Each session is 50 minutes long, starting at the time agreed, and if you are
late, you miss some of that time. Don’t worry about the time within the
session, it is your counsellor's responsibility to end the session on time.
We will
agree to see you either for 8 counselling
sessions which may be extended following a review or
on an ongoing basis. After every
3 or 4 / 5 or 6 sessions, your counsellor will review
how your time together has been and consider whether continuation of
counselling is helpful to you.
Your first session will be for 1 hour 30 minutes during which time your
counsellor will listen to you and ask appropriate questions. This will help
them to try and
understand how you're feeling. It also helps you to reflect on your own
experiences and thoughts. You will be given the opportunity to ask questions
and to book a further 50 minute session if you both agree that counselling is
appropriate to your circumstances.
Very occasionally, we may advise you to see someone else if your counsellor feels it would
be useful. Referrals are only made, however, with your consultation and
permission.
Anything you discuss within your time
together is confidential with some exceptions as defined by current law.
As standard practice, part of our work and development as a counsellor
means we have regular clinical supervision where we discuss some aspects
of our work as a therapist. However, we do not disclose identifying
information about clients in these settings.
We currently use a
computerised recording system to process personal and sensitive information
regarding clients and the work undertaken in counselling. This system is
protected by password and encryption software. This is so that we can keep and process information responsibly
and in accordance with current data protection legislation - the Data
Protection Act 1988. For the purposes
of the Act, Mark Borrington is the official Data Controller and registered with
the Information Commissioners Office under reference number
Z100501X.
Sessions are for you to use as feels appropriate for you. You don’t have
to do, or have done to you, anything that you don’t want. If anything
happens in therapy that you are unhappy about, please tell your
counsellor. We see it as an important part of our job to take such concerns seriously. If we
are unable to resolve any difficulties between us, you may contact
the
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapists, the
professional body which monitors counselling on 0870 443 5252.
Between sessions, if you need
to, please phone, preferably between 2pm and 8pm. If we can’t talk to
you right away, we can arrange another time to talk, or please leave a
message if we're not available and your counsellor will ring you back.
We see
any ending as an important part of the therapeutic process and that
means, as far as possible, the way we end is in your hands. However, if,
after working together for a while, either of us chooses to finish the
therapy, we would prefer to spend at least one session finishing and
tidying up any loose ends.
We will
review the fees once a year, in September. The means, that if there is
an increase in fees, it will be in September.
Your counsellor will let you know, as soon as they can, of any holidays they will be taking and
would appreciate it if you could also do this.
