow information from my therapy sessions to be used for teaching/training/research purposes.

Confidentiality and data protection

I am registered with Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the British psychological Association (BPS), and I adhere to their code of ethics and conduct. However, you have the right to make a complaint about me to the HCPC or BPS if you do not believe I am not adhering to these codes of conduct.

I am also registered with the information Commissioners office and am compliant with European union general data protection regulations (GDPR).

• Information received in sessions is recorded in brief note or diagrammatic form without your contact information or identifying details and stored in a locked filing cabinet. Any contact details are kept separately and email addresses, invoice details and personal therapy letters are stored on a password-protected computer/smartphone.
• You are entitled to see sessional notes bearing in mind they are not just a record of what is discussed but also an aide memoir for me, your psychologist. You are entitled to ask me to erase information held at any time.
• Personal data that you or others provide me with is collected and processed on the basis of legitimate interests under GDPR regulations, which allows for appropriate safeguards and transparency.
• I do not release your records for research or marketing purposes and in line with standards advised by my professional bodies I keep records of our meetings for a minimum of seven years.
• The content of the sessions is confidential to you, my professional supervisor and I, except in the rare event that it becomes apparent that either your safety, or the safety of others, is at risk, at which point I reserve the right to contact the relevant services.
• You have the right to complain to the ICO if you feel that your data is not sufficiently protected. More information regarding your rights as a client can be found on ico.org.uk/register.