The Agreement

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Please read through this agreement carefully. By attending your first session, you are agreeing to the terms under which John Ridley Therapy operates. 

As a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), I am bound by their ethical framework. This includes the responsibility to manage your information confidentially and in line with GDPR. 

Confidentiality means I will treat your personal information and what you share with me with the utmost respect, and in line with the BACP ethical guidelines. 

There are situations in which I can break confidentiality:

1. Where you, the client, give consent for confidentiality to be broken and information to be shared. 
2. Where I am compelled by a court of law. 
3. Where the information is of such gravity that confidentiality cannot be maintained. This includes instances in which I or my supervisor considers the client or others to be in imminent danger. 

Therapy sessions run for 50 mins and take place on a weekly basis. It is not usually possible to offer sessions on a fortnightly or less frequent basis.  I cannot accommodate frequently missed sessions, and if you do not attend more than six of your weekly sessions in any 12-month period, I may not be able to continue to provide you with a service. Therapy works best when attended weekly, and consistency is very important for your healing journey.

Coaching sessions run for 90 minutes, with the frequency to be agreed at the initial appointment.

It will not be possible to extend the length of your session if you attend late. If you cannot attend a session for any reason, you must give seven days’ notice. For missed sessions without seven days’ notice, you will be charged the full fee. 

I offer in-person sessions or online sessions, and when either online or in-person sessions have been agreed, it is preferable not to switch between the two except on an exceptional basis. Online sessions will take place on Microsoft Teams – you do not need to install any additional software. If you wish to reach me outside your session, please email me. Therapy sessions last for 50 minutes and begin and end on time. Please ensure whether your sessions are in-person or online that you are ready to begin the session promptly at the agreed start time; it is not possible to extend the finish time if you are late.

It is important that I can meet your needs throughout the time you work with me. If for any reason I believe you are becoming unwell, or if the service can no longer meet your needs, I will discuss this with you. In the unlikely event that that I can no longer meet your needs, I will discuss the options with you.

After each session, you will be sent an invoice for your weekly fee, which is due for payment within 48 hours of receipt. How to pay your fee will be outlined on the invoice.  The next session will only take place if all invoices have been paid up to date,

If you have any complaints, or should you wish to discuss any aspect of your care then please raise this in a session. If not, then please send me an email. In the event that we are unable to resolve the matter, I will escalate it to my supervisor and keep you informed of progress, next steps and resolution actions.