Alma Therapy Terms & Conditions

Therapy can help you to process and clarify your thoughts, feelings and behaviours, meanwhile supporting you to make more informed choices in your life. Talking Therapy offers you an opportunity to identify, explore and gain a better understanding of your challenges, values, beliefs, strengths, and vulnerabilities. It aims to empower you to live a more optimal life. However, facing the truth and reality for what it is often requires getting out of your comfort zone, which can feel painful, uncomfortable and even frightening at times. But doing so is absolutely essential if you want to create a more meaningful and authentic life. If Therapy is not challenging you, most likely it is not helping you resolve the root causes of your problems.

Therapy is different from the emotional support you get from relatives and friends. It is important that you familiarise yourself with the procedures, understand and comply with the requirements to make sure you make the most of your therapy. Please read these Terms & Conditions carefully before starting therapy at Alma Therapy.

The Talking Therapy Agreement

This counselling contract represents an agreement between Alma Therapy, you and your counsellor. Please take the time to read this contract thoroughly before signing as it contains important information about what you can expect from the counselling process and represents your commitment to attending counselling sessions. It is important that you fully understand what you are agreeing to, as once signed, this document constitutes a binding agreement between Alma Therapy, your counsellor and you.

Client Confidentiality

Whilst you are receiving sessions at Alma Therapy, we will collect and record information about you and your sessions. We record your contact details. This allows us to manage your sessions and keep you informed. If you provide us with emergency contact details, we will record this information. Where appropriate we may contact this person. Your counsellor will write a summary of what was discussed in each session. This means that your counsellor has an ongoing record of your sessions, which allows them to provide continuity of care. All your data is used for the purposes of counselling and we will not share it with third parties.

We have a legal basis to record and use your data. You have rights relating to your data. All information about you will be securely held for up to 7 years. We will not pass on your information to anyone outside Alma Therapy, with the following exceptions:

• Where you, the client request or give permission for information to be shared.

• Where the information you, the client has disclosed is too serious for confidentiality to be maintained, including where your counsellor considers that you or others may be at risk of immediate harm.

• If we are required to by law – in the case of a crime being committed etc.

GDPR

GDPR provides various rights for individuals regarding their data. These are listed below.

The right to be informed: Your Confidentiality Agreement informs you of the reason for collecting your data and the use we make of it.

The right of access: You have the right to request the information that we hold on you.

The right to rectification: You have the right to have data that we hold about you corrected, where it is inaccurate or incomplete.

The right to erasure: You have the right to withdraw your consent for us to hold your data, in which case it would be erased.

The right to restrict processing: You can ask us to restrict the way in which we use your data but must provide a reason for wanting this restriction. This is usually a temporary measure.

The right to data portability: You have the right to ask us for the data that we keep electronically, so that you can provide it to a third party, you can also ask us to provide it directly to another organisation. In either case we will provide the data in a way that makes it possible to be used easily by the third party.

The right to object: Public bodies will sometimes use the data they collect to perform specific tasks in the public interest or to exercise their official authority. In this case you would have the right to object to your data being used in this way. However, as Help is not a public body under this definition, the right to object does not apply in this instance.

Main Terms and Conditions

Your Commitment to Counselling

Committing to counselling involves attending sessions on a weekly basis or according to your schedule. Sessions will usually take place at the same time and on the same day each week, however, your schedule can also be flexible and be adjusted upon request. It is important that you attend your sessions on time and as regularly as you can in the case of long-term therapy. Taking breaks in therapy is allowed because resting time may be needed to internally reorganise experience at subtle levels. Maintaining regular attendance at all times can be emotionally difficult due to challenges of the therapy but the commitment requirement is an essential part of the therapy itself.

Alma Therapy contracts for counselling are open-ended meaning there is no fixed amount of sessions you are limited to. We offer session packs for long-term therapy which can be extended further. When you purchase a pack, you are obliged to commit to the number of sessions you bought to achieve the best results. We also offer Single Session Therapy (SST) which is a one off session that can be repeated if necessary.

Counselling sessions last 50 minutes from the starting time agreed. If the session starts late your counsellor may not be able to extend the length of the session.

Please attend all sessions free from the influence of alcohol and/or recreational drugs. Counsellors reserve the right to end a session if they believe you may be intoxicated, and this will be discussed as part of the continuation of the work. If you are unable or unwilling to meet the commitments of this contract, we regret that we will not be able to continue offering you counselling.

Payment and Cancellation

The amount you are asked to pay for your sessions will be confirmed at check out. We will ask you to pay for your sessions before they have taken place.

If you need to cancel or miss a session, we kindly request that you provide at least two working days' notice (48 hours) from the starting time of the session. Notice must be sent to Alma Therapy via web chat or WhatsApp. Missed sessions without timely cancellation must be paid for. The following exceptions apply:

• If your counsellor cancels the session, you will not be required to pay. 

• If Alma Therapy is closed over a holiday period, you will not be required to pay. Your counsellor will advise you of any closure periods which normally occur in April, August and December for approximately a week at a time. 

• If there are exceptional circumstances meaning you are unable to attend – these will be treated at our discretion on a case-by-case basis. 

• If you have been in regular counselling with us for more than 6 months, we will also make allowances for holidays up to 2 weeks at a time. Please speak to your counsellor if this applies.

If you are billed for a session that was not attended and we agree to waive the fee, we can issue you a refund of the payment that had been made for that missed session. We can also apply payment to a future session.

When you purchase a pack of sessions (e.g. 10 sessions pack), you are obliged to commit to the number of sessions you bought over a specified period of time.

NOTE: If payments are not made on time, we will not be able to continue your sessions. If your circumstances change during the course of your therapy and you are unable to keep up with payments, please speak to your counsellor. If you know in advance that you are going to be away, for example on holiday or for work, please let your counsellor know as soon as possible. 

Online Counselling Sessions. You will be sent a video link (Zoom) for your sessions via email or WhatsApp before each session. You will need a suitable device with video facilities to participate, we recommend a laptop or computer rather than mobile phone. We do not permit phone counselling as it is important that your counsellor can see as well as hear you.

Personal Security and Safeguarding. If your counselling sessions are taking place online, you will need to have access to a private place where you cannot be overheard and will not be distracted or interrupted. We recommend the use of headphones. It is essential that sessions can be conducted in a safe, confidential, indoor environment. If you are in a social space or in the company of others at the commencement or during your session, your counsellor will have to stop the session, or pause it until confidentiality can be achieved. Any such sessions cannot be extended and will still be charged for.

It is important that you keep matters discussed with your counsellor private at all times. Sharing therapy-related information with family and friends can have a negative impact on your therapy outcomes. Even if you believe that it is safe to share with others what had been discussed during your sessions, we still recommend that you do not do so (unless they are mental health professionals) because negative consequences may not be immediately foreseen and may unfold over time.

Both parties will be reliant on technology, and it is possible that issues with Wi-Fi, phone reception, internet connection may become problematic at times. If your counsellor is experiencing technical difficulties before the start of your session, they will either email you or text you on the number you have shared with them. If you, the client, are experiencing technical difficulties before your session time, please also contact your counsellor by email or text, again depending on how you have agreed to contact each other. Should a session be interrupted by technological issues your counsellor will try to reconnect with you straight away. If communication cannot be restored within 15 minutes your counsellor will call you so that the remaining session time can continue by phone as an exception. 

Should you experience distress or feel yourself at risk of harm and in need of urgent support outside of the scope of the service Ama Therapy offers during sessions, please do contact and/or attend your local Accident and Emergency Department, your GP, Samaritans (116 123), friends or family members. Alma Therapy may also be able to assist you by signposting to other mental health professionals.

Texting between counsellor and client is dependent on your having reached prior agreement to do so. The safety of counsellors is paramount, and any abusive, threatening or inappropriate behaviour will not be tolerated, and your counselling contract will be cancelled immediately should this happen. The counsellor also reserves the right to end the session in these circumstances without notice.

Notifying us of Changes

Please contact us as soon as possible if you change contact details or want to change your agreed schedule.

Enquiries and Complaints

Should you wish to discuss any aspect of your counselling support and care during your contract with Alma Therapy, please contact us.