Counselling Contract

Counselling Approach

I believe that my clients have the desire and the capacity to grow towards fulfilling their true potential, and that they are the experts on their own lives. As such, I will not give you advice or offer solutions, but will work with you to help you understand yourself more fully and to find your own ideas and answers. I will also help you develop skills and strategies to help you make positive changes. With greater self-awareness and trust in yourself, I hope that you will be able to make constructive changes, leading to a more satisfying and meaningful life. If you have service needs beyond my practice scope, I will endeavour to help you identify appropriate referral options.

Duration of Sessions:

Initial session 60-70 minutes

Follow up sessions 60 minutes

Payments:

Initial session $160 (prepaid)

Follow up sessions $140 (to be paid on the day of the session)

Cancellations:

We have a 24 hour cancellation policy. That means that I kindly ask you to cancel your session if necessary 24 hours prior to your scheduled appointment because a cancellation fee of $100 will occur for late notice or not showing up on the day.

Record Keeping

I will keep information relevant to your counselling services, including the forms you have filled in today and notes for each session. These are critical to helping me keep track of our progress together and for the purposes of accountability. These notes will be stored in a private and secure location (see the Privacy and Confidentiality Agreement). You have the right to view the records I keep about you upon request. I will keep all records relating to our work together for a period of at least seven (7) years from the date of your last contact with the service. Under some circumstances I may be required to keep records for a longer period.

Contact Between Sessions

Email or telephone contact will be limited to practical arrangements only, such as booking or altering session times. I will not enter into telephone or email counselling except by prior arrangement. If you are faced with an emergency in between sessions, please contact the appropriate emergency service. In a life- threatening situation, call 000 without delay.

Ending Counselling

In general, the counselling relationship ends by mutual agreement. However, you have the right to end your counselling service at any time. I would appreciate you letting me know if you decide not to return to counselling, particularly if you need to cancel an appointment. If at any time I feel that our counselling is no longer appropriate for you, I will discuss this with you; I may suggest discontinuation or a referral to a more appropriate service.

Counselling Contract Agreement

Before we commence counselling, you must sign the Counselling Contract Agreement on the day of your first appointment to indicate your understanding of the information above. If you have any questions or concerns, you are most welcome to raise them with me.

Download the Counselling Contract Agreement here.